There is a tier of the Lebanese evening that sits above the ordinary. Not louder, not more extravagant — simply slower, more deliberate, and built from elements that each demand their own kind of attention. A premium cigar alongside a well-selected shisha session is precisely this kind of experience: two great slow pleasures that, when paired correctly, create an evening that feels genuinely complete.
Lebanon has always had an instinct for this combination. The oud, the argileh, the coffee, the unhurried conversation — these are the cultural ingredients of an evening done right. The cigar fits this tradition naturally. It is not an accessory. It is a commitment to presence: an hour or more of slow, undistracted pleasure that the Lebanese evening, at its best, was always designed to accommodate.
Why Cigars and Shisha Complement Each Other
On the surface, combining two tobacco products might seem redundant. In practice, the cigar and the shisha occupy completely different sensory registers and produce an experience that neither achieves alone.
The shisha is aromatic, flavored, and social. The smoke is cooled through water, the flavors are designed to be accessible and pleasant, and the pipe is passed or shared at a communal table. The experience is about atmosphere as much as tobacco.
The cigar is direct, complex, and personal. The smoke is unfiltered, the tobacco's full character is present, and the experience is more solitary in focus — even when enjoyed among company. A premium cigar demands concentration in a way the shisha does not.
Together, they create a rhythm: the shisha provides the continuous backdrop, the aromatic presence that fills the air between moments. The cigar provides depth and occasion — a slower, more intense punctuation. The two do not compete because they ask for different things from you.
The Sequence: Shisha First, Cigar Second
Sequence matters. The shisha should begin the evening, not the cigar. There are practical and experiential reasons for this.
Practically: the shisha is a timed session. Natural coconut coals set properly run 90 to 120 minutes from start to finish. The cigar, by contrast, can begin at any point in the evening and burns for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size. Starting the shisha first means the two experiences overlap naturally — the cigar arrives when the shisha session is at its midpoint, both fully alive simultaneously.
Experientially: the shisha opens and relaxes the palate. The aromatic flavors of premium tobacco — a Revoshi Double Apple, a Holster Lemon Mint, a Blackburn blend — prime the palate in a way that makes the complexity of the cigar feel more vivid when it arrives. The cigar into a well-warmed evening tastes different from a cigar lit cold at the start of a night.
Pairing Cigar Profiles with Shisha Tobacco
Light Shisha + Mild Cigar
A fruity Blonde tobacco — Watermelon Mint, Lemon Mint, Peach Ice — is a light, fresh session. Pair it with a mild, creamy cigar that won't overwhelm the palette coming off that freshness. Connecticut Shade wrappers (mild, creamy, gentle) work well here: Davidoff Signature series, Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real, Arturo Fuente Curly Head. The cigar is present without being confrontational.
Double Apple + Medium-Bodied Cigar
Double Apple's anise-apple warmth creates a natural bridge to a medium-bodied cigar with some spice and earthiness. Natural and Colorado wrappers — Macanudo Café, Montecristo No. 4, Cohiba Siglo II — match this register well. The warmth in both directions creates harmony. This is the classic Lebanese combination: argileh bil tuffah, qahweh, wa seejar.
Bold Dark Tobacco + Full-Bodied Cigar
A Darkside or Musthave Black session, intense and nicotine-forward, calls for a cigar that can stand beside it without getting lost. Maduro wrappers — deep, dark, slightly sweet with pepper and leather — are the natural pair: Arturo Fuente Hemingway, Padron Serie 1964, Rocky Patel Vintage 1990. Both the shisha and the cigar are operating at maximum expression. Experienced smokers only.
Practical Etiquette: Cigar in a Shisha Lounge
- →Cut and light the cigar cleanly — a cedar spill or a butane lighter, not a petrol lighter which transfers taste to the foot
- →Don't ash into the shisha base — use the ashtray provided; shisha and cigar ash should be kept separate
- →Alternate between the cigar and the shisha hose, never simultaneously — the palate processes both better with clear separation
- →The cigar is personal; the shisha hose is communal — maintain clarity on which is which at the table
- →If others at the table don't smoke cigars, position yourself and the cigar's smoke direction considerately
The Drink That Completes the Triangle
The third element of Lebanon's most sophisticated evening is the drink. Cigars and shisha each have natural pairings, and where they overlap is the sweet spot.
For a Double Apple session with a medium-bodied cigar: strong Arabic coffee or a neat bourbon. The bitterness of the coffee and the warmth of the bourbon both find harmony with anise and the cigar's earthiness.
For a bold session with a full-bodied cigar: a single malt Scotch whisky, ideally with some Sherry cask influence. The dried fruit notes in the malt act as a bridge between the shisha and the cigar, holding the combination together.
For a light fruity session with a mild cigar: a gin and tonic, a dry sparkling wine, or still water. Keep it clean — the purpose here is refreshment between encounters with flavor, not adding a third complex element to the mix.
At Loco's: Cigars Available
Loco's Shisha Cafe in Okaibe carries a curated selection of premium cigars alongside the shisha menu. The combination — 100% stainless steel shisha pipes, natural coconut-shell coals that run the full session without interruption, 55+ premium tobacco flavors, and a selection of cigars — means everything you need for this kind of evening is at one table.
The full kitchen and bar runs throughout the evening: food, cocktails, spirits, Arabic coffee. The coastal setting — Centre Chalfoun, Sea Side Road, Okaibe — provides what no interior venue can: sea air, the sound of water, and a horizon that makes the evening feel genuinely spacious.
For an evening that stays with you: start the shisha, order your drink, light the cigar at the midpoint. Let the session carry the night. Reserve at 03 488 055 — particularly Friday and Saturday evenings, which fill early.
