Cigar store

A cigar store is a place where only cigars are sold, also called "tobacconist shop", they are generally made out of wood to preserve the cigars and smell nice!

In a cigar store you will find a wide variety of cigar brands available. Quality given to cigars is not to ones that taste great, you could have the best smoke of your life with a strange brand, the problem is consistency. A good brand will reproduce a very similar tasting cigar every time. Even the best producers will have a hard time having the same flavor year after year, and this is where brands make a name for themselves.

When you enter a cigar store, what you must look in a cigar is its appearance. A good cigar feels soft and silky, a little bit oily. The larger the cigar the cooler will the cigar be, this helps taste, when cigars get hot they get a biter taste. Also, cigars with wide gauge are the ones with the more flavor.

Cuban cigars are some of the best cigars in the world, Cohiba, U. Uppmans (J.F.K's favorites), Rome and Juliet among others. Unfortunately, the ban prohibits Americans from enjoying these and you will not find them in any cigar store for now.

Jamaican cigars are softer, probably softest of all. Dominican cigars became better after Cuban immigrants escaping the revolution called the Dominican Republic their new home and started to produce cigars. You can find soft and strong Dominican cigars. Some brands, like "Arturo Fuente" have an overall good draw and are well liked, the avo is also renowned, and of course, the controversial Dominican Cohibas. These Cohibas can be purchased in the US, they are not Cuban, but quite good nevertheless.

Cigars made from Honduras have a good product, many factories are Cuban and American and are becoming big in Europe. Cigars made in Mexico are now diversifying by introducing light wrapper tobacco seed. The best brand here is Te Amo.

Nicaragua has many cigar factories, the famous Acid is a Nicaraguan secret, the Cao and "la vieja habana" are being produced.

A cigar store will have a good variety so you can pick the ones you like the most. If you want to experience several cigars, you can purchase a samplers box, filled with many kinds of cigars. If you are starting out, this is a great way to taste several blends to know which ones you like. Some cigar stores will offer large samplers and throw in a gift as well, like a cutter, or even a humidor.