There are now many hotels across the world who have recognised the value of Cuban cigars to their hospitality offering. London’s Bulgari Hotel and Paris’ La Maison Champs Élysées are just two examples of high-end properties which have embraced the added luxury cigars bring to an experience, and opted to cater for their guests by having an opulent indoor area in which to enjoy a Havana puro. Both are excellent, as are many of their contemporaries across the globe, but to date not one luxury hotel has even come close to the simply astonishing Cigar Library at The Chedi Andermatt.
The Chedi itself is a sprawling property, hidden high in the Swiss Alps and equipped to offer supreme luxury to discerning travellers. Skiing is, as one would expect, the main draw of this tiny town through the winter months, but in the summer The Chedi prides itself of being able to prepare a wide range of activities for guests, from hiking the mountains now bereft of snow to playing 18 holes at an extremely high-altitude golf course. The focus is on discretion and comfort, and these are felt in no small amount in their cigar lounge.
When first entering the lounge, the feeling is one of familiarity. Plenty of comfortable leather armchairs are found, almost ubiquitous of cigar spaces, along with the classic heavy ashtrays and table lighters. Closer inspection of the décor, however, begins to set the place apart: the clichéd images of Churchill and Jack Nicholson, themselves painfully ubiquitous of such rooms, are nowhere to be seen; the walls are lined with books on a variety of subjects rather than just tobacco – this is a working library. The room is not continually staffed, allowing guests to relax and enjoy the space to themselves – instead, a phone in the corner gives a direct line to the bar. The choice of drink pairings is almost as impressive as the choice of cigars, but it is upon entering the humidor that one finally understands this place is truly unique.
Elmir Medunjanin is the man tasked with curation and custody of the cigar menu – a menu which, at last count, had almost 950 cigars on it. A decision was made around 2018 to begin investing in cigar stock, around 70% of which are Cuban. A total of 15 nations are represented in the humidor, and the collection is the biggest of any hotel in the world. As well as building a relationship with the Swiss distributor, auctions were scoured to source rare releases such as Gran Reservas and Regional Editions. The fruits of that labour are evident all around the expansive display cabinets found on three sides of the walk-in humidor.
It is in those cabinets that the real wonders of the collection are found. Davidoff cigars made in Cuba before Zino’s legendary parting of ways with Havana are available, but are far from the most unusual sticks here. Cuban Dunhill cigars are arguably more difficult to come by these days, but are available here. Even less common than these are Henry Clay from the 1940s, found by the box at The Chedi. Pride of place in the display, however, is given to 2 boxes dated (approximately) to 1883. To have managed to find cigars around 140 years old is a staggering achievement.
To smoke some of the more exclusive sticks on the menu naturally has a premium attached to the price. Many are listed as POA; a similar number are offered as “one stick per visit” to allow as many guests as possible to sample cigars which are so difficult to come by. There are just as many options on the menu which are very accessibly priced, the relatively liberal Swiss treatment of tobacco allowing for costs to be kept low. The aim of the lounge is to be a private place where guests can properly unwind – like the wine library just across the hallway – and the ethos is that they should not have to part with a fortune to do so.
Despite the comprehensive nature of their own offering, The Chedi do allow guests to bring their own cigars to enjoy in the lounge, as well as allowing the smoking of cigarettes in the same space. This is yet another unusual feature when comparing this to other cigar lounges around the world, but is further indication of their commitment to the comfort of the guest over the pure profitability of the space. While most aficionados will come here specifically to enjoy the selection the hotel have provided, Elmir points out that some will still be unaware of its existence, so they have no wish to exclude those who have brought their own smokes.
In just a short time since beginning the project, the success of The Chedi Andermatt team is impressive, but they have no intentions of resting on those laurels. Soon to come is a rum developed by the bar team to pair with cigars, as well as a line of Chedi Andermatt exclusive sticks rolled at a factory in the Dominican Republic. Given the knowledge displayed by the team in creating their menu, one can only expect these will be of the highest quality – perhaps even worthy of a trip to the Alps on their own.