Comfort and Joy: The Sahakian's Bulgari Cigar Dinner

Anyone with thermal imagery plodding through Knightsbridge this time last week would have been entranced by the sight behind the walls of the Bulgari Hotel. The constant white-hot flashes of the end of a cigar, the warmth and glow of a great group of men and women who had come together for the annual Sahakian cigar dinner at the shop and sampling lounge in the hotel. 

The dress code was “Elegant” and thankfully it was taken seriously. Guests received an aged El Laguito-rolled Fundadores on arrival, in honour of Jemma Freeman’s attendance. Other cigar luminaries such as Nick Foulkes, Manny (@YellowBrickwallcigars) the Sahakians of course, and Shary Rahman. The dinner was scrumptious, I went with the squid then the veal, and wine was provided by Chateâu Langoa-Barton. 

Come dessert, we all had our attention pulled from the cheesecake or chocolate logs to gaze on the 2012 Cohiba Pyramides Extra. Whilst I’m a fan of hyperbole, this was a cigar that genuinely quieted the entire room, which became lost in deep contemplation and enjoyment of a truly spectacular cigar. It was a perfect round-off of a generous and convivial evening, which also included the custom celebratory song sung on someone’s birthday, in this case, the Great Nick Foulkes, who continues his Benjamin Button act. You tend to take unrivalled hospitality for granted these days when it comes to the Sahakians, they are the two men we all wish to gather around to provide social sustenance and provide the reassurance that all is well with the world. Perhaps the flagship of this mission is the Bulgari dinner. Long may they reign.

View Tom Chamberlins Keep here.