Cigar Keep’s Advent Calendar: Day 24

Traditionally the final door of an advent calendar is the biggest, and whilst some of the sticks mentioned carry a hefty price tag, it can’t compete with a Swiss timepiece. A watch tracks the passage of time, a cigar is a good way to spend that time constructively. Zenith were wise enough to understand this inherent connection and collaborated with the good people of Habanos to make a Cohiba El Peimero, and the results are stupendous and the best possible way to end this Advent Calendar.

Flor de Alba humidor by Elie Bleu: During our interview with CEO of Elie Bleu, we heard about how their humidors are now extremely difficult to get owing to everything from materials to high demand. This is even more germane for the Flor de Alba range of the fabled French brand. Designed like cigar boxes from Cuba, with the the female deities, golden medallions and various insignia on the central label. Cigar Keep have one as the company treasure chest and can be sure it will find a perfect place in your heart too, if you can get one.

There is no better time of the year for reading and presumaby you have read our previous book in this calendar so let us refresh your library with this brilliant book by Nick Foulkes. Nobody writes quite like Nick Foulkes. The blend of humour and encyclopaedic knowledge is potent, evidently so by the fact that he has been the most influential voice in luxury for the past 35 years. Whilst we recommend his history books, you must dig in to this part almanac, part guide, part personal account first.

Sometimes when you smoke a cigar it leaves an indelible mark in your long term memory bank. Having been able to smoke this cigar at the wonderful Mark's Club's 50th anniversary cigar dinner, I can add it to the list of those which have been so memorable. In this case the cigar is by no means at its finest, and if you can find any now then keep some for a few years if you can. But it felt like the adult's cigar, the one that wiser minds turn towards, in contemplative times. Whilst I enjoyed it among such conviviality, I am keen to see what happens when lit up looking over a frost field on Christmas Day.

What could be nicer than ending Christmas Day (or frankly any day before or after) in the right atmosphere with a good cigar? For an aficionado, cigars mean comfort and joy to the world. But cigars are a delicate luxury product that needs to be stored and preserved professionally. Only then will the aromas of the cigar be preserved and can even develop further. For this reason, a SWISSCAVE humidor is indispensable for cigar lovers. Use code CIGARKEEP10 at swisscave.com/humidors for a special Cigar Keep Member 10% off price at checkout (excludes services).

Cigar cases are your best friend when on the move but it is a good idea to return your (god forbid) unsmoked cigars to your humidor after your evening peregrinations. Understandably this is not always the case and are in a state of forgetfulness but with. Fallon cigar case, you can put aside all fear and anxiety over this, for Fallon cigar cases changed the game entirely. Their beautiful leather work and colouring disguise groundbreaking designs that help maintain your cigar for up to a week without change. So, get one today and put a cigar in there for Christmas and it will emerge on the day in perfect condition.

Not too long ago, Cigar Keep ran an article on Regional Editions and the consensus is that in comparison to limited editions, it is the regionals that will be coveted most as they are not only limited by number but by geography too. They also go too fast to so whether you are in the U.K. or abroad, having a Bolivar Belgravia U.K. Regional in one's stocking would be a fine sight and mighty welcome too with its dimensions like the wide Churchill but just a tad spicier.

This is broad in its spec but the need for wonderful cigars is ever clearer as the days pass and the year 2022 comes to a close. Many of us will not have smoked a Gran Reserva during that time, perhaps plenty of you have and if the latter is the case then all it shows it the type of brilliant and discerning members we have on this wonderful site. I only pray that you are one of that cadre of smokers who manage to fit one more in this year, and we recommend that you share the victory on the Cigar Keep feed for all too see.

In England, the Christmas miracle has been snow. Apparently there is more to come so on the proviso that Christmas miracles can happen more than once, we are pitching for another miracle, a cabinet of 50 cigars. We think back to our first event at Mark's Club, where the great Hani Farsi brought a cabinet of 50 aged Hoyo de Monterrey double coronas, we recall the communal excitement, and the smiles, and everyone’s faces - what could be more appropriate for this most wonderful time of year.

Our favourite combustibles need preparation before smoking but also some administration afterwards. If you are outside you can, if appropriate, return the ash to the elements and put the stub in the compost but if you are able to smoke indoors, and I hope you all find that joy over the cold Christmas period, then a great ash tray is extremely important. Linley are known for their marquetry but they do not stop there. The craftsmanship of their trafalgar ashtray is as impressive as their lacquer and wood work. like a table lamp, its weightiness suggests pride of place wherever you put it and there should be no need to move it except to refresh it before lighting up again.

A dressing gown from New & Lingwood is an expression of everything we love about the cigar community. Fearless flamboyance with a touch of irreverence and tongue in cheek. Practical as they are, it is superseded by the beautiful designs. The best clothing can become a talking point and an expression of who we are. The fact that it can dance a pas de deux with a well-chosen cigar is the cherry on the cake, or perhaps the holly on the Christmas pudding.

