Spark one up for the girls...

STOP PRESS: THIS EVENT HAS NOW BEEN OPENED TO GENTS AS WELL AS LADIES; PITCH IN FELLAS...


AN interesting new development on the cigar scene has been quietly building up over the summer at Boisdale Canary Wharf.

A group (flock? Herd? Gaggle?) of young ladies has been gathering in some style, mixing fine wines, spirits, food and yes, cigars.

The new Ladies Cigar Club, run by Lalla Kaur, has been attracting increasing numbers of ladies keen to enjoy the finer things in life - and find out more about cigars, their production, tasting and pairings.

"It's been more popular than I imagined," Lalla told MontyCristo.com. "We've had some really fun nights and I've made a whole new set of friends. We are looking to host more and more events, so anyone interested is invited to get in touch."

We're happy to pass on the good news here, and to let you know that Lalla's next event is on September 13 with an afternoon experience of a two-course lunch with wine, followed by a cigar and Armagnac tasting. It's all in a good cause too, with an Action Against Hunger fundraising raffle. If you know have a friend of the fairer persuasion who might be interested in attending, please pass on Lalla's contact details. She can be reached at lallakaur@waitrose.com or on +447899931233

M.

The Art of Barbecuing...

This made me smile:

"Whether you are smoking, baking or braising, the month of May is the beginning of the BBQ season. The BBQ season is the ideal excuse to light up a fat Cuban cigar to slowly enjoy throughout an afternoon. Do not risk being disappointed; consult our procedure –

1. The woman buys the food.
2. The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables and makes dessert.
3. The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - Habano in hand.

Now, here comes the important part:

4. THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

Back to the routine...
5. The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
6. The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will get him another Cuban while he flips the meat.

Important again:

7. THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine...
8. The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces and brings them to the table.
9. After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

10. Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
11. The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ' her night off ', and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women!"

Courtesy of TopCubans.

Best,

M.

Peace, love - and a fine handrolled cigar

THE unsavoury scenes from London and beyond this week got me thinking.

Red Indians used to smoke the pipe of peace at their pow-wows; I reckon there's a lot to be said for people settling their differences with a sit-down and a cigar.

The calming ritual of choosing and lighting up gives time for tempers to cool and hard lines to soften; the social side of cigar smoking means that we're perhaps more open to other points of view.

There's no coincidence that the world's leaders have come to some of the biggest decisions in our times over a good cigar. Perhaps we should start up a 'Cigars for Society' non-prejudicial, open think tank where, as long as they are calm, civilised and respectful, people can come and air their views over a good cigar and build bridges where none currently exist?

Best,

M.

Warm welcome at Sautter

I SPENT an enjoyable couple of hours last week interviewing Laurence Davis, owner of Sautter of Mount Street.

I met larger than life Laurence at the tiny but cigar-packed Mayfair store and he kindly handed me a 'Flying Pig' before we settled down to start our discussion. This fat monster is custom-rolled for the store and is not for the faint hearted - it must be ring gauge 60 + and is packed with ligero-laden leaf. Wow. I had to concentrate just to think straight enough to ask questions!

Sautter is now in it's 50th year, and serves a roster of wealthy and famous clientele, including cigar lover Alec Baldwin, who lists the store as his favourite place in London.

You will be able to read my story on Sautter in due course at Cigar Aficionado Online, but suffice to say, Laurence, Johnny and the rest of the gang all looked after me and were a mine of information. Thanks guys.

I sneaked a peak at the amazing cabinet of smokes recently uncovered by Sautter - century-old cigars that still look in remarkably good condition. You can see a pic of them below, as well as a short vid from MontyCristoTV that gives you an idea of this remarkable little store and its amazing inventory. Look out for the Elefantes!

Happy herfing.

M.