Cigar lounges: what I learnt visiting London’s ‘cigar mile’

Stepping into one of the many establishments along London’s ‘cigar mile’, you would be forgiven for thinking that you had stepped back in time. To 2006 to be precise, before smokefree legislation came into force in the UK which banned smoking in indoor public places.

There aren’t many who would go back to smoke filled pubs and restaurants but, for a particular clientele, a legal loophole allows just that.

When smokefree legislation was brought in it was argued by industry that cigars were a luxury item and that ‘sampling’ them before you buy was absolutely necessary and an exemption was made to facilitate this.

However, what we see today is so much more than ‘sampling’ with ‘cigar lounges’, described as ‘the last place you can smoke indoors in the UK' - ’a network of hangouts where smoking is not just allowed, but encouraged’. Surely this is far from what lawmakers intended with legislation designed to protect workers from the well-established dangers of second-hand smoke.

One of the first things that struck me was the different interpretations of the ‘sampling’ exemption in different venues. For some shops this is just a room, where staff don’t enter, and customers can smoke their cigar. For others, these are ‘café style’ lounges where staff serve drinks and nibbles all day surrounded by harmful levels of second-hand smoke.

During the campaign for the smoking ban, trade unions and the hospitality industry were clear that workers had a right to a smoke-free workplace. Why should that protection not extend to those working in London’s luxury hotels and shops?

Another thing that struck me was that staff are really aware of the ‘loophole’ nature of the legislation, with two even using that word when I asked how smoking indoors is allowed. In one venue I was told that I could order cocktails but they ‘have to come from the bar next door’ and are left on the side rather than served to me, with customers presented with two separate bills at the end of the night.  

We often hear that cigars are a niche pastime, not something of great concern to public health. However, one venue told me that on a busy weekend they could see up to 80 people in over a day and Chris Bischofer, of JJ Fox, said ‘we get some regulars who come in every single day’.

Whilst current usage may be low, the tobacco industry has repeatedly demonstrated its skill in targeting consumers to maintain a foothold in the UK market. We are seeing a concerning rise in cigar and cigarillo use among young people, partly due to the weaker restrictions on these products. Influencers, like Andrew Tate, glamourise cigar use amongst their young, male followers. We must be alert to this risk.  

If left unchecked, this problem could escalate. Public health teams have expressed concerns about new cigar lounges opening. One opened earlier this year in an area of Sheffield where there are deep health inequalities, just a stone's throw away from a school.  Councils have been unable to block these applications, despite objections from health professionals. 

There is also something more instinctive at play here: the perception that there is ‘one rule for them and another for us’. A national law designed to protect public health is being sidestepped for a small, affluent clientele.  

During Committee stage for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the House of Lords several peers, some of whom are members of the Lords and Commons Cigar Club, argued that cigars should be exempt from the Bill altogether. ASH supports the current Government approach which would allow current cigar users to continue to buy these products but will ensure that the children of today do not grow up to become the cigar users of the future.  

We’ve seen how the ‘sampling’ loophole is being exploited, we must resist industry calls for further loopholes.