Make horny and the fantastic cigar business at The Chedi Andermatt %

"Get horny." That's what Marie Gerber heard her boss at The Chedi Andermatt say when he gave her the key to the cigar treasures in 2018. No sooner said than done. Now, in 2021, it's me-time for me. I'm spending a cigar and pleasure weekend at The Chedi Andermatt. This article tells you what I experienced here. It is the prelude to The Chedi Andermatt series. With 4 blog articles and 4 cigar ZEN programs I take you into a fantastic me-time world of pleasure. Come along, let yourself be seduced and enchanted.

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Please come into the humidor of The Chedi Andermatt and enjoy the 24-second clip:

The pairings for the cigar: composed exclusively for Zigarren.Zone Social Network

All the cocktails presented in this article were specially composed for Zigarren.Zone. You won't find them on the cocktail menu at The Chedi Andermatt. But, who knows, maybe you'll be lucky and just order them when you're a guest there. Maybe they will prepare one of these cocktails for you? Just ask for it. Except for one cocktail, which you won't get: La Resistencia. It takes over 6.5 hours to prepare. You read that right. This cocktail was served in the afternoon with the Plasencia Sixton II.

The bar at The Chedi Andermatt. Marie Gerber is the boss of the bar, the lounge areas and the cigars.

And now I invite you to read this article slowly and with pleasure and to look at the photos. I hope you enjoy it - preferably with a fine cigar and a nice drink.

PROLOG: The cigar freaks of Andermatt

Tim-Martin Weber (Executive Assistant Manager) says: "We are cigar freaks!" Back then, he knew how cigars could become an incredible USP (Unique Selling Proposition) at The Chedi Andermatt. "We do something here that no other hotel does! Either we do it right, or we don't do it at all. We have opted for the former."

When Tim-Martin Weber took over as EAM, the cigars at The Chedi Andermatt were in a desolate state. Nobody cared. Condensation was running down the walls of the walk-in humidor. "I almost cried when I saw it," he said. "I came up with a crazy concept and got the GO from the management."

Such a change does not happen overnight. It takes months and years to train this philosophy of enjoyment and to inspire the staff. It needed a fresh start. The humidor was completely overhauled and some of the cigars were disposed of.

"Do you fancy cigars and would you like to take over the cigar service with a team?" Tim-Martin Weber asked Marie Gerber in January 2018. She immediately said "YES!" and he replied: "Go for it!"

And the crazy dream became reality. With a lot of attention to detail, a lot of passion, a lot of daring, many beads of sweat on the forehead and also on other parts of the body - and above all with a lot of enthusiasm and passion for cigars - the once spiritual state materialized into physical reality. As the saying goes: "If there is nothing on the inside, there is nothing on the outside. If everything is on the inside, everything is on the outside."

This is exactly how the cigar business is celebrated at The Chedi Andermatt. Should I perhaps mention that ultra-rare cigars are purchased for tens of thousands - and thousands - of euros, Swiss francs and pounds? Or that they organized a tasting for me of a 136-year-old La Corona cigar, Havana, Cuba? Or that they discovered a Cuban cigar brand and bought a box that was produced around the Spanish colonial period in Cuba and was called "La Confederacion Suiza"? I shouldn't mention something like that, should I? For us normal connoisseurs, it might make our heads twitch.

The Chedi Andermatt, La Corona Tasting of a 136-year-old cigar — The Chedi Andermatt, La Corona Tasting a 136-year-old cigar: Marie Gerber and Vasilij Ratej

La Confederacion Suiza — Swiss Cuba cigar brand from the Spanish colonial period in Cuba.

But: to create an insane USP, you have to be a bit insane. "Mach geil", this expression will always be with me from now on.

The morning cigar: Avo Intermezzo

I arrived shortly before 10 o'clock. I was aware that my room wouldn't be ready yet. But that didn't matter to me. After the friendly welcome, my luggage was safely stowed away. My car was connected to the electric charging station and later parked in the garage. I took a seat in The Cigar Library. That's the name of the cigar lounge at The Chedi Andermatt.

Marie Gerber came into the lounge a short time later. "I'd like a morning cigar. Which one would you recommend?" We went to the walk-in humidor. She recommended the Avo Intermezzo. A light cigar with fine aromas. She recommended a fine, light tea as a drink. "May I cut the cigar and light it?" Marie Gerber asked me. But now I had the muse to do it myself.

The cigar is light and perfect as a morning cigar. Slightly creamy and slightly nutty, fine cocoa (bittersweet) and a pleasant acidity give me a wonderful start to my weekend of enjoyment.

Resources for the morning cigar with tea pairing

Find Avo Intermezzo on Google

Me-time and therefore the Deluxe Suite all to myself

The room was now ready for me and my luggage was already there. The Deluxe Suite costs around CHF 710 per night, can accommodate up to 4 guests and is 110 m2 in size. The architecture of the room is first class, as is the entire hotel. I linger and enjoy my time out in this beautiful suite. "Me-time", as it is now called. The view of the Alps is magnificent. I feel like taking a closer look at the spa area. A pool invites you to linger and various massages pamper you from head to toe. I stroll into the fitness room. Fully clothed, I give it my all on the fitness machine and after 10 seconds I've already had enough. Even the best workout comes to an end and it's time for lunch.

Suite resources

Presentation of the Deluxe Suite (Website The Chedi Andermatt)

Lunch in the Lobby Lounge

I admit it: I didn't eat the food shown here on my own. The photographer of this series, Christian Schmid, helped me 🙂 We enjoyed ourselves:

Bulgur salad: Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, lime, mint, Greek yogurt
Bao Bun: steamed bread, cured, braised & smoked beef brisket / beef brisket, red cabbage, coriander, cucumber, onions, mint chutney, tamarind sauce & chili sauce on the side
Vegan club sandwich: Thame falafel, red cabbage, tomato, cucumber, cashew cream cheese
Asian Poke Bowl: Rice, prawns, pineapple, mango, coriander, tamarind sauce

Inevitably, this expression is back in my thoughts: Make you horny!

Outdoor enjoyment with the afternoon cigar Plasencia Alma Fuerte Sixton II and the most incredible cocktail in the world

In the afternoon, I took a seat in the outdoor area of the hotel. The sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm. Marie Gerber recommended the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Sixton II as my afternoon cigar. The cigar is medium-bodied (strength 3/5) and is made from tobacco that has been aged for up to 9 years. An outstanding cigar with flavor nuances of roasted coffee beans / sweet / cocoa (bittersweet) / somewhat earthy with time - a real treat!

Marie Gerber has created an ultra-high-end Nird cocktail for real cocktail freaks. One of the ingredients takes 6.5 hours to prepare. It is a Darjeeling Pork Belly Reduction (pork belly).

You read that right: 6.5 hours of preparation just for this ingredient. Unbelievable. The mixing was a feast for the eyes. I'm definitely not a cocktail freak, so I had the utmost respect for drinking this cocktail. I admit: I didn't like it. It tasted of pork and was also slightly sweet. My wooden palate was unable to taste the genius of this composition and its passion for creativity.

It hurt my soul when I shared my scathing opinion with Marie Gerber. Of course, I cherished this composition with my greatest love. Because a unique cocktail was created especially for this chapter that is unparalleled in the world.

The idea behind this incredibly ingenious cocktail:

Melasserum from Trinidad
Olive oil stands for peace, longevity, health > The Plasencia family fled the revolution several times
Melon is also known as the armored berry, hard skin soft core
Drink stands for out of the box, complex, each ingredient has to go through several stages / strokes of fate (several revolutions, in 1981 blue mold destroyed 100% of the harvest) like the Plasencia family, giving it the "strong soul"
The drink stands for the Asian side of the Chedi & for the Other
A drink for cocktail connoisseurs
Umami, salty, fresh, slightly sweet on the finish
I tasted honey in the cigar, which is why we worked with honey
Not too strong in alcohol

Resources for the morning cigar with cocktail pairing

Find Plasencia Alma Fuerte Sixton II on Google
The pairing: Name: La Resistencia (Spanish: the resistance)
- Plantation 3* Rum fatwashed with olive oil basil & rosemary
- Homemade honeydew melon syrup
- Darjeeling pork belly reduction (refined with soy sauce, 6.5h sous-vide, 65°C)
- Garnish : flambéed pork belly chip + rosemary
- Preparation: Throw or rolling

The dinner for the perfect day

The restaurant was open again for everyone on 31.05.2021. It was fully booked. No wonder. Here you can enjoy food of the highest quality and sophistication. I personally did without foie gras. Christian Schmid, the photographer of this series, was very enthusiastic about it. We enjoyed it:

Appetizer: Swiss lobster / poached lobster tail, nut butter, hazelnut, lemon, green apple
2nd course: Asian foie gras / foie gras, beef fillet, sesame, mango, truffle, cranberry, rice
Main course veal fillet: fillet, morel cream sauce, asparagus, almonds, croquettes
Dessert: Pure chocolate: cocoa fruit sorbet, dark chocolate mousse, brittle

The finale: At The Cigar Library, I enjoyed a Brun del Re Rainforest Jaguar Long Robusto with alcoholic pairing

After dinner, I sat down for a second time in The Cigar Library. My day of indulgence was coming to an end. What a day!

