It sounds a bit like a Victorian-era gentleman’s club where members spent their evenings sunk in giant leather sofas, puffing on cigars with a drink by their side.

Cigar czar Chetan Seth insists this picture is only right in some details. His new cigar lounge opening later this month will have cigar humidors made from the best Spanish cedar, where members will be able to store their smokes. And for the ultimate in relaxation they can pair their cigars with the best malts. Says Seth: “It’s no longer about just selling cigars. You have to provide the complete experience.”

At another level, Godfrey Phillips India (GPI) has opened three Cigar Shops in three cities and is looking to expand further. “Cigars have arrived and are now seen as a lifestyle product. Also, we have products for all budgets, so they are more accessible now.”

ON THE MENU

The market for cigars is opening up in India. Would you like to puff on a Punch Platino cigar? A regional edition was created in 2009 specially for the Indian market. A box of 25 cigars comes for Rs 36,667 excluding taxes and Cingari unveiled this collection in November.

(From top) Don Diego, a Dominican Republic brand, is a mild cigar with a short finish; the limited edition Punch Platino cigars are exclusively dedicated to the Indian market; Montecristo cigars come with an aromatic flavour and a distinct peppery finish

Now, Ameeta Seth, director, Cingari says the company has been flooded with calls from places like Dubai and Turkey for the cigars. In addition, Cingari has about 200 different varieties of hand-rolled Cuban cigars. These include premium Habanos cigars like H. Upmann, Montecristo and Romeo Y Julieta. Even limited edition cigars like the H. Upmann Magnum 48 are doing well in the market.

Talk to cigar importer Sanil Manocha and he’s sure that the cigar market is expanding and becoming more sophisticated. “The demand for niche products is opening up in India. The initial response was a roller-coaster ride,” says Manocha, who began by selling a European brand Danneman. Now, you can take your pick from his ever-expanding list like Agio Cigars & Cigarillos, and the Balmoral range of cigars.

Joshi says the increasing demand means they are able to also stock a wider collection of brands. The company started by importing mainly from the Dominican Republic in 2004. But it has now included Cuban cigars since last year. In all, it has about 20 Cuban brands and about 15 non-Cuban brands. Says Joshi: “Today Phillies is the largest selling cigar brand in India. Along with these we introduced Don Diego and Santa Damiana (hand-rolled) cigars.”

CLUB CALLS

The growing popularity of cigars has led to the creation of exclusive cigar clubs where smokers bond over their favourite smokes. One such is the Cigar Company founded by Sharik Currimbhoy, the 30-year-old cigar-smoking CEO of Shahnaz Hussain Group. It started out as a meeting of cigar-smoking friends and then turned into a club that meets regularly. “It happened by accident,” says Currimbhoy.

At the Cigar Company, members from all walks of life meet once every two months at restaurants. It began on Facebook with about 15 members. Now there are 300 members and five office-bearers. There’s no membership fee, but members must cough up an entrance fee of Rs 1,500 per head for every party. “This is mainly for drinks and food bill, and members bring their own cigars,” says Currimbhoy.

In Mumbai, consultant Danny Carroll started a tiny cigar club with just two friends. Today, after 16 months, there are 320 members who meet regularly. What prompted him to start the club? Carroll, 39, says it was “never meant to be a club.” It started on a casual note with three friends meeting at the Breach Candy Club to bond over their cigars. “By the end of the first night three became eight. We met the following month and eight became 20,” says Carroll of the slow but gradual growth. It has grown to 320 just by existing members bringing along their friends. “The only rule we encourage is that people shouldn’t bring along their business cards,” says Carroll.

LOUNGE LIFE

A Davidoff wooden cigar cutter that costs a whopping Rs 20,000

You know how wine sommeliers can guide you through the intricacies of the world of wines. Ameeta Seth plans to have a cigar specialist who will take customers through a cigar experience at their lounge. “Sometimes it can be quite intimidating for first-timers. So our specialist’s task is to educate the customer. We would lead them and educate them,” adds Meera Suri, vice president, Cingari.

