Strike a pose like Churchill or Che at Norfolk's new cigar smoking 'destination'

- Great Yarmouth Mercury

---

Strike a pose like Churchill or Che at Norfolk's new cigar smoking 'destination'

Text: Liz Coates
27 March 2015

Tucked away on a small rural industrial estate is an unlikely smoking oasis.

With its sampling lounge and temperature-controlled 'humidor' the traditional Alfie Turmeaus shop is rolling outs hundreds of cigars and pipe-tobaccos in a myriad of tastes, flavours and bouquets.

Here the selected leaves are treated like fine wines with those who enter the store keen to assess the brand, taste and strength before parting with their money.

And with prices ranging from £2.99 to £100 for a single cigar a period of intense deliberation is something the management actively caters for, allowing customers to puff with impunity amid leather arm chairs and framed prints of Cuban street scenes.

Unaffected by the smoking ban and legislation about packaging the cigar market is booming and reaching out to ever younger enthusiasts, according to managing director Mitchell Orchant.

And with many of its orders already coming from Norfolk the company decided to add to its existing mail-order warehouse at Hall Farm, Rollesby, creating a £250,000 smoking 'destination' - one of around only 25 indoor locations in the UK to be granted an exemption under the smoking ban.

Mr Orchant said the hand-rolled Cuban cigar had long been the accessory of choice for some of the 20th century's most photographed icons.

Adopting a relaxed smoking pose had helped cigar aficionados as diverse as Winston Churchill and revolutionary Che Guevara to cement their images in popular culture, the latter representing everything that was cool and hip about Cuba, he said.

And while the tide seemed to be turning against cigarette smokers, cigar and pipe tobacco smoking was growing.

A new generation of younger smokers aged around 25 to 30 are said to be sampling the artisan products, with graduating students just as likely to splash out on a box as wealthy businessmen.

The Rollesby shop adds to a retail family that is around 200 years old and has branches in Mayfair, Cambridge and Edinburgh.

“When we looked at the population we thought there was a hole in Norfolk. We have thousands of mail order customers all over the country and we thought this was a natural location for us,” Mr Orchant said.

“We have had our mail order warehouse here for about five years which meets our national demands. We had so many customers that were using our click and collect service and we listened to what they said.”

Adding to the 5000sq ft of warehouse and offices is a large retail showroom with walk-in humidor and cigar sampling lounge, the only one in Norfolk and set to draw enthusiasts from all over the county and beyond.

In all they stock around 200 cigars - half of which are Cuban and half from the New World - and 200 different types of pipe tobacco.

“The premium cigar market is a niche but growing market and they do not have the same health issues because there is no inhalation and no chemicals, it is all about the aroma and bouquet. Since the smoking ban it has become more popular and we have grown from four shops in 2007 to 12 today,” Mr Orchant added.

Alfie Turmeaus is the retail arm of Cgars Ltd, an independent family business which employs 50 people across the UK. Two new jobs have been created at Rollesby.

The cigar shop was officially opened on Tuesday by Brian Shapiro, international sales director of Oliva Cigars who cut the ribbon along with Mr Orchant.

- Great Yarmouth Mercury
Read the full article here

Return to the Publicity Page