CigarLounge

My visit to Pepin Garcia's My Father Cigars factory was an eye-opening experience. I'd had no idea just how much work goes into manufacturing a cigar. My trip wasn't thrust of a media relationship or any other connection: cigar companies want their customers to visit. And these days, it's easier than ever to do so. Cigar trips are becoming increasingly common. Rocky Patel and Camacho, among others, have been hosting groups for a while, and the trend is gaining momentum. I was able to see Pepin's team in action because of a trip arranged by De La Concha and Uptown Cigar. If you're looking to take advantage of a cigar trip, talk to the manager of your local shop.

Why would you want to visit a cigar factory? If you enjoy cigars, your mind is probably flooded with reasons – curiosity alone is sufficient motivation. You'll see the entire process, which is eye-opening, and you'll get a feel for how each step affects your smoking experience.

Here a five reasons to take a cigar tour:

If you're heading up to Kingston, New York, around 90 miles up from the city, stop by Uptown Cigar to light up a stick and relax for a while. I had the opportunity to catch up with Israel Markevitz, the store's manager, on a trip to Esteli, Nicaragua to tour Pepin Garcia's cigar factory, as well as the Drew Estate factory, which makes Acid, T59 and others. Israel is clearly plugged into the cigar business, as everyone from Jonathan Drew to Eddie Ortega to Pepin Garcia greeted him as a familiar face.

Israel explains that his shop is home to a great group of around a dozen regulars who are more than happy to welcome new guests into the shop. You can relax in his spacious lounge while puffing away and sipping a coffee, or you can time your visits to coincide with the various events he holds, including tastings, rolling events and book signings. Chess and backgammon boards are kept on hand, and you can always kick back and watch the game on one of Uptown's big-screen televisions.

While many Detroit businesses are looking for the exits, La Casa del Habana decided it was time to enter the beleaguered city. The Michigan-based collection of tobacconists offers an upscale alternative to traditional lounge smoking with its private clubs. In Detroit, between the Opera House and Music Hall, you can enjoy a touch of luxury until 2 AM every day (except Sunday, when it closes at 9 PM) at a destination that features the city's largest walk-in humidor.

To access the second floor VIP lounge, the fee is $100 a month, and you are required to buy a box of cigars up front. But, you receive a private humidor that can accommodate up to 20 boxes of cigars, full use of the club facilities at any La Casa De La Habana location and two premium cigars every month. Members get the first shot at hard to find cigars when they become available and can enjoy special events not open to the public.

Detroit may need a bit of help, but it's great to know that it already has its own oasis.

[Photo via La Casa De La Habana]

Sometimes, it really is possible to judge a book by its cover. From the moment you walk into a cigar shop, you take a quick look at its inventory and get a sense for the entire establishment. If the shelves are packed with low-end sticks, the discerning smoker will figure out pretty quickly that another tobacconist may be a better fit. And, there are the lounges you enter with everything from established favorites to rare and exciting cigars. Most of the time, you'll be able to get exactly what you want. In both cases, however, there is always the risk that you'll talk to someone who doesn't know what he's doing. Not every staff member is a great hire, and just because some great inventory is in the humidor, it doesn't mean the proprietor knows what he has.

Tobacconist University, founded by Jorge Armenteros, is trying to solve this problem. The organization, sponsored by Padron (a hell of an endorsement, frankly), provides a baseline education and testing structure to demonstrate to consumers that a retailer is knowledgeable. Simply, if you have a question about a cigar, the goal of the Tobacconist University certification program is to make you comfortable asking and confident in the answer.

The winner's new man cave will fuse his two passions: cigars and Harley Davidson motorcycles. "I will combine two great legends, Partagas cigars and Harley Davidson to create a cigar lounge and vintage motorcycle museum in my garage," he said. Boehkle collects and restores Harleys.

Boehkle bought the four pack, which cost little more than $20 (in New York -- taxes probably caused the price to vary across the country), at Snoqualmie Casino. Because of its role in selling the winning sticks, the casino's cigar lounge, Lit, will receive Partagas-branded leather seating.

Not far from Yale, you'll find a cigar oasis that is comparable to any major city lounge in the country. The Owl Shop offers a complete experience, with a full bar to complement the cigars housed in the large humidors that line the walls. So, plop into one of the large, soft leather chairs, sip a cabernet and light up the stick of your choice. This is the one place in New Haven where lovers of the leaf can pass a few hours blissfully unaware of what the outside world holds.

Owl is long and fairly narrow, though there is plenty of room to walk up and down the store; it isn't cramped. You can sit at the bar or in the lounge chairs set back near the wall, where the waitresses will take your cigar and drink orders. Large flat-screen televisions are usually tuned to the sporting event of the day, which can be a draw for many cigar smokers, though I'm generally not interested (just a quirk, I guess). At the back of the store, which widens, there is a large table where a crowd can gather, along with other seating. Back here, you can dodge the television gauntlet and converse or just relax.

Cigar enthusiasts will find everything they could need at La Casa del Habano, Montreal's upscale smoking lounge. Located on la rue Sherbrooke Ouest, it is easily accessible from the city's downtown hotels and provides a relaxing destination for tourists who crave a Cohiba and business travelers who need to unwind following a marathon of meetings.

As the store's name implies, you'll only find Cuban cigars in its walk-in humidor. Be sure to see an attendant before trying to enter (the humidor, that is), as the door is kept locked. The employee will also help you with your selection, introducing you to the latest releases – which can be important, given their unavailability in the United States. As you peruse the shelves, prepare yourself for a bit of sticker-shock, as Canadian taxes do hike up the prices. But, for the cigar that will make the next hour magical, it's worth the sting.