In the blissful world of cigar smoking, there are options; solitary contemplation of the tobacco you are smoking and the world around you, good conversation with a friend about life, loves and gossip, or you can play backgammon. Sporting activity is recommended every day so if you are to take such rigorous exercise, make sure you use proper equipment and there is not much better than a backgammon board from Elie Bleu. Known of course for their humidors, everything Elie Bleu makes is the very pinnacle of craftsmanship. We covet the sound of dice clicking along these lacquered boards and suspect you probably do too.

For those waking up in much of the U.K. today, you’ll understand the need for a winter warmer. And this is most readily available in the form of the Royal Corona by Bolivar. It is not a cigar for the faint-hearted, but it is perhaps what the faint-hearted require in this kind of weather. Shary Rahman articulated the benefits of strong cigars for us in his article on the subject, so stock up on knowledge, and stock up on cigars.

Ever since Max Foulkes wrote so beautifully on Cuban Davidoffs, we have fantasised about finding these, wrapped or unwrapped, and ready to smoke. The recipe for rested merry gentlemen is a Cuban Davidoff and whilst they are trading like Tesla stocks these days, albeit more predictable, we are not too shy to put it on our list.

In the latest feature on Cigar Keep by Aaron Sigmond about the connection between watches and cigars, there’s rather entrancing image of a Cuervo y Sobrinos watch draped over a well-drilled line of these Montecristos. The Linea 1935 are part of the upper echelon of premium ranges following the global price adjustments, so the value of these cigars, with their generous six inches and 53/64ths of an inch in width, are certainly high. It has not diminished our desire for one in our stocking. 

Styles of cutting are an immensely personal thing and we at Cigar Keep try not to discriminate or lean any particular direction. However, one thing that can be said for a punch is that it is keyring friendly. Having a load of accessories for cigars is all part of the fun, but it adds to the administrative burden of life. This punch, which has two sizes of punch depending on the ring gauge, whose use is exhibited in our video demonstration, is perfect for attaching to your keys and never having to think about it again. Unless of course you forget your keys…

Many of us have woken up this morning, spoiled by the beauty and crunchiness of frosted grass. It is a perfect seasonal start to the day and reminds us of the warming, comforting heat that large format cigars provide when puffing on one’s terrace. 

With that in mind I consider the best large format release of 2022, the Wide Edmundo. Seating itself at the Edmundo family dinner table with a thud, and a heaped dinner plate for us to gorge ourselves on and perhaps the perfect cigar for a day like today.

Here is a more detailed guide to the cigar written by one of Cigar Keeps finest, Max Foulkes, earlier this year: Dispatch from Havana.

This is more fantasy than expectation but ever since Hunters & Frankau started releasing these limited edition humidors packed neatly with aged cigars, it’s tough to dream of much else. Even more so to know that the Jemma Freeman inscribed boxes of wonder are all sold out. What we have in mind this Christmas is the aged Ramon Allones House Reserve. Perhaps if we all make a Christmas wish together, our favourite importers will magic up a few more.

As you will have seen in our videos on lighting a cigar, each solution brings its own benefits, and much of the time comes down to using a preference, often also circumstance. If you are leisurely seated indoors with time and the need for contemplation, nothing beats the yellow flame. If you are alfresco, ideally, not feeling the cold too much at this time of year, the blue flame is unbeatable. This is why the release of the Ligne 2 from DuPont was such a revolutionary act, as it brought both at the same time in one iconic design.

On the fifth of December, a Cohiba Maduro 5 is a fitting salutation to the day. Worth noting for those recently entering the fray, dark wrappers actually mean a sweeter taste rather than the strength that the imposing hue suggests. The Maduro 5 is, like many other Cohibas, exceedingly hard to find but worth the hunt to find one today.

To some extent this is not book on cigars, it is a travel journal, or memoir. Nick Hammond takes us through the weird and wonderful tribulations of his life and the experiences which have all connected to a cigar. The notion of a cigar providing the breadcrumbs that allow us to recall the past is something many of us cigar smokers can relate to, and is perhaps a unique quality of cigars, the commitment to time means you are very much present in it, and we imprint it in our memory as a result. Mr Hammond's book is a testament to this.

There is also a special discount code available for Cigar Keep Members, CK007 for 10% off, for use on Nick Hammond's website.

If the Linea de Oro is the three wise men of the cigar world, the Nobles is Balthazar. Speaking of wisdom, these cigars have fast become collectible so if you managed to bulk buy at first release then we salute your discerning taste and foresight. We are so thrilled by this new line from Romeo y Julieta, and their popularity shows you all seem to agree.

If the secrets to a successful career are both having people around you that nurture and love you, as well as a safe home to live in, then view your cigars and humidors in the same way. This Blackline Fumed humidor from Linley is perfectly balanced in terms of size and design to work in any home. It also feels somehow frosted or snow drizzled for this festive period.

For this Advent, we start as we mean to go on, with the highest rated cigar on Cigar Keep, the Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva. This is a 2009 release and happening upon one at random is like finding a new ribbon of jade in one’s back garden. We believe genuinely that the most likely route to ever see one is through a member of Cigar Keep or a hallowed cigar lounge like the new one at the Connaught.