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Cigar Lounge in Focus: The Humidor

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Cigar lounges always excite me. Although I can always smoke a cigar within the comforts of my home, there is something about a cigar lounge that makes the experience quite different. I am sure that a lot of you feel the same way.

If you live near Redlands, California, or if you find yourself in that area, then you might want to pay a visit to The Humidor. The Humidor is a cigar store in this area, about 45 miles from Palm Springs. It also has a cigar lounge in the back, if you want to immediately smoke the cigar that you buy.

I have not had the pleasure of visiting The Humidor yet but Alejandro Benes’s write up is enough to make me want to:

The store is busy. Customers come through the door, comment on how hot it is — and dry, did you hear? —and tell Hughes that they want something like “a 30-minute mild cigar, a Garcia Vega or a Punch.” I’m sure that’s the first time I’ve ever heard those two brands uttered in the same sentence. Hughes is surprisingly tolerant of this kind of request. He helps the guy and finds him an appropriate cigar.

The Humidor is kind of an oasis on this and most days. There’s a guy on the computer in the lounge, which has WiFi. A football game is on the TV. Another visitor is in town for his son’s college soccer game and has a couple of hours to sit and enjoy a smoke, listen to the blues on the sound system and then hear Hughes play a mean blues harp (harmonica).

“I can’t do this where I live,” said the guest, the stress melting away. He’s from Calabasas, a California city that banned outdoor smoking.

If you are living in a place which has banned outdoor smoking you would certainly appreciate something like The Humidor. Anyone been there?

More On Cigar Lounge Etiquette

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07c71f4522In the previous post, I posed some question that will help you analyze your knowledge of cigar etiquette. Here are a few more that, hopefully, will help you realize whether or not you are one of those stogie lovers that irritate the crap out of every other person in the cigar lounge.

When your mobile phone rings, where do you take the call?
A better question might be, do you take the call at all? Sometimes, the cigar lounge is just like the movie theater. People hate interruptions such as mobile phone sounds. Even worse, people hate it when guys talk on the phone inside the lounge, especially if they can’t keep their voices down. My suggestion is to put your phone on silent mode (just leave the vibrate option on) and take only important calls. When you do take the call, step outside – it won’t kill you and it will do wonders for your reputation.

Where do you get the cigar that you smoke?
The common sense answer would be from the accompanying shop of the cigar lounge you smoke at, right? You might be surprised at how many people bring their own cigars (purchased elsewhere) to cigar lounges. Courtesy and respect requires that you buy the cigars where you smoke. That’s pretty much self-explanatory.

How long do you keep the shop employees busy?
What I mean is, let’s say you are unsure as to which cigar to buy for the day. How long do you engage the staff to find the cigar that you want? It is not really a problem, especially if there aren’t too many people waiting their turn. But if you are not sure as to what you want to buy and there is a long line behind you, you might want to step aside and browse through their selection first. There is no point in holding other people up, is there?

Have fun the next time you go to the cigar lounge. Remember, that’s what matters!

Do You Know Your Cigar Lounge Etiquette?

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Courtesy is something that some people just don’t get. Some simply do not care, while some are just not aware. If you are going to a cigar lounge to enjoy a smoke, you should know the basic etiquette that is expected of you. How well do you know your cigar lounge etiquette? Ask yourself these questions and find out!

If a conversation is going on when you enter the lounge, what do you do?
Some people would probably sit down and observe for a while, maybe join in when they feel like it. Others might immediately jump into the fray and make an unrelated remark about some other topic he is interested in. Obviously, the first one is acceptable, the second one rude.

Do you compare your cigar to other people’s cigar?
There is nothing wrong in comparing right? True; that is, unless you keep insisting that yours is better. Think about it though, what cigar you smoke is a matter of preference. Just because yours is “better” does not mean that the other person would like your cigar as well.

If you see someone smoking a cigar the “wrong” way, what do you do?
Would you plow right ahead and tell that person he is going it wrong or would you keep quiet? Again, keep your opinions to yourself. Some people like to smoke cigars a certain way. Who are you to tell them how to smoke THEIR cigar?

These are only some questions that can help you check your lounge etiquette. Let’s look at some more next time.