Havana House Windsor Cuban Cigar Cruise

It’s the middle of summer; everyone’s favourite time of the year! This is a particularly exiting season for cigar aficionados as there are so many unique cigar events. Shortly after attending the IPCPR cigar expo in Las Vegas, Paresh Patel attended his own cigar event – the Havana House cigar cruise. The annual voyage down the river Thames began almost a decade ago and is now the 3rd largest UK cigar event of the year!

The Windsor Cigar Cruise

Shortly before twilight, 110 cigar aficionados from all over the country gather for a night of riveting conversation, delectable dishes and of course cigar smoking. Some of these aficionados are returning for the ninth year in a row, whilst others are about to get hooked after their first time aboard the Georgian. The largest vessel this side of the Thames.

The Cruise begins in the home of the original Havana House shop, Windsor. Once everyone is on board, the Georgian sets sail along the Thames. The journey to Maidenhead takes an hour and a half before the boat turns around. Majestic swans and rustic canal boats glide alongside in front of the beautiful landscape of Berkshire. The views are terrific made even better with a cigar between your teeth!

Cigar Reception and Live Music

First was the reception, where the cigar enthusiasts could reunite or meet one and other for the first time cocktail in hand. The drink of choice was the much adored Midnight in Paris cocktail. A cognac base is intertwined with Mandarin orange liqueur and ginger liqueur. Sprinkled with Dubonnet and fresh lemon juice and finished in a chilled glass garnished with fresh mint with a lemon twist.

Then started the appropriate South American music, played by a live band. This really helped to create the atmosphere of the evening.

The Smoking Begins!

Before the sun set, the aficionados headed to the top deck to puff on a cigar. It is always a challenge to find a good set of cigars for an event like this. We decided on the theme of aged cigars and after digging deep into the various Havana House cabinet humidors we found the perfect cigars:

The Romeo y Julieta Cazadores (2009)

One of the best cigars from one of the most respected Cuban brands. The Cazadores can be considered the strongest of all cigars. Despite how powerful this cigar is, it is at the same time very smooth. Smoking the cigar you can find leathery notes and hints of coffee as well as the slightly bitter earthiness that distinguishes Romeo y Julieta cigars. If only we all got better with age as this cigar does!

The Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo Du Depute (2001)

This series of cigars from Hoyo de Monterrey is well known for it’s excellent development as it grows old inside a humidor. The minimum recommended ageing time for this cigar is five years. The cigars smoked aboard the Georgian had been aged 15 years! The age brings out the woody and creamy notes of the cigar and combines it with an aroma of cedar. Cigars as old as this can be considered a real treat.

Whisky Sampling

Cigars and whisky go hand in hand, especially on such a fine evening. There were five whiskies to be tasted. The rarest and most well-loved of which was the AE Dor Cigar Cognac. A whisky designed specifically to be an accompaniment to a cigar. The whisky has been aged in new oak casks that help it stand up to the cigars flavour. Other whiskies that were sampled were the Port Askaig and the Elements of Islay Peat. Along with the Diplimatico Reserva Exclusivca rum and the Japanese champion Nikka from the barrel, which is available on our website.

Overall, it was a fantastic evening with everyone setting foot on the river bank pleased. We can’t wait until next year for the tenth anniversary of the Havana House cigar cruise! If you would like to take a look at the other cigar events taking place courtesy of Havana House, click here.