| I’m keen to document the history of the UK cigar scene. If you have dates, insights or spot anything incorrect get in touch. |
c.1586 – Tobacco, linked to Sir Walter Raleigh, appears at the English court and spreads through London ports.
1604 – James I publishes A Counterblaste to Tobacco, condemning the new habit.
1787 – Robert Lewis opens a tobacconist at 19 St James’s Street. The same address is still home to James J. Fox.
1790 – The cigar firm later known as Hunters & Frankau is founded.
Early 1800s / 1820s – Cigars are imported in greater volumes from Spain and Cuba. Production begins in Britain. London “cigar divans” and smoking rooms appear.
Mid to late 1800s – Cigars become a status symbol in Victorian and Edwardian society, closely linked to gentlemen’s clubs, tobacconists and smoking lounges.
1839 – J.R. Freeman & Son is founded in London. In the 1890s, the company expands to Cardiff.
1907 – Alfred Dunhill opens a tobacco shop in Duke Street, Mayfair, pioneering luxury cigar retail.
1920s – Machine-made cigars grow internationally. Cigarettes overtake cigars in mass popularity after World War I, but premium hand-rolled cigars remain prestigious.
1947 – James J. Fox expands retail in London (later merging with Robert Lewis). Duty-free and department stores add cigar counters.
1962 – The US imposes a Cuban trade embargo. The UK continues to trade legally with Cuba.
1964 – John Hunter, Morris & Elkan merges with J. Frankau to form Hunters & Frankau.
1980 – Edward Sahakian opens Davidoff of London on St James’s.
1990 – Hunters & Frankau becomes the exclusive UK distributor for all Havana brands (Habanos S.A.).
1992 – TOR Imports Ltd. is established goes on to become UK’s leading importer of premium New World Cigars® from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Mexico.
1996 – Cuaba launches its all-Perfecto series in London at Claridge’s. This is the first post-Revolution Cuban brand launch since the 1970s.
2006 – Smoking is banned in most enclosed public places in Scotland (26 March).
2007 – Smoking is banned in all enclosed public places and workplaces in England (1 July). The Garden Room at the Lanesborough Hotel opens as a new style of cigar terrace.
2010 – The Cohiba Behike line launches in the UK at the Goring Hotel, London (12 May).
2012 – Edward Sahakian Cigar Shop and Sampling Lounge opens at the Bulgari Hotel, continuing the luxury lounge trend.
2015 to 2020s – Heritage tobacconists such as James J. Fox, Dunhill and Davidoff of London remain landmarks. Boutique brands and cigar culture grow. Public smoking shifts to private clubs, lounges and exempt tobacconists.
2024 – London hosts the first in-person Habanos World Days with Hunters & Frankau. The Trinidad Cabildos Edición Limitada 2024 and the Trinidad 55th Anniversary “Fundadores Vintage 10” humidor debut at the gala auction.