Hunters & Frankau And Ettinger Cigar Wrap
Cigars can be carried in many ways. You can put them in a plastic bag, but where’s the style in that? Travel humidors can be gorgeous, but for everyday use they can be bulky. Cigar cases are good, if limited in payload. For a new way to carry around five or so smokes, cigar experts Hunters & Frankau and the leather craftsmen of Ettinger have combined to create a luxurious cigar-toting device they call a cigar wrap.
Both British companies have long, storied histories. Ettinger, dating to 1934, is one of a few companies that still crafts its leather products in the United Kingdom. Hunters & Frankau, founded in 1790, is the exclusive U.K. distributor of Havana cigars. Both are family-owned and -operated businesses, Hunters & Frankau by the Freeman family, Ettinger by the family of the company name.
One year in development, the collaboration is crafted by hand at the Ettinger factory in Birmingham, England using Maldives leather and Italian calf sides, which have been chrome tanned, dyed through and then drum rolled, giving the wrap a buttery soft touch.
The wrap opens almost like a book, which hidden magnets keep closed. The exterior color (available in either navy blue or racing green) contrasts with the Ettinger’s signature London tan on the interior. The main vented pouch can hold five cigars, while a clever, hidden pouch accommodates a small humidification pack to keep cigars for an extended period. A storage area holds cigar accessories. And in a perfect meeting of the modern and the classic, a circular spot sporting the Hunters lion head and EMS stamp (for English Market Selection) is built to hold an AirTag, meant to ensure you can find this lovely piece should you forget it on some sojourn to a cigar club.
It can be found at several top cigar shops in the United Kingdom (£795), as well as through Kirby Allison ($1,195).
