Rookie Assistance Required, or, a cry for help (Dublin and London)

[Ruggerpgh99]

I will be taking a trip to Dublin and London, with a day trip to Paris at the end of April. Being located in the US, I haven't often found myself with the opportunity to purchase CC in person. I am hoping to stop by JJ Fox in Dublin and London to grab a few singles to enjoy while I am traveling. I understand that the taxes do make it cost prohibitive there, but that is not a worry given the magnitude of this trip. I would love suggestions on what types of cigars I should be seeking out at these locations as a relative newcomer to CC. Should I grab a couple of regionals? EL? What can I snag to enjoy while on the trip without the aging I am doing for the recent purchases I have made? Any suggestions for a good place to have a breakfast smoke with some coffee? I would like any and all suggestions for my travels to find time to get the most enjoyment out of smoking a few cigars on this trip. If it helps, my favorite smokes to date have been CORO 2020, and RASCC 2017, PLPC 23, Monte 5. 

Much thanks in advance. 

[garbandz]

Talk to the folks at Fox. I would seek out the late 90's stock, which I am fond of, and I would look for some of the discontinued sticks I have heard so much about. There are plenty of regular stock gems, I would not buy any LE cigars or Regionals.

[HenryMartin]

You've got three stores on St James's Street: James Fox, CGars and Davidoff. Maybe there is more around the area but I never checked. Now as you mentioned price, I think there is a caveat to this and this opinion is purely my own coming from personal experience. All the Cubans I have got from this street, James Fox especially, have been outstanding. Whether this is because all the Cubans are EMS, I am not qualified to answer that appropriately but once more, my personal experience certainly supports that theory.  

Two interesting places to smoke your shopping cart: Cavendish No. 6 and also given the weather in April, there is the American Bar across St James's.

Here is my photo of a Magnum 46 at the American Bar. Enjoy GB 🇬🇧...and don't use your phone in public! 🤭

 

[ha_banos]

Can always have breakfast and cigar at Francos opposite Davidoff 😁

[WestCoastSmokin]

Haven’t been myself but I would definitely prioritize whatever aged stock they have which I assume would be quite a bit. I’m sure they will steer you right. If you wanna smoke something young, try the D4’s or a Juan Lopez No. 2. Both have been smoking great young. Have a safe trip and enjoy being able to purchase CC in person! 

[griller]

On 3/28/2025 at 8:55 AM, garbandz said:

Talk to the folks at Fox. I would seek out the late 90's stock, which I am fond of, and I would look for some of the discontinued sticks I have heard so much about. There are plenty of regular stock gems, I would not buy any LE cigars or Regionals.

I'm a fan of JJ Fox, too. They have a basement inventory called "the keep" that I was able to tour with one of the employees that was like taking a step back in time. Unbelievable variety of inventory from years gone by. Also, pretty sure there is a small cigar museum that has a chair that Winston Churchill used to sit in. 

[MagicalBikeRide]

Where are you first? Dublin or London? 

[Ford2112]

Never been but meeting the Sahakians at Davidoff would be high on the priority list.

[Ruggerpgh99]

21 hours ago, MagicalBikeRide said:

Where are you first? Dublin or London? 

Dublin first, then London. 

[Ruggerpgh99]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed some suggestions for me. I will definitely be stopping at JJ Fox in both Dublin and London, and based on the suggestions so far, seeking out aged regular production where possible. 

[MagicalBikeRide]

Ok, cool. Couple thoughts -

If timelines suit, I’d suggest that you spend most of your budget in London. We have plain packing here (Dublin) and it has really damaged the customer experience. The shops on St James and elsewhere are really excellent - all will have an indoor lounge / sampling area, knowledgeable staff and a better selection than Dublin.

If you want to familiarise yourself with pricing and selection, JJF in both Dublin and London have webpages (.ie and .co.uk extensions respectively). In Dublin - the online availability will almost always mirror that which is available in store - same for pricing. 

There are other cigar stores here, but post 2020, I will only purchase from JJF - take from that what you want. 

The humidor at JJF Dublin is wetter than I’d like it to be and Ireland is a pretty wet / humid place generally, so no harm taking a 62% Boveda along with you (they don’t stock them here for some reason).

And then send me a pm with dates you’re in Dublin. I live city centre and can likely meet you for a coffee / beer / smoke - it’s not entirely straightforward to find a comfortable place to smoke here, but I’ve found almost all of them…

[Wlu1988]

On 3/29/2025 at 12:55 AM, garbandz said:

Talk to the folks at Fox. I would seek out the late 90's stock, which I am fond of, and I would look for some of the discontinued sticks I have heard so much about. There are plenty of regular stock gems, I would not buy any LE cigars or Regionals.

Where is the best spot in London to get late 90s or even discontinued stock? I was at Fox, Davidoff, Cgars in December and didn’t see much/any (Granted basement of JJF was closed at the time). This thread is timely for me because I have a relative heading over next week who offered to pick up some sticks for me and I am debating on what I want to ask them to keep an eye out for - knowing that they are not a cigar but and will probably only get the chance to hit the shops on St. James Street. Ideally I would like to find some discontinued Sancho Panza or Vegas Robina as well as some current production double coronas. 

Not trying to hijack this thread. Hopefully any answers to my questions are also applicable to the OP. 

[MagicalBikeRide]

AJ’s place on Cavendish Square is your best bet, imo.

 

[Ruggerpgh99]

On 3/30/2025 at 5:12 PM, MagicalBikeRide said:

Ok, cool. Couple thoughts -

If timelines suit, I’d suggest that you spend most of your budget in London. We have plain packing here (Dublin) and it has really damaged the customer experience. The shops on St James and elsewhere are really excellent - all will have an indoor lounge / sampling area, knowledgeable staff and a better selection than Dublin.

If you want to familiarise yourself with pricing and selection, JJF in both Dublin and London have webpages (.ie and .co.uk extensions respectively). In Dublin - the online availability will almost always mirror that which is available in store - same for pricing. 

There are other cigar stores here, but post 2020, I will only purchase from JJF - take from that what you want. 

The humidor at JJF Dublin is wetter than I’d like it to be and Ireland is a pretty wet / humid place generally, so no harm taking a 62% Boveda along with you (they don’t stock them here for some reason).

And then send me a pm with dates you’re in Dublin. I live city centre and can likely meet you for a coffee / beer / smoke - it’s not entirely straightforward to find a comfortable place to smoke here, but I’ve found almost all of them…

Thanks Magical!

I will grab maybe 1 or 2 to have in Dublin, as we are only there a couple days, and I will PM you with the dates I will be there. I checked the pricing of JJF in Dublin, while it is high, it will be fine to grab a couple singles before we get to London. I was not aware of the plain packaging in London, thanks for the heads up. 

[Cigarsmoker81]

Try their house blend. I only had one but it was dripping honey. 
 

[MagicalBikeRide]

18 hours ago, Ruggerpgh99 said:

I was not aware of the plain packaging in London, thanks for the heads up. 

Sorry, just to be clear, the plain packaging is only here in Ireland. Price is the only downside of cigars and cigar shopping in London 👍

[Ruggerpgh99]

I was typing too fast, but thanks Magical! 

[Ruggerpgh99]

1 hour ago, Cigarsmoker81 said:

Try their house blend. I only had one but it was dripping honey. 

Which place?