The past 12 months have seen devotees of Cuban Cigars, like the majority of society, across the world spending a lot more time at home than we are used to. This can present many new challenges, from maintaining our businesses to keeping in contact with friends and family we are forbidden to visit for the time being. One positive it can offer us is the opportunity to pause for a length of time many of us are not usually lucky enough to have spare, to focus on the aspects of our lives that may unintentionally be left behind when the world is open as normal and to reflect on challenges bested and challenges to come. The perfect accompaniment for such reflection is our favourite aromatic stick, and a comfortable area to enjoy it in is of paramount importance.
A smoking lounge within one’s home should be an area of sanctuary and luxury. It will naturally be tailored to the tastes of the individual, but there are some aspects which should be a mainstay of any good home cigar salon. It is wise to take inspiration from your favourite venues across the world to dress your own area at home – The Ritz and Annabel’s in London or La Villa Cora in Florence are fine examples of how opulence and comfort go hand-in-hand with cigar smoking. Once you have the essentials in place you will be free to allow your creativity to flow and create a space that is perfect for your every smoking experience.
Perhaps the most important issue, and the first we should address, is not of storage for our sticks but of furniture which allows us a relaxing place to sit. Key to the enjoyment of a cigar we have worked hard to earn the time to savour is a setting which will be comfortable for the duration of a puro that will often be with us for an hour or more. Many lounges the world over choose large leather chairs and sofas for this purpose. Such fixtures are not just comfortable and elegant, they are also practical: soft furnishings will hold more of our old smoke that leather, which can be wiped clean, so it will be easier to keep the room smelling fresh and to rectify any mishaps when our cigar decides to dispose of its ash cone with no warning.
Leather furniture is a practical and elegant inclusion in a smoking lounge. Image from Pintrest.
Once we have ensured we have comfort to enjoy our cigar, we turn our attention to the tools needed to enhance the experience. Every element of this room should carry the same elegance and attention to artisanship we expect from our Cuban cigar as well as maintaining the aesthetic of our area. A fine humidor is essential for this; not just the guardian of our precious collection it will be a focal point of the room and conversation topic for first-time guests. ST Dupont craft some of the finest desktop humidors in the world and their 50-count edition in sunburst tobacco lacquer will bring style and elegance to your lounge. For those with a larger collection it may be more desirable to invest in a larger cabinet which will create a feature wall in the space, keeping the cigars in perfect condition in a beautiful setting. High-end lounges across the globe turn to Italian masters DeART for theirs – these master craftsmen will enhance your home no end.
Guests will of course join us at times in our lounge, so it is wise to consider accessories that will cater to groups as well as our own, private moments of solace. A solid tabletop lighter will enable us to fire up stick after stick quickly and efficiently without having to worry about refilling. The Xikar Volta Quad Jet is a perfect example; powerful and robust, but elegant enough adorn a coffee table in our lounge without looking out of place. Similarly, our ashtray should be of a suitable size that it does not overflow and become unsightly when fellow aficionados visit. The Colibri Quasar is ideal for this purpose, its modern design holding the ash from your cigars with style.
When we sit in our lounge, enjoying the aromas and flavours of our chosen puro as they fill the air, we want to switch off from the daily stresses that life throws at us. This time can be spent exploring new cigars, expanding our palette and knowledge of the Cuban puro portfolio but can also be used to focus other passions that catch out attention. A collection of art on the walls of our lounge and a library of reading materials to accompany the cigar we choose is the final touch to a truly elegant home smoking room – they will allow our imaginations to fire as we put aside our regular professional focus and allow ourselves to indulge in the things we truly love. Consider leaving your phone at the door, and not having a computer or television in the room, so you can truly switch off from the outside world and enjoy a moment of headspace and attention that is truly yours and without influence from the outside world. A pen and paper is also a wise addition – as the synapses begin to fire you will find solutions and innovations coming to you that you will want to write down.
Enjoying your favourite drink and cigar at home can be the perfect therapy.
Cuban cigars are artisanal, luxury products. The environment we enjoy them in should match. The smoking lounge we create for ourselves in our home will be one of the most important places in our lives for years to come, a place we come to create, to celebrate, to commiserate and to consider all that happens in our lives. We should take great care to create one that truly reflects us, and offers the quality respite our hard work deserves.