Henry Henderson
Communications Officer Henry Henderson sat down with Thomas Bianco, Country Manager, Cambodia – Cigar Divan Cambodia, The Pacific Cigar Company, the company behind Cohiba Atmosphere Phnom Penh, one of Asia’s premier cigar lounges.
In their conversation, Thomas reflected on his journey from hospitality to cigar culture, the unique luxury experience of Cohiba Atmosphere at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, and how Cigar Divan is cultivating a growing cigar community in Cambodia. He also shared insights into the evolving cigar scene in Phnom Penh and gave us a preview of the upcoming Cambodia Cuban Cigar Festival taking place later this month.
A very wide range of Cuban Cigars
Henry: For readers who may not be familiar, could you introduce yourself, your brand, and how you came to work at Cigar Divan?
Thomas: Cigar Divan Cambodia – The Pacific Cigar Company, operates various retail points in Cambodia, the Cohiba Atmosphere Lounge at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, the Cigar Chamber at Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra and the Cigar Wall at Novotel Sihanoukville. We are distributing Cuban Cigars, Cigars Accessories and boutique spirits in Cambodia through our retail operation, but also Wholesale operation, where we supply and support various partners that manages their own shops and lounges. My name is Thomas, and after 15 years in the Hospitality industry in Cambodia, mostly in Food and Beverage, I have decided to take the position at Cigar Divan Cambodia when my predecessor Lorrain left. We are great friends, and he introduced me to the cigar culture and to the Cohiba Atmosphere Lounge as I spent the last 12 years working at Raffles Hotel Le Royal and saw its opening 8 years ago.
Henry: Cohiba Atmosphere Phnom Penh offers one of the largest selections of Havana cigars in Asia — can you share what makes the Cohiba Atmosphere concept unique? How do you curate this selection for your customers?
Thomas: Cohiba Atmosphere Lounge in Phnom Penh offers exclusively Cuban cigars. We have access to a very wide range of Cuban Cigars, including limited special editions and premium brands such as Cohiba or Trinidad but also more affordable brands for daily use. All our cigars’ boxes carry an NFC ship to guarantee the traceability and that are products are genuine, as we face increasingly parallel and fake products in Cambodia. The Cohiba Atmosphere lounge features a private room for our P&L Club Members, giving them preferred access as well as cigar vaults for them to keep their collection in our walk-in humidor. Located at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, the lounge also provides all the 5-star hotel luxury service and facilities. Our team is trained and able to give recommendations on cigars and cigar pairings, as per the strength or smoking time one would prefer.
Henry: Beyond cigars, your lounge features a whiskey bar and premium accessories — how important is it to create a full lifestyle experience rather than just a cigar lounge?
Thomas: In addition to our retail space, walk-in humidor and private member room, we also feature a whisky lounge, which carries one of the most premium collection in the city, with several labels we import exclusively for Cohiba Atmosphere. We also offer a large variety of Cigar Accessories from Siglo brand, Elite Bleue and Dupont, but also some signature collection items made in partnership with Artists based in Cambodia, such as Christian Develter or Eric Stocker. We aim to create a space propice for relaxing, networking and meeting our community, through the organization of various events, tasting nights and so on.
More Cambodian clients visit us or other lounges
Henry: How would you describe the cigar culture in Phnom Penh today, and how is it evolving? What role do you see Cigar Divan playing in shaping and growing this culture in Cambodia?
Thomas: We have observed a large number of new lounges opening throughout the past 12 months. It is an indicator that people here are becoming more intrigued and interested in experiencing a cigar. While a large part of our clientele is Chinese, we are seeing more Cambodian clients visit us or other lounges in town, which is good. We also observe that more and more people are interested in learning more about the tobacco growing process, the rolling process… We will continue to promote the wonderful Cuban Terroir and Traditions, which makes its Cigars and Culture so special.
Henry: Looking ahead, are there plans to introduce new experiences, events, or pairings that will further engage the cigar community here?
Thomas: At the end of the month of October, from the 23rd to the 27th, we will have the honor to welcome Mr. Osiel Lopez de la Osa, a master cigar roller coming from Cuba. We will at this occasion organize the Cambodia Cuban Cigar Festival which will feature events in many venues in both Phnom Penh (Cohiba Atmosphere, Sofitel, Rosewood, Cigar Lambert, Cigar World, Kan Pai, South Pacific Vintage Gallery), Sihanoukville (Novotel) and Koh Russey (Jati). With my previous Food and Beverage background, I am looking at adding some more elements and amenities to our lounge to continue to provide the best possible smoking experience, this includes signature cocktails, a custom made tea blend, barista coffee, new wine list and an ice program to perfectly serve our premium spirits. Finally, we aim at organizing fun events with our partners, including networking nights, open air cinema nights, and of course dinners, tastings to continue to entertain our community of Cigar Afficionados.
