Cigar clubs
Cigar clubs are a good way to sample and get to know about new and different cigar products. Almost every mail order and online cigar store has a cigar of the month promotion. These are excellent ways of subscribing to the service to receive different cigars each month. This is also a unique gift for those cigar lovers that you know. Each month you receive a selection of cigars and information.
Best Cigar Shops? Florida Smokes the Field
You can find good cigar stores in almost any major city in the US. But for the best local cigar shops, Florida has other areas beat for sheer numbers of high-quality cigar stores. In Miami, there are many small cigar shops where Cuban immigrants make hand-rolled cigars that some aficanados claim taste identical to real Cuban cigars. Meanwhile, the Tampa area has Ybor City, once the home of American cigar production and still a place where cigars are an important part of everday life. Stroll the streets of Ybor City, now a nightlife and entertainment center, and you'll find world-class cigar shops selling hand-rolled and imported cigars.
Starting a cigar club
If there are no cigar clubs or societies in you area you can easily start one. There are probably many people that would like to get together for the enjoyment of quality cigars. Speak to you local cigar store or smoke shop owner and post notices to spread the word. Contact the local newspapers to list meetings in the community section. And of course there is the Internet to build momentum for any subject or cause. A smoker favorite on the web is Herfers Paradise. You can find cigar smokers from all over the country on their website.
Catalog Shopping for Cigars
If you don't want to buy cigars in your local store, you can get a better deal online. But if you don't or can't go online, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of cigar stores who sell through mail-order cigar catalogs. You can call any of these mail-order cigar catalogs and order a cigar catalog. Page through it when you have some time and order up some cigars by phone.
Online Cigar Shops Offer Cost-Effective Alternative
Online cigar stores offer a cost-effective alternative to purchasing cigars at the local cigar shop, especially if you purchase by the box. But you need to know what you're looking for at any online cigar catalog. Also, make sure the store is reputable and ships its cigars quickly and in proper containers. Ask around among your cigar-smoking friends as to what online stores are the best, or try one of the major cigar magazine web sites.
Researching cigar clubs
The Internet is a great place research cigar clubs or anything else to do with cigars. You can find things in your area and anywhere else in the World. When you travel you can look up cigar friendly places. It is always important to be able to locate a good cigar if you are not going to bring any with you. You may also want to wind down on a business trip, or sample cigars that are normally unavailable to you.
Sample the Goods
If you want to buy online or from a cigar catalog, one way to try out a new cigar while minimizing your risk is to purchase a cigar sampler. You can usually buy cigars in packs of a 4 to 6, a dozen or even 15. You can buy samplers from a single cigar company or manufacturer, a size or type, or mix and match your own. If you buy smartly, you should be able to feel confident that you're going to like most of the cigars in the sampler, giving you an overall good deal.
Finding a cigar club
Certain establishments have cigar clubs such as cigar bars, restaurants and tobacco stores. Because of smoking laws in public places around the country and the world, certain places cater to the cigar lovers to attract business.
Some even offer incentives, such as discount cigars. These are great places to enjoy a cigar and meet people with similar interests. There may be dedicated days of the week for smoking or dedicated locations. Check your local yellow-pages for places referred to as cigar bars.
Cruise for a Single
If you're cruising your local cigar store, chances are you're looking for a single cigar or two -- otherwise, you should proably be shopping online or through a cigar catalog. Here's a guide to looking for a good single cigar in a cigar shop:
* If you plan to smoke right away, look for open boxes in the cigar shop's humidor that appear to have been there for a while. Cigars are shipped "wet" to avoid drying, and need to sit for a week or more in a proper environment before smoking. If you're holding them in your own humidor, this is not a problem.
* Squeeze the cigar gently. It should "give" but not be too soft.
* Look at the wrapper. It should be smooth and tight, and not damaged on either end.
* Look at the tobacco in the exposed end. Look for extreme or abrupt color changes. Poor tastes and uneven burns will often be the result.
Walk-In to a Great Cigar Shop
You can tell a good cigar store from a really good or even great cigar shop by checking the brands for sale, smelling the aroma in the store, and then seeing what kind of humidor is used to display cigars for sale. Walk-in humidors are the best. There's more room to display more cigars and the cigars don't get as exposed to room temperature and humidity as in a reach-in or counter humidor.
Cigar Clubs Often Offer Discounts
You might be able to get a better deal on cigars by joining a cigar club, but it depends on the kind of cigar club you join. The cigar-of-the-month clubs sound like fun, but often don't really offer a very good deal. A much better deal is the type of cigar club where you get offered a substantial discount on cigars in exchange for regular purchases, or a promise to make regular purchases in the future. Ask your favorite cigar shop if they have a cigar club or plan to start one.
What is a Cigar Club?
When cigar smokers talk about cigar clubs, they are really often talking about two completely different things. A cigar club is a group of smokers who gather -- either locally or online -- to smoke cigars, talk about cigars, etc. A cigar club is also a way to buy cigars, where you get cigars shipped to you regularly from a cigar shop or cigar manufacturer, sometimes at discount prices. If you're a cigar smoker, either one could help you enhance your cigar smoking.
Learning about cigar clubs
Through local a cigar shop and personal contacts you can learn about cigar clubs or societies. These cigar clubs and groups are a collection of individuals that like to share their knowledge and love of cigars. The societies meet in person or on the Internet. With a little investigative work you kind find one in your area.
Where Can I Buy Cuban Cