The Monte-Carlo Cigar Club has opened its doors in the historic Casino de Monte-Carlo, with Prince Albert II unveiling the inaugural plaque.
The 200-square-metre space, located on the first floor of the Casino with views over both the Mediterranean and the grand prix track, occupies a location steeped in history – the former office of François Blanc, who founded Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) exactly 162 years ago at the request of Prince Charles III.
An unparalleled collection
The Monte-Carlo Cigar Club welcomes an impressive selection that sets it apart from other establishments worldwide. “We have 276 different cigar modules offered for tasting, a total of 16,000 cigars in the walk-in humidor that are available, and behind those we have another 20,000 cigars in stock,” Jean Thomas, director of the Monte-Carlo Cigar Club, explains.
Italian specialists Des Art from Bergamo – the world’s leading humidor manufacturer – crafted the club’s humidor using specially prepared Spanish cedar wood. “We moistened the wood several times to saturate it and ensure that, once we display the cigars, the wood doesn’t absorb their humidity,” Thomas explains.
The collection spans from accessible options to ultra-premium selections. “The average price for good quality starts from 20 to 30 euros. However, prices can easily climb to 70 euros, and if one wants to go high end, we’re looking at 250 to 300 euros. The exceptional ones go up to 750 euros or even 900 euros.”
A members-only experience
The Monte-Carlo Cigar Club operates on exclusive membership basis with different tiers. Thomas outlines the structure: “There’s a sponsorship system and we ask, like all clubs do, for two sponsors simply to ensure that the person joining the club has a certain affiliation with members and can integrate pleasantly into the club.”
The club offers three membership levels – Member, Ambassador, and Founder – with annual membership fees starting from 6,000 euros.
Founder members enjoy premium privileges, including personal lockers in the smoking lounge directly next to the humidor, the right to bring three guests, and immediate Platinum status in the SBM’s loyalty program.
State-of-the-art facilities
The club also features advanced climate control systems designed specifically for cigar preservation. “We have an air extraction system worth 250,000 euros,” Thomas reveals. “We’ve done all the tests – if you smoke in this room, your friends won’t smell the smoke at all. There’s a little smoke, but you don’t perceive it. It’s an exceptional ventilation system.”
The storage areas maintain precise conditions as well: “We keep the temperature a bit lower and inject humidity. We’re at 70-72% humidity in the storage area, the goal is to preserve the cigars, ensure they don’t dry out. The taste of a cigar comes from the essential oils contained in the tobacco. When a cigar dries out, these oils evaporate and disappear – the taste is gone.”
Thomas positions the Monte-Carlo Cigar Club as truly exceptional in the global landscape. “It’s quite rare because it’s a cigar club. Monte clubs offer cigars or offer the possibility to taste a cigar, but they’re primarily gentleman’s clubs.”
The Club operates seven days a week, from 11am to 11pm in low season and until 1am during high season. Currently approaching 40 meters, the club has limited capacity based on available lockers for founders and ambassadors. Their goal is to carefully manage growth to maintain exclusivity.
As Stéphane Valeri, president-delegate of the Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, noted during the inauguration: “It is often said that the planets align when everything comes together to offer the best. In this project, talent, expertise, and shared passion have generated a truly rare energy to create an exceptional venue — a cigar club destined to become one of the most prestigious in the world.”
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Main photo credit: Monte-Carlo SBM