Wednesday 12 August 2009

Cuban Cigar Walk London - Smoke and the City

London is known for its long history and as the "cigar capital" of the World. Nowhere else can you find such a combination of historical sights, high quality shopping, arts, sports and other passtime, such as Cuban Cigars. The city's many cigar stores, open air bars and patios and gentlemens' clubs offer a cigar smoker refuge from the total annihilation of the freedom of choice. You just need to know where to look. And to help you get the best of the city, there is now a great tool out there.


The Audio Guide - Cuban Cigar Walk London - by Cities in Sound offers a simple and affordable solution to introduce you to some of the best cigar related spots London has to offer. All you have to do is simply download the audio guide in mp3 format and put it on your iPod (or what you prefer) and by following the map provided, just hop along the route as guided. Oh, and buy the flights and book a hotel too...


I was really lucky to have booked a trip to London already before i was introduced to the walk. Now, i got to experience the walk first hand and actually visit the places on the guide, rather than relying on my vague memories from my previous visits. Although the entire walk is very manageable for a full day's leisure, i had to improvise to some extent as i was strolling along with my wife and son (under 2 years old). So, I cut some corners, but i think that is the beauty of this audio guide too as it gives you the freedom to choose what you want to see and modify the walk according your needs and interests.


Not going too much to the detail of all the stops along the walk, as you should see them for yourself, i had a really great time. I started from the Churchill & Roosevelt statue, skipping Sautter of Mount Street, walked around the Berkeley Square and took a full stop at the Alfred Dunhill at Bourdon House (previously belonged to the Duke of Westminster).




Then, continued following the voice of the guide, later heading through the Burlington Arcade and finally ending up on St James's Street. There i visited two supreme cigar shops - Davidoff of London and Fox of St. James. At Davidoff I even got to watch a talented cuban cigar roller Armando Rissoto do his magic and to smoke a freshly rolled cigar. Needless to say that was nice...



All in all, a great walk with a superb audio guide, introducing London and its secrets with enthusiasm and overall expertise. Revealing details not all people know. Giving any cigar smoker visiting London a good view on the best the Capital of the World of Cigars has to offer.

Highly recommended!

3 comments:

Mark said...

Very cool!! It's nice to see what cigar shops are like in other countries

James Smith said...

London seems like a place I would love to visit. I have been smoking Cigars since I was about 16 when I hawked one of my dads from his desk drawer humidar one summer afternoon to impress some guys I hung out with. I puked my guts out after smoking half but pretended that it was a stomac bug. I have loved to try different Cigars ever since. I never knew London was the Cigar capital of the world. And it seems they have Cuban Cigars as well, which being An American is a luxury that most can not afford. I have had the oppertunity a few times here, mainly from ordering them online. So far the best is www.gocubans.com. Thanks for the great post and pictures.

Sayyed Nasir ,from Cigar Roller said...

Other known by country,your country known by your cigar shop..