The city’s cigar scene has lit up in recent years as more and more new venues catering to those who enjoy the finer things in life have opened. Here are some top places all cigar buffs in Bangkok should visit.
1. The Balcony Lounge & Humidor at The InterContinental Bangkok
The Humidor at The InterContinental Bangkok is a veritable refuge for aficionados, offering a vast selection of premium cigars, mostly from Cuba and the Dominican Republic. There might not be a more convenient place to unwind after work, considering this lounge’s away-from-it-all ambiance yet very central location.
Prestige’s Pick: Settle into a leather sofa, order a robust Romeo Y Julieta Churchill, and pair it with a strong whisky from the Balcony Lounge, preferably one with fruity and spicy tasting notes, such as Glenfarclas 30 years.
2. The Balvenie Lounge & Cohiba Atmosphere
The first of its kind in Southeast Asia, The Balvenie Lounge is Bangkok’s exclusive home to Speyside single malt Scotch label The Balvenie. Of course, with fine whisky come fine cigars. At this intimate, leather- and dark wood-rich lounge located above cigar specialist Cohiba Atmosphere, the focus is on Cubans – over 300 kinds of them, and not just Cohibas.
Prestige’s Pick: Go for a spicy Montecristo #4 paired with The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old, a single malt with vanilla and oak notes imparted by the Caribbean rum casks in which the whisky is aged.
3. La Casa del Habano at Mandarin Oriental
The first official Habanos retailer in Thailand, opened in 1997, is located at the stately Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. Along with 300 different Habanos and 80 kinds of fine and rare liquors, this sumptuous space also offers direct access to legendary jazz venue Bamboo Bar.
Prestige’s Pick: Enjoy a Bolivar Libertador, a limited, sublime-sized smoke with sweet and sour cherry notes, before moving on to the jazz bar next door.
4. The ChindAsia Club
An exclusive club with mostly male clientele (women are welcome, however), the ChindAsia Club, formerly called Club Perdomo, eschews Cubans in favour of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran cigars—a bold move rooted in the belief that the premier cigar-rolling professionals fled Cuba in the 1950s, relocating their skills and traditions with them. The club is linked with Whisgars, but it offers a more exclusive atmosphere for those in the know.
Prestige’s Pick: With the club claiming the largest selection of Perdomo cigars in Thailand, it would be almost criminal not to smoke one here; go for a 20th Anniversary Perdomo Robusto.
5. Black Amber Social Club
This intimate speakeasy caters to cigar and whisky connoisseurs alike. Hidden in a townhouse on Thong Lo Soi 6, the club, which began as a spinoff of the widely popular barbershop across the street, is a more social hangout than other cigar lounges in town.
Prestige’s Pick: Pick up a medium-bodied Cohiba and pair it with the bar’s fantastic Old Fashioned—perfect for good conversation.
6. The Blind Pig at Hotel Muse
Tucked away inside The Speakeasy, Hotel Muse’s swish rooftop sanctuary, The Blind Pig proffers some fine Caribbean tobacco in a dark and alluring space. It absolutely sings with the overarching Prohibition theme that the hotel itself embraces—lacquered wood, button-back chairs and Chesterfield sofas, Victorian hanging lamps, and timeless class and grace.
Prestige’s Pick: Try a Partagas Serie D No.4, a consistent, full-bodied Cuban with a pleasant woody taste.
