23 August 2025
Hey there! 👋 I’m London Cigar Smoker — a cigar blogger based in the UK.
Cigars have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. However, for years I felt like a total beginner/novice. Walking into a cigar shop, I would nervously glance at the humidor, often feeling completely overwhelmed. Sometimes, I couldn’t even bring myself to step inside a cigar shop and would just hang around outside, second-guessing whether I should go in. While I loved the idea of cigars, diving into that world felt intimidating. There’s also a shame that sometimes comes with being a cigar smoker — I guess it’s not the healthiest of hobbies.
When COVID hit and London entered Tier 4 lockdown, I decided to channel that uncertainty into something productive. On 27 December 2020, I launched this blog as a personal diary to track my cigar journey. What began as a quiet lockdown project quickly evolved into a deeper journey into cigars, community, and to my surprise — a boost in self-confidence — and it’s completely taken over my world (not that I’m complaining) — all while juggling the day job!
Smoking and reviewing an A-Z of cigars (2020–2021)
From the outset, I set myself a cigar challenge: to smoke and review every cigar brand listed in the A-Z of cigars featured in The Cigar Companion: The Connoisseur’s Guide. A cigar book I later found out was written by Anwar Bati and Simon Chase (of Hunters & Frankau).
Armed with a cigar cutter, lighter, ashtray, humidor, and hygrometer, I jumped in headfirst. Within a year, I had reviewed cigars from 43 different brands—some I loved, some I didn’t, but all were invaluable learning experiences. This became my real education in cigars!
I soon realised just how outdated that 1997 book was—many brands no longer existed. Writing cigar reviews turned out to be much more involved than simply enjoying a smoke! Still, I learned to pick up on flavours, aromas, construction quality, and what truly suited my palate. I didn’t become a formal “aficionado” I’ll leave that to the experts in the industry, like those who have undergone the Hunters & Frankau Masters course, but I embraced being a cigar enthusiast and a cigar geek. My taste buds evolved toward full-bodied, full-strength cigars.
My early favourites included:
– Drew Estate Liga Privada No.9
– Camacho Corojo Robusto
– Cohiba Maduro
– Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour
– Montecristo 80th Aniversario
– My Father Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo
– Partagás Serie E No.2
I also became more confident smoking cigars in public (once we were allowed back outside) and shed my “Cuban-only” mindset, developing an appreciation for the bold creativity of cigars from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras.
Cigar shop & sampling lounge visits (2021–2024)
As lockdowns lifted in 2021/2 and beyond, I started exploring cigar shops and sampling lounges across London and further afield along with the odd cigar event.
Some highlights include:
– Visiting iconic St James’s locations like Davidoff of London and James J Fox (a return to where I first visited during Nic Wing’s Cuban Cigar Walk back in 2011)
– Sampling a cigar at The Ritz
– Meeting Rocky Patel in Windsor
– A trip to Cigarworld in Düsseldorf
– Attending the Cigar Smoker of the Year awards
– Being invited to the launch of the Arturo Fuente: Since 1912 book with Aaron Sigmond & Carlito Fuente
– My reviews of cigar shops, sampling lounges have given me the nickname ‘Cigar Tripadvisor’
– One cigar shop even wrote an article about me – read it here
– Meeting members of the cigar community in person and becoming known as “the guy from that cigar blog”
– My first video interview (with Oris Erhuero) which felt totally outta my comfort zone but so glad I tried it
or listen as a podcast now on Spotify: Episode 1 | Epsiode 2 | Episode 3
– A Q&A with Cigar Lounge International
– Competing at the Cigar Smoking World Championships heats in the UK and Croatia
– Being accepted as an accredited blogger at InterTabac in Dortmund, Germany
– Sampling cigars with cigar collector Urs Stephan Alder, Kirby Allison and his wife at Fumar, London
– Being invited to industry events such as the AITS Lord’s Lunch and IGNITE UK trade show
During this time, I discovered new favourite cigars, including:
– La Gloria Cubana Turquinos,
– Ramon Allones No. 3,
– Diplomaticos Leal,
– Montecristo Wide Edmundo,
– Quai D’Orsay No. 54,
– Leaf by Oscar.
My first trip to Cuba! (2025)
This year, I took my first cigar trip to Cuba with Surrey Cigars, a shop in Guildford. I documented the experience in seven blog posts!
The blog now receives an average of 250 to 300 unique visitors daily, primarily from the UK, followed by the US and then other global regions.
I’ve introduced a UK cigar news section and started linking to UK cigar events nationwide.
Additionally, I recently hit 10,000 followers across my social media channels and the guys at CgarsLtd Sip n’ Smoke said this about me… #mindblown
What’s Next?
I’ve truly grown to love everything about cigars and our amazing UK cigar community. And to everyone who’s been following my cigar journey—thank you so much for the support 🙏.
I want to visit every cigar shop with a sampling lounge or terrace across the UK, keep exploring Europe, and eventually travel to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic — hopefully during their cigar festivals. My plan is simple: stay curious, keep learning, smoke mindfully, and enjoy the incredible variety our cigar world has to offer.
If you ever see me in person, please don’t hesitate to say hello 👋. Also let me know what you’d like to see on this blog – get in touch!
—-
This blog reflects my personal cigar journey and is for informational and educational purposes only, not to promote tobacco use. Smoking carries serious health risks; please consult health professionals for advice.