Cigar Kuching and Kota Kinabalu: Borneo's Tobacco Past and Present

Searching for a cigar Kuching or Kota Kinabalu guide turns up very little, and that is a story in itself. Malaysian Borneo has a quiet cigar scene today. Yet in the 1880s, Sabah’s east coast grew tobacco leaf prized by Europe’s cigar makers. This guide covers that history, the one verified lounge in the region, and the rules that apply when you light up in Borneo.

When North Borneo grew cigar wrapper

The territory then called North Borneo, now Sabah, had a short but intense tobacco boom. Its first leaf went to London and Amsterdam in 1884. Buyers judged it comparable to Sumatran wrapper, the thin outer leaf that gives a cigar its look and much of its flavour, according to the Daily Express.

Planting spread fast. Tobacco started at Marudu Bay in 1887, and much of the industry on the east coast ran under Dutch and German managers. By 1890, tobacco made up about 30% of the territory’s exports. A year later it was about half.

The academic study by John and Jackson quotes the colonial writer Owen Rutter: “Tobacco in the eighties played an even more important part in the destinies of the country than rubber has in later years.”

Boom, tariff and decline

The peak came around 1890. Output reached about 2 million lb a year on roughly 235,000 acres of land granted to planters, according to the plantation historian H.S. Barlow.

Then the 1890 McKinley Tariff in the United States raised duties on imported wrapper leaf. That hit a key market, and the estates began to fail. Some planting carried on for decades, however. Imperial Tobacco took over lands on the Segama River in 1934 and only closed in 1960.

The model came from across the water. In 1863, the Dutch planter Jacobus Nienhuys had opened the first Deli concession near Medan in Sumatra. Deli leaf became famous as cigar wrapper, and North Borneo’s planters hoped to copy that success. Our history of cigars in Southeast Asia tells the wider story.

Borneo cigars today

Little survives of the old estates. Still, the idea has not gone away. In July 2026, the Daily Express ran a story under the headline “Sabah can produce niche Borneo cigars”. We have not seen any commercial product, so treat it as an idea, not a brand.

For now, the modern scene centres on hotel bars and occasional events. Our article on cigar culture in Malaysia puts this in national context.

Cigar Kuching: what we found

Kuching, Sarawak’s riverside capital, is a relaxed city of shophouses, cafés and the Sarawak River waterfront. Yet we could not verify a dedicated cigar lounge or specialist store there. No official venue page or recent trade report we checked lists one.

So for a cigar Kuching trip, plan to bring your own and smoke in a private space. Ask your hotel about its policy, since some allow cigars on terraces or in particular areas. Be aware, though, that hotel bars and restaurants are eating places under the law.

Cigars in Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’s capital, has the one verified venue in Malaysian Borneo. The Club at the Hilton Kota Kinabalu is a hotel cigar lounge and bar. In 2025 it hosted the first Borneo qualifier of the Cigar Smoking World Championship, a contest to keep a cigar alight the longest. Julian Lo won, according to Cigar Journal.

That gave Malaysia two qualifiers for the first time, one in KL and one in Borneo. For the KL venues, see our guide to Kuala Lumpur.

Smoking rules in Sabah and Sarawak

Act 852 applies in both states. Its Non-Smoking Order bans smoking in eating places, including within 3 m of any food table or chair. It also covers air-conditioned shops, shopping complexes, workplaces and public parks. Fines go up to RM5,000.

So a cigar at a seafood restaurant on the KK waterfront, or at a Kuching kopitiam, is not allowed. Kota Kinabalu International Airport is one of the few airports with named smoking areas. These are Smoking Zones 1–2 on Level 3 Domestic Departure, Zones 3–5 on Level 1 Arrival, and a smoking room on Level 3 International Arrival. Our guide on where to smoke cigars in Malaysia covers the national rules.

Labuan and the duty-free question

Labuan, the federal territory off Sabah’s coast, is a duty-free island. But tobacco lost its duty-free status there on 1 January 2021, as it did on Langkawi, Bernama reported. The RM10,000 visitor limit announced for 2027 also excludes tobacco. Our Langkawi guide explains the rules in more detail.

Borneo humidity and your cigars

Borneo is hot and very wet. MetMalaysia notes that daily maximum humidity across Malaysia often tops 94%, and rainforest air feels even heavier. In addition, hotel air-con can swing a cigar from soft to brittle within days.

Because of this, anyone planning a cigar Kuching or Kota Kinabalu trip should keep cigars sealed in a travel case with a two-way humidity pack. Our guide to cigar humidity explains the target range.

Etiquette in Borneo

Sabah and Sarawak are among Malaysia’s most diverse states, with many faiths and communities. Ask before you smoke at a longhouse visit or a private home, and keep well away from children. During Ramadan, avoid smoking where people who are fasting can see you.

Lastly, cigars are not safe, even if you do not inhale. Read our page on cigar health risks for the facts.