Puffin’ Rooms, Liverpool, England
The United Kingdom has fairly strict smoking laws—but you would never guess that if you visit the sprawling Puffin’ Rooms complex in the heart of Liverpool, England. (There’s also a sister location in Edinburgh, Scotland.)
There are three parts to this impressive equation, including what’s billed as the largest walk-in humidor in the United Kingdom and one of the largest arrays of Cuban cigars in all of Europe. That is just in the retail store, Turmeaus, which abuts the bar and main smoking lounge, but has its own street entrance—and its own smoking lounge. The entire complex is part of the ever-growing Dominique London Group, and was created in part by Mitchell Orchant of C.Gars Limited.
“The best way for our customers to sample is for us to have as many options as possible, so we try to stock every Cuban cigar there is, and we order three times a week,” says manager Raluca Maroiu. The entire back wall of the large walk-in humidor is Cubans, including all the big names and lesser-known brands such as Jose Piedra, organized by light, medium and full body.
It’s a big store, with the entire globe represented, and there is also a fair amount of space devoted to accessories, including tabletop humidors, portable cigar cases, cutters, lighters, ashtrays and preservation bags. Beyond the humidor is a sampling room with 18 oversized leather chairs and a craft cocktail menu, much more causal than the fancy lounge next door. This is open during the day, next door at night, so if you want to come in a hoodie, save a few bucks, or have a smoke at lunchtime, this is the spot. Adjacent to the walk-in humidor is the whisky room, a high-end retail store with vast selection—one entire wall is devoted to rarities from “ghost” distilleries that no longer exist.
Next door, the main Puffin’ Rooms has a central bar flanked by two separate rooms, a piano lounge with live jazz that serves food, cocktails and wine (but no smoking), and the cigar lounge, with rich leather chairs and couches. The entire back wall is a floor-to-ceiling glass humidor with overloaded shelves, and the selection is displayed on tablets, with Cubans, non-Cubans (called “New World cigars,” on this side of the pond) and many Davidoff-brand products. There is also a list of Orchant family exclusives. Prices are a bit higher than at the retail shop.
The rest of the walls are decorated with black and white photos of tobacco farmers, and each table has cutters, lighters, ashtray and sample forms for note taking, listing detailed rating scales for elements such as “draw when unlit,” “evenness of wrapper color,” and “firmness of ash.” Cigars and drinks are served by attentive waitstaff, and there is a lengthy bar menu including a lot of wines by the glass, but the focus is on whiskies, with about 300 options. For cigar lovers, cigar shoppers and spirit fans, there’s something pleasing for every taste here, with a great atmosphere, friendly knowledgeable staff, and a location close to the city’s best restaurants and hotels.
Turmeaus Cigar Store & Sampling Lounge
8 Old Hall Street
Liverpool L3 9PA
+44 151 236 3802
https://www.turmeaus.co.uk/our-shops/turmeaus_albany_liverpool_shop.html
Open Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Open Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Puffin’ Rooms
8 Old Hall Street
Liverpool L3 9PA
+44 151 705 1005
https://www.puffinrooms.co.uk/liverpool
Open Monday through Thursday: 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Open Friday through Saturday: 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
