Trip wrapup.

[El Presidente]

 

 

Great trip, both immensely enjoyable and successful 

Rob Fox, Hamlet Paredes, Alexander Groom and myself landed into Kuwait for 5 days. Only Alex had been there before but Alex is a Rock Star of the Habanos world these days and there are few places he hasn't been. 

Mohammed Al Mansour and his Kuwait team are one of the most professional groups I have ever had the pleasure to witness. From the LCDH to the Cabinet Club to Cohiba Atmosphere, they effectively control the Kuwait cigar community. The Kuwait cigar community is vibrant, educated, welcoming and progressive. Progressive in terms of their CC and NC cigar portfolio, their mastery of events and modern media, their blending of Kuwaiti hospitality with the traditional cigar ethos of sharing, friendship, engagement. CC and NC are sold and smoked side by side. I have never witnessed any cigar snobbery. Our Bond Roberts events showcased the the new Dalia Linea b Number 3 and the Fenomenos Linea E Number one. Both were very well received but the Fenomenos was the one that shined brightest at the events. Our final event was Foxy presenting the Nectares Irish Regional at a casual tasting at the LCDH. Great night where we decided to wear traditional garb. Of course, from memory, we were the only ones  Hamlet and Alex groom rocked it!

If you find yourself in Kuwait, you will have a great time hanging out with the Kuwait crew. They are 10/10. 

From Kuwait we headed to Cyprus on the Wednesday leading up to the gala Phoenicia launch on the Saturday of the new Punch Princesas Regional. 

3:40 am flight out of Kuwait on the Wednesday, no sleep, took the wind out of our sails for that day. No problem as we had the Bond Roberts launches at a local taverna in Limassol on the Thursday evening with 30 people. 

This was my second visit to Limassol and I have a love of the local Cypriot cigar community. Our local mates Marios and Haris are leaders of the local cigar community and two of the most decent people I have ever met. They picked the Taverna which we booked out and the night was pure brilliance! The guest list was a mix of local cigar lovers and global cigar identities. The mood was relaxed and the event full of laughter, great endless local cuisine and of course the two new BR cigars which smoked exceptionally well. Foxy and I wanted a night that was relaxed. A night where everyone would have the opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Mission accomplished. 

The Saturday gala event was simply the most glamorous cigar event I have ever been part of. Walid Saleh, CEO at Phoenicia + his team put on an event for 550 people that will go down in Cuban cigar folklore. I believe there is indeed a time and a place for such events and we had a ball. Hamlet got to catch up with folk he had not seen for 10-20 years. Foxy and Alex are cigar royalty. I was humbled at the level of knowledge and respect for BR and FOH. You couldn't spend 5 minutes alone without being approached for a discussion and a laugh. The location (City of Dreams),  music/singers, presentations, cigars, the detail!, the food/drinks, table settings, the dancing/entertainment all set new benchmarks that I doubt any other distributor could hope to match. The card has certainly been played. 

 

Takeaways. 

• The rumours that HSA shareholding has/is changing hands (fully or partially) to the middle east was turbocharged. The rumours have been around for 12 months but the final detail/confirmation is still missing. If you were allowed to bet on the outcome, this is a case where bookmakers would have closed all bets on the subject. 

Good or a bad thing? Given all the shenanigans over the past couple of years, one could only see it as a positive should it come to pass. 

 

• CC V NC

Wow, from NC not having a foothold pre-Covid, everywhere I went in Kuwait/Limassol from stores to hotels to airports, NC had a minimum 50% footprint. Often 60%. The impressive thing is that they are selling well. Speaking with retailers/sub distributors from the Middle East region, there appears to be less resistance in trying NC within the region that still lingers elsewhere. The three issues that were hammered home to me is that pricing, availability, and quality control have opened the eyes of traditional CC purchasers. There is no going back. 

 

Overview. 

The region largely controlled by Phoenicia is immense and a cigar culture powerhouse. The cigar world is booming within the region with new clubs and cigar lovers flocking to the hobby from east to west, north to south. The cigar smoking laws vary from country to country but generally they are far more lenient than most places in the West and Asia. 

The region competes now with Asia for dominance of the Cuban cigar world and is a beacon for well positioned Non Cuban brands. 

[ElLoboLoco]

Spectacular photos and journey!

Hamlet on the horse.🤣🤣

[Cigar Surgeon]

Looks like an amazing trip, thanks for sharing! 

[Mr. Japan]

Great to catch up with you all and congrats for the BR Night. That was what I like a cigar gathering to be.