Hong Kong is one of the world’s great cigar cities, and the Red Chamber Cigar Divan in Central is among the finest reasons why.

Sir David Tang and the Lounges He Built

Sir David Tang founded Pacific Cigar Company in 1992 and opened Hong Kong’s first cigar lounge the same year, the Cohiba Cigar Divan at the Mandarin Oriental. He was also the founder of Shanghai Tang and the China Club, a Financial Times columnist, and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He passed away in 2017, and Pacific Cigar Company honoured him the following year with a Habanos Hong Kong Regional Edition, the Punch Sir David, built around the format of his favourite cigar.

The Red Chamber has been part of the Pacific Cigar Company estate since 2002 and was among the lounges Tang designed personally. His influence on the space is apparent throughout.

The Lounge

The Red Chamber sits on the fourth floor of the Pedder Building on Pedder Street in Central, and takes its name from one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Dream of the Red Chamber was written by Cao Xueqin in the eighteenth century, a vast account of an aristocratic family’s decline, running through themes of love, duty and the impermanence of fortune. The lounge draws on that directly. Chandeliers featuring imagery from the novel hang above a large humidor with mirrored walls and private lockers. There is a private room behind double doors reserved for select customers, and the aesthetic sits between classical Chinese design and colonial club.

The stock runs from standard production Habanos through to a vintage and limited edition section holding aged cabinets, along with regional editions and other rarities. Much of this exists because of Pacific Cigar Company’s vintage program, through which boxes are set aside from each allocation, aged for approximately five years in a controlled warehouse environment, and released with a vintage sticker.

Watch the Full Visit

We visited the Red Chamber as part of our ongoing Pacific Cigar Company series from Hong Kong. The full video is linked below.