Birdseye view of beautiful buildings on a hill side in different colours including blue, rusted red and yellow in Tbilisi

Lifestyle

A cigar lover’s guide to Tbilisi

Our cigar correspondent heads to Georgia’s capital, where she discovers a smoking scene akin to Havana.

Words by Gabriela Greess

15th August 2024

7-minute read

Tbilisi is rapidly becoming a top destination for cigar smokers. The Georgian capital’s architecture is even reminiscent of Havana in places, with its colonial buildings fitted with colourful wooden balconies and picturesque patios where it’s not uncommon to see neighbours meeting for a chat.

Even during Soviet times, Georgia was considered a kind of Mediterranean eldorado, with its winning combination of the world's best wines, inviting beaches, and gigantic mountain backdrops. Fast forward to today and Tbilisi is now a trendy tourist destination, meaning more and more cigar aficionados are flooding here from neighbouring Azerbaijan as well as from Berlin, Dubai, London, and the USA. The demand for top cigars has never been higher – even as the government cracks down on smoking.

‘Because of Georgia's dream of joining the EU, we have very strict non-smoking laws and a strict ban on tobacco advertising,’ says Gocha Khatiashvili, owner of the flagship Davidoff store in the heart of Tbilisi’s Government District. ‘That’s why I did everything I could to locate our flagship store, Davidoff of Geneva, within sight of the government palace.’

Black shiny table with a hand writing in pen on a white piece of paper. There is also a cup of coffee on a saucer and a cigar on a wooden cigar holder.

A wooden table with three open boxes displaying a row of cigars.

Khatiashvili is widely considered one of the city’s cigar pioneers, having worked in the business for over 20 years. So, it’s no wonder he was selected to open and run Davidoff’s official Georgian outpost.

My gaze wanders to Khatiashvili’s ‘temple of the finest tobaccos’. Its neo-colonial columns sit directly in the pedestrian zone of Tsilibi’s exclusive shopping mile. Anyone entering the store – myself included – is overwhelmed by the luxury and elegance of the expansive interiors, where row after row of cigars are displayed in sleek wooden cabinets.

‘We carry all Davidoff brands, as well as top cigars from the world’s best growing regions,’ Khatiashvili explains as he puffs on a Davidoff Aniversario Special R, before proudly showing us one of his most expensive formats: a Davidoff Royal Release. It’s selling well here due to a slightly lower price than the rest of Western Europe.

In addition to cigars, Khatiashvili tells me that accessories and spirits from all over the world are also in great demand, which, in his store, are prominently presented on metre-long shelves of fine wood.

A dimly lit cigar shop with stacks of wooden shelfs that have lines of cigars on display. There is a large poster on the wall next to the shelves showing a cigar.

‘We have a partnership with the Georgian brandy manufacturer Sarajishvili, which has been producing fine spirits since 1884,’ he says. ‘The long-aged Sarajishvili Special Reserve or VSOP Black Edition goes great with cigars.’

I leave the shop accompanied by Khatiashvili’s son Giorgi (or ‘George’, as he refers to himself so as to better care for his family’s international clientele), who takes me Cuban Cigar House, a tobacco shop founded in 2005 in the hip Perovskaya nightlife district. The clue’s in the name: here, we discover a top selection of Habanos stored in nostalgic humidor cabinets next to some Davidoff cigars (naturally). Its old, glass, fan-shaped windows remind me of Old Havana: the flair of the Caribbean flows strongly here.

Later, a few streets away, I am astonished by a bright green vintage US car styled as a hip art object: the perfect hint to start puffing away a Davidoff Grand Cru No 1 in the cosy, Latina-accented courtyard. Welcome to cosmopolitan and extremely colourful Tbilisi!

Beautiful landscape photograph of buildings on a hill side in different colours including blue, rusted red and yellow in Tbilisi.

Ancient winemaking meets Cuban cigar culture

Have you ever tasted a cigar alongside an opulent selection of delicious appetisers and overflowing bowls of fruit, artfully presented like a still life from an Old Master? This is how private tasting events work in Georgia – so, let’s get started.

I head to the Davidoff Cigar Lounge, the third specialist shop by the Khatiashvili family located in the exclusive Vake district on the right bank of the Kura River. Feeling like Alice in Wonderland, I look at the table of Caucasus tapas organised by Khatiashvili’s daughter, Khatia.

‘In our country, it is completely normal to enjoy wine with a good cigar,’ she says, before telling me that the first wines were made here over 8,000 years ago. No wonder Tbilisi has a gigantic sculpture of Mother Georgia holding a wine goblet in her hand.

Later, I make my way to the old town, with the aim of dining at Poliphonia – a restaurant by well-known US chef John Werdenman that offers trendy natural wines. Getting there is part of the experience; the cable car takes you up to the historic centre of Tbilisi and, after nightfall, there is a spectacular panorama of the artfully illuminated Liberty Bridge over the Kura, the city's majestic fortress, and the sculpture of Mother Georgia.

Wooden décor cigar shop with floor to ceiling shelves and drawers with cigars on display.

Outdoor wicker tables, chairs and sofas with beige pillows and golden pillows against a backdrop of a brown tall building and lots of trees.

In search of Tsibili’s best cigar lounge

After eating – and tapping the knowledgeable staff for information about which drinks go best with our favourite cigars – we ponder the best locations for an after-dinner smoke.

The most beautiful cigar lounge in the city is located in the venerable Tbilisi Marriott. The five-star luxury hotel is located on the vibrant Rustaveli Avenue and has an outstanding cigar salon. The pompous ambience gives an idea of how politicians from around the world set the course for important world events whilst smoking during fireside chats.

Or, we could go to a casino. Casinos in Tbilisi are completely exempt from the indoor smoking ban, and there are free cigars to keep guests under the spell of gambling. The quiet lounge of the casino restaurant at Hotel Ambassadori, furnished in the style of a Parisian brasserie, is particularly recommended.

But if you want to experience an almost authentic Cuban feeling, you will find paradise in Havana Club Tbilisi. This stronghold for Cuban cigars with Habanos specialist status sits on Barnovi Street near the old town in the wealthy Vake district; with its Cuban flag and portrait of Che Guevara, you can’t miss it.

A man and a woman sit opposite each other, the woman is holding a cigar.

A hand holding an open box of cigars with 6 cigars laid out.

Inside, the sophisticated furnishings of the spacious tobacco shop with its high ceilings and comfortable leather couches create an immediate feeling of well-being. It almost feels like a club with its refreshing design of bright red walls and impressive photo portraits

But it’s the world-class, walk-in humidor that truly amazes. It’s filled with wonderful finds of Cuban rarities and Habanos classics. CEO Ilia Zhgenti and his business partner Dimitry Gakhov have also expanded their portfolio to include star brands such as Arturo Fuente, Oliva, and My Father Cigars, as well as Padrón and A.J Fernandez. A top destination for cigar smokers indeed.