Mr Dag Holmboe, CEO of Pacific Cigar Co Ltd

Lean and lanky CEO Dag Holmboe is the epitome of smart casual, seated in the P&L Club in Central in a comfortable chair, smoking a fine Cuban cigar. Calling himself a “modern gypsy,” the Norwegian has lived in many countries around the world but has been in Hong Kong for seven years and intends to stay.

“I enjoy my job, especially the people I meet from all over the world who all enjoy cigars. They know how to live,” he said, “and the club provides the perfect meeting place.”

P&L stands for “premium and leisure,” a suitable name for a private membership club devoted to the art of cigar smoking that opened a little over a year ago in Hong Kong.

Pacific Cigar was started by Sir David Tang in 1992, the same year that, in a creative burst, he also brought Shanghai Tang and the Shanghai-themed China Club to the city. Catering to important clients who enjoy smoking fine cigars, Tang became the exclusive distributor of the Habanos Cigars Brands for the Asia Pacific Region, featuring many of the 300-plus types of Cuban cigars and other brands at his first shop in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. He has since added the Cohiba Cigar Divan there to accommodate smokers.

“The P&L Club is something new,” said Holmboe. “We have opened many fine cigar shops around Asia in the last 14 years, but the smoking club idea was prompted by the desire of our big, important customers to have a place to gather socially, enjoy cigars and have a drink with like-minded people. We serve the finest single malts and other drinks, including the best teas, to suit the tastes of our international clientele. We also have an outdoor smoking area on the deck that overlooks Central.”

He said that Cubans prefer rum with their cigars, Asians prefer tea, while Westerners and Japanese tend towards fine scotches.

Although the P&L Club can’t sell food, members can bring in their own lunches and dinners from the many five-star restaurants in the area. Holmboe said several members were owners of these restaurants. The club provides good quality cutlery and dishes so that they don’t have to eat out of take-away boxes. “Members can smoke, eat, drink, watch TV and use the Internet, all in the tradition of a gentleman’s club. We facilitate a luxury lifestyle with a nice environment for people to meet their peers and colleagues,” Holmboe said.

In addition to the Cuban cigars so cherished by the collectors, the shops and club also provides other brands, including a new Playboy cigar with the distinctive rabbit with the bow tie that is franchised through the American company Altadis, and Dunhill, which Holmboe says are milder cigars than the Cuban ones. The Playboy line was introduced at parties that also featured the famous Playboy Bunnies, much to the delight of the patrons.

Although not exclusively confined to men, cigar smoking has long been associated with the traditional after-dinner drink while the ladies repair their makeup at social gatherings. The club reproduces that atmosphere. Cigarette smoking is not allowed, as cigar aficionados do not like the smell, and perhaps the reverse is also true, so the club solves the problem.

“Because cigar smokers are usually not public smokers and don’t smoke many cigars a day, they appreciate the privacy of the clubs and the sharing of fine cigars with other smokers who really appreciate them,” Holmboe said. He said the clubs have their own web site, loyalty programmes, events, benefits and exclusive invitations to cigar-related events. And because so many of his members travel, they can enjoy privileges in clubs around the region, in Taiwan, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

True cigar lovers also love the paraphernalia that goes along with smoking the lovingly rolled, aged tobacco. In 2003, the company created a stylish accessories brand, Siglo, that features highly stylish cutters, lighters, humidors, cigar cases and ashtrays, and recently expanded in to men’s accessories, jewellery, jewellery boxes, umbrellas in Cohiba yellow or black, and cufflinks, all designed with the typical Tang flair.

Each product is designed with a combination of modern design, quality and affordability in stylish colors, woods and style. These accessories are available at the cigar shops throughout Asia, either through Pacific Cigar or at 25 partner shops in Korea, Japan, Canada and the Philippines.

Many are cigar collectors too. Holmboe maintains that cigars age well, and can be kept for up to five or six years. The Pacific Cigar Company provides a warehouse for these collectors where the cigars are stored under the proper temperature and humidity. The cigars mellow over time, giving a more full-bodied taste. Devoted collectors can often name the brand and style of a cigar, plus how long it has aged, and they discuss the fine points of smoking, how to light the cigar, how it tastes in the middle and end, if it should be put out or not.

Pacific Cigar has faced the steady decline in the ability to advertise, so the club idea meets the communication needs of the company. People who buy cigars in Hong Kong are informed about the club and members also have privileges in other smoking facilities dotted around Asia.
- Bonnie E Engel

PHILOSOPHY
The Pacific Cigar products and Siglo series of accessories should be a joy to use, with the finest cigars available in the world, and accessories in stylish colours and designs. Everything is made with strict production and quality control for the enjoyment of cigar lovers throughout Asia. The company is expanding both shops, smoking clubs and lounges for the exclusive use of its customers while travelling or socialising at home, introducing the delights of the best tobacco products made from the highest quality tobacco

FAST FACTS

2008
• The P&L Club Bangkok cigar and barber shop opened in Bangkok. In total, PCC now operates 23 cigar shops and lounges in Asia Pacific
2007
• Cohiba Atmosphere, first private cigar club opened in Hong Kong
2006
• The Pacific Cigar Co (Macau) Ltd. and Malaysia subsidiary opened; Cigar Emporium established in the Wynn, Macau
2004-2005
• PCC opened a further 5 cigar lounges in Asia
2003
• Casa Habana opened in Melbourne
2002
• La Casa del Haban opened in Taipei
2001
• PCC Australia opened and New Zealand in 2002, along with The Connoisseur Divan in Singapore
1997
• La Casa del Habano cigar lounge opened in The Oriental Bangkok and Indonesian branches opened
1996
• Pacific Cigar Companies established in Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand
1992
• Pacific Cigar Company established in 1992 and the first cigar lounge,  the Cohiba Cigar Divan, opened at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong by Sir David Tang