Steffen Timm recounts an evening enjoying rum and cigars at London’s Bulgari Hotel
I recently had the pleasure of joining a rum and cigar tasting at the newly opened Edward Sahakian Cigar Shop and Sampling Lounge that is hidden away at the back of the Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge.
The precious spirit I got to enjoy was a Columbian aged rum named La Hechicera – ‘The Enchantress’ – whilst the cigar being showcased was a classic Cuban Trinidad Fundadores. This was a great match indeed, with the grassy notes of the Trinidad fitting superbly with the crisp character of the rum.
Despite the fact that the cigar could – or perhaps should – have been slightly more mature, it delivered a solid performance but it was the rum that delighted me the most. Produced with the solera method that blends different American white oak casks aged between twelve and twenty-one years, it was a welcome relief from the hyper-sweet style dominating the premium rum category.
Noteworthy too is that the Bulgari’s sampling lounge is a great alternative to the prevalent cigar terraces in London due to it being the only actual indoor location of its kind in the UK.
Finally, special thanks must be paid to the owner of the La Hechicera brand, Laura Riascos, who performed one of the most passionate brand introductions I’ve ever attended and also to Mike Choi, the accomplished cigar sommelier of the sampling lounge.
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