The Brun del Re Rainforest was a first for me. What a fantastic cigar! And what a fantastic wrapper! You could see lots of little white dots on the ash. The wrapper leaf was covered in these little "spots". They contain essential oils from the tobacco leaf. When they smoulder, they release additional aromas. Such a wrapper leaf is of the highest quality and the cigar tastes much more aromatic.

The cigar tasted a bit sweet / cocoa (bittersweet) / dark wood and dark bark / leather.

The drink was fantastic: a little smoky, woody and a little spicy. Make sure you ask for this drink. It's not on the menu. But maybe you'll be lucky and they'll mix it for you. Again, the effort involved in making the ingredients is considerable!

Name: Peaty Panther

Kilchoman Fino Sherry Whisky (Scottish Islay Whisky)
Coffee summit syrup, homemade (cold brew 24h, 1.5l w.Zs. + 250gr old coffee, sous-vide 1.5h with butter & croissants)
Port Grahams 10y
Amarena cherry air
Preparation: Stir

Idea

Sustainability is a big topic at the bar of The Chedi Andermatt
The cold brew coffee syrup is made from coffee grounds, then mixed with leftover butter croissants from breakfast. (We don't want these to be thrown away)
cooked sous-vide
Drink must be able to keep up with the cigar
For whisky lovers who like a bit of smoke: perfect
the smoky sweetness of the drink complements the woody, spicy note of the cigar

Make you horny!

Resources for the evening cigar

Find Brun del Re Rainforest Jaguar Long Robusto on Google

The morning meal and my conclusion to me-time

I had an excellent night's sleep! I had some fruit and a coffee for breakfast. We still had COVID-19 and the safety measures are also very high at breakfast. As a guest, you were not allowed to help yourself at the buffet. You told the service staff at the buffet what you would like and they prepared it.

The famous cheese tower, which is over 5 meters high, was not accessible to guests due to COVID-19. Normally, the cheese is made available here for guests to cut themselves. The pandemic prohibits this. If you wanted to eat cheese, you had to order from the cheese menu. Sales in this area have fallen considerably. As a guest, you are naturally seduced by the smell in the cheese tower and, as we all know, you also eat with your eyes. We were allowed to take photos in the company of the staff under safety measures due to the pandemic.

After breakfast, I drove home again. I coped extremely well with this me-time - haha -. What do you mean by "coped"! It was a mega-pleasure experience for all my senses: hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, seeing... fantastic.

Conclusion

The Chedi Andermatt is one of the best resorts in the world. The richest of the rich stay here. But also you and me. I don't belong to the world of high finance. We "normal people" are served here just as friendly and courteously as all the other guests. You won't find any gold plates, diamonds, marble or other trinkets here. You will only find down-to-earth material. It is high quality and beautiful.

The staff are super nice and attentive. They serve all guests with the same courtesy and hospitality: whether you are a billionaire or an average earner who wants to visit The Cigar Library after a hike and enjoy a few cigars. Because: The cigars all cost the standard price without the typical hotel surcharge. Except for the super rarities, of course, which have collector's prices. And The Chedi Andermatt has them. Holy cow!

You can currently find over 800 different cigar formats at The Chedi Andermatt, and there are always more. Across all brands. There is something for everyone at normal prices. And even a Juan Lopez ER Great Britain from 2016 cost CHF 48.00. So not an exorbitant price at all!

The staff around Marie Gerber know their cigar trade: they know how to cut and light the cigars. And they know which drink and snack to serve with the cigar.

This me-time did me a world of good. The relaxation factor was as if I had taken a half or maybe even a whole week's vacation. I can highly recommend this me-time to you. Do something good for yourself and your companion. Let yourself be pampered in cigar and pleasure heaven on earth: At The Chedi Andermatt.

To conclude, I will say one more time: Make you horny!