Hotels too are creating lounges for their cigar-smoking guests. Cigar-smoking guests at the Leela Palace in Bangalore have The Cigar Room on the Royal Club floor. The hotel also provides humidors for rent where guests can keep cigars in their own lockers.

ACCESSORISE

“Cigars are incomplete without accessories,” says Manish Datt who often has to guide his customers to pick the right accessories whenever they walk in to his cigar shop at the Santushti Complex in Delhi. In fact, you’ll find cabinets stocked with accessories like metal cutters, glass or steel ashtrays and even different brands of humidors. “Cutting a cigar correctly is an art and you have a better tasting smoke if you cut it right. Just cut about an eighth of an inch off the head,” says Datt.

Even though 25 per cent of Cingari’s revenue comes from accessories, the brand is particular about stocking the right type of accessories. So, the accessories at Cingari are mostly limited hand-picked ones. “I search for wonderful items from around the world. I always insist on quality,” says Chetan Seth.

Be prepared to shell out anything from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 for a lighter. And a humidor can cost anything from Rs 6,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh. Besides there are tubos that are single cigar cases or tubes to hold cigars. The tubes come in either silver or wood and keep the cigars properly moisturised and humidified for up to three days or so.

ON A ROLL

(Top) A Davidoff humidor with a wood and leather finish; chocolate-flavoured cigars are a novelty and have become a hit with some newer smokers

Looking for your favourite brand of cigars is getting to be a much easier task. From kiosks in shopping malls to home delivery services, there’s a lot on offer. In December 2008 GPI opened one outlet in Delhi’s Select City Mall where they sell about 3,00,000 cigars per month. Last year outlets were opened in Hyderabad’s Central Mall and Calcutta’s South City Mall. The expansion is continuing and there are plans of opening in Mumbai and Bangalore in the coming financial year. “And if people want to buy more, we deliver at their home,” says Joshi.

Cingari does not have exclusive outlets but it boasts of 200 selling points. This includes having counters or an exclusive corner for their products in high-end restaurants and premium hotels across the country.

FUN FLAVOURS

Variations can be fun. How about trying a cognac-flavoured cigar? Phillies Cigarillos (Cognac) is cognac-flavoured cigar that comes for Rs 35 a cigar. Café Crème is another aromatic flavour. “People like the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavours,” says Arun Joshi.

Susovan Guha who’s in charge of GPI’s Cigar Shop in Calcutta says, the flavoured ones have been a hit right from the time the store opened last April. “The largest selling ones are chocolate flavours followed by strawberry and vanilla,” he says.

Besides, there are honey, peach, berries and even sweet cigars. Flavoured cigars are usually machine-rolled and far cheaper than hand-rolled premium cigars. The chocolate-flavoured cigar from Phillies comes in a tin and you are likely to mistake it for a chocolate box. The same brand also comes in strawberry. “The flavours have been in the Indian market for long and now people are willing to experiment with it,” says Joshi.

SMOKY NIGHTS

Ask any party regular and they’ll tell you that no cocktail is complete unless you have a dedicated corner for cigars.

Manish Datt relates how he trained the staff of the Umaid Bhavan Palace for Elizabeth Hurley’s high-profile wedding that had a dedicated corner for premium cigars. Cingari has been hosting many high-profile cigar evenings in the capital throwing in Cuban elements right from cigars to the decor. Besides, it has created pre-wedding functions centred around cigars. “Since Habanos cigars are the best in world we offer customised packages to wedding planners,” says Ameeta.

There are also private dinners where Habanos connoisseurs get together for intimate cigar dinners. And then there’s Godfrey Phillips India, which has tied up with hotels and trains F&B staff about cigar etiquette. “The training programme with hotels is purely on need-basis,” says Joshi.