The Hunters & Frankau
225th Anniversary Party
On the evening of 19th June there was a bubble of excitement in the queue around
Belgrave square and the guests gathered and waited patiently for their turn to be
officially welcomed to the 225th Anniversary party for Hunters & Frankau.
The official welcome consisted of a beautiful and
much anticipated sample of the Anniversario 225
cigar together with two other cigars which were
being tasted for the first time on the evening; The
Bolivar Belgravia, the UK regional edition for 2015
and the new Media Corona from Montecristo
which was launched at the Habanos festival last
year and which from the party becomes a regular
in the Montecristo line in the UK.
a wonderful steak bar offering substantial
sustenance for the long evening ahead.
The gift bag presented to the guests included both
a sample of the RA 225 and the Bolivar to enjoy
on the evening but also a sample of each in a
commemorative anniversary box which will be a
treasured part of many cigar collections.
Jemma then introduced Asbel Morales, the
Master Blender of Havana Club who introduced
the Anniversario rum which he had created to
perfectly complement the Anniversario 225 cigars.
The centre of Belgrave Square is a traditional ‘key
garden’ to which only local residents with a key
are allowed access so most of us had no idea what
to expect but we made our way into a positive fairy
grotto of delights.
Welcomed with a glass of vintage Pol Roger 2004
champagne there was a very substantial bar
offering a wonderful array of carefully crafted
cocktails each bearing the name of a location
significant to the long history of Hunters &
Frankau. There was also a Rum bar offering some
of the finest of Havana Club’s rums. Wiltons of
Jermyn street, who have a family connection with
the company, where present with their beautiful
oyster and smoked salmon cart and there was
19
After a good deal of meeting friends old and
new Mr David Lewis, the Chairman of Hunters
& Frankau introduced Jemma Freeman who
welcomed the guests and outlined the history
of the company and the reason we were all
summoned to celebrate.
As the rum was handed round to sample Edward
Sahakian stepped forward to talk briefly about his
recollections of Hunters and Frankau and to offer
a heartfelt toast to Hunters & Frankau.
The party continued through long into the evening
with many other delights to see including a full
size version of the Anniversario cabinet crafted by
De Art as a full size working humidor.
The party broke up, much to everyone’s
disappointment, and the cigar lovers dissipated to
fill the cigar terraces and lounges of London way
into the small hours of the night.
This was a party some 225 years in the making and
I can honestly say that there was not one single
thing which could have made it more perfect,
unless perhaps that it had run for a further 2 days.