Cigar Aficionado Review: Peter James Leather Aficionado Case By David Clough

For the connoisseur on the go, carrying your favorite smokes and cigar accessories around can be a hassle. Your pockets fill up with loose cigars, a lighter and cutter, and you start feeling weighed down, encumbered. Weird shapes jettison out at odd angles from the fabric of your clothes and strangers eye you warily in the streets. It's enough to make you want to invest in a proper cigar carrying case.

And while all manner of cigar cases exist in a variety of different sizes and materials, one particularly elegant option to consider is the Peter James Leather Aficionado Case. Handcrafted with Italian milled, full-grain leather that's been vegetable tanned, the Aficionado Case zips open to reveal a bevy of pockets and holders for your cigars and accessories.

The left side of the case houses pouches for a lighter and cutter along with a strap to secure a Custom Ash Siesta cigar holder. (Matthew Henderson, managing partner at Peter James, is also the founder of Custom Ash cigar accessories.) Wisely included are leather slots for your business cards and a pen holder that runs down the spine of the case, because, all too often, the enjoyment of cigars is seamlessly intertwined with the art of professional networking. On the right side of the case sits a felt-lined cigar pouch that can hold about four to five corona gorda- or Churchill-sized cigars.

The case features a strap to secure a Custom Ash Siesta cigar holder.

The felt-lined cigar pouch can hold about four to five corona gorda- or Churchill-sized cigars.

The left side of the case houses pouches for a lighter and cutter.

Included are leather slots for your business cards and a pen holder that runs down the spine of the case.

The case features a strap to secure a Custom Ash Siesta cigar holder.

The felt-lined cigar pouch can hold about four to five corona gorda- or Churchill-sized cigars.

In testing the Aficionado Case, we found that the felt-lined pouch offered a fair amount of protection for the cigars placed within, but like handling a camera bag full of delicate equipment, the user would do well to it treat the case with care, and not batter or drop it.

Closed, the Aficionado Case measures 9 1/2 inches long by 5 inches wide and 2 inches thick, so it's slim enough to fit in your briefcase, or carry on it's own as a statement piece.

So if you're looking to make a strong impression at your local cigar lounge or you're just fed up with fumbling around your pockets for cigars and tools, consider the Peter James Leather Aficionado Case. It comes in black or cognac and starts at $255.

Additional accessories (S.T. Dupont lighter, cutter and Custom Ash Siesta cigar holder) can be purchased along with the case through the manufacturer's website.