Though you may want to pick up a few sticks for the road, make some time to smoke at least one in La Casa del Habano's large, comfortable cigar lounge. It seats close to 20, with large leather chairs and couches throughout the room and four seats at the full bar. The lounge offers coffee, espresso and a variety of cocktails, completing the experience you'd expect to have in the top shop in Montreal.

As I learned on my last two trips to the United Kingdom, there aren't many places where you can light up a cigar. Had I known about The Montague on the Gardens, I probably would have altered my travel plans a bit. The hotel bar has a dedicated outdoor cigar terrace, which for puffers, amounts to a bit of tranquility in an otherwise hostile world.

Toward the back of the hotel, like-minded guests can gather in the bar for a drink before stepping outside to a blissful smoking location with a great view of the Bedford Estate's private gardens. I tend to bring my own cigars when I travel, but sometimes like to sample the locally available fare and The Montague on the Gardens offers plenty of incentive. The bar has more than 20 brands on hand, including the coveted Cohiba Siglo VI. Smoke it gently while sipping a glass of Remy Martin Louis XIII, and you'll struggle to find a more enjoyable situation.

The hotel itself is designed to impress. It's a Georgian townhouse hotel with 101 rooms and suites – not to mention a two-bedroom apartment. This four-star establishment is within walking distance of the West End and The British Museum, and the "Type A" crowd will be happy to know it isn't far from London's Financial District.

Whatever the day's distraction is, though, return to The Montague on the Gardens and settle down for the evening with the cigar of your choice. Savor each draw, and punctuate it with your preferred spirit. Perfect.

Cigar shops are a lot like any social environment. There are regulars and new guys, people new to the reason for gathering and seasoned veterans. In any situation like this, there are basic norms that should be respected in order to make the experience more enjoyable for you. I know I've covered this topic before, but the latest round of advice is new. Trust me, there's no shortage of breaches of etiquette in this world (just like the subway, the sidewalk and your local bar).

Some of these may seem obvious. They are. There's nothing in the list that should have to be said. Yet, life at the cigar shop has shown me that the simplest of courtesies tend to be overlooked.

Many thanks to the regulars at De La Concha in Manhattan for these tips. They've seen the worst of the worst and were only too happy to share their experiences. If you don't need these tips, forward them to someone who does: we all know somebody who could use a little bit of help.

When I fire up a cigar, I'm relegated to the front stoop or the benches over on Central Park West. Many people with basements wind up converting them to makeshift home cigar lounges ... with varying degrees of effort. As a result, what should be an incredibly relaxed, enjoyable experience is tainted by a substandard environment. So, Partagas has decided to raise the bar for cigar smokers across the country.

The Dominican cigar manufacturer will award $10,000 to the cigar smoker who needs it most – to create the "ultimate Partagas Cigar Cave. Do you have ideas? Put them together. If you can demonstrate that you need a pimped out cigar space most, Partagas will deliver.

Implied, of course, is that you need to have somewhere to put it. That leaves me out of the running before it gets started, but I wish all who enter the best of luck.

Artist Julio Aguilera has had his face pounded in bare-knuckle bouts around the world. He's also seen his works hang in the most prestigious homes in Manhattan. For the former world martial arts champion turned artist, though, there's nothing quite like a great cigar. Now solely an artist and no longer a fighter, Aguilera seeks relaxation, inspiration and even a market in the New York cigar community.

Elements of the cigar culture appear regularly in Aguilera's work. A number of paintings feature cigar smokers, including "General con Pipa" and "Harlequin con Cigar". Figures are sliced apart in the artist's signature geometric style and reassembled with perfect, though not evident, symmetry. In other pieces, the artist prefers to hide cigars on the canvas. "Still Life in Blue," for example, features a table stacked for a meal holding what could be a cigar or a large loaf of bread. The ambiguity is intentional, according to the artist. "I like to give a nod in one of my passions to another."

With Aguilera's enjoyment of cigars and the fact that they appear from time to time in his artwork, it is unsurprising that the community would have adopted him as its representative artist. Pieces from his sculpture series "New York Bull" have appeared in the windows of Davidoff Madison Avenue (where he has held a number of shows), and he regularly meets with collectors at De La Concha. In any mid-town cigar shop on any day, Aguilera suspects he would run into one of his collectors. "At least one," he laughs.

The Torano family has released a new line of cigars to celebrate the perseverance of the Cuban diaspora. Fifty years ago, the Castro brothers took power, prompting five decades of departure, sometimes under very difficult circumstances. The new "Exodus 50 Years" line of cigars is the contribution of expatriated Cuban Charlie Torano and his father, Carlos.

To introduce the new line of cigars, the Toranos have embarked on a 35-city tour, which started yesterday at Cigar Haven, in Fishers, IN. The father-and-son team will showcase the company's latest creations. Charlie Torano says, "We have created the new Exodus Seleccion Exclusiva, a beautifully presented box of five cigars, which includes two unique shapes each in our two top brands, Exodus 1959 (Gold) and Exodus Silver."

If you live in Scottsdale, AZ, you're about to have a new place to smoke. Pat Mitchel, owner of 21 Degrees Cigar & Accessories, is expanding his store with a Rocky Patel-sponsored lounge. Smoking bans have made lounges more important than ever to the success of the cigar trade, as customers are running out of places to smoke.

The engagement of sponsors is starting to gather momentum, particularly given tough market conditions in which every brand needs to find every advantage available. Sources say that Cigar Inn, in New York, entertained offers from several manufacturers before finally giving the sponsorship opportunity to magazine Cigar Aficionado.

Mitchell's sponsor, Rocky Patel, is excited to be participating in its first lounge, saying "Scottsdale is a good location, with good clientele."

The store pulls its name from the temperature, 21 degrees Celsius (just off 70 degrees Fahrenheit) at which humidors are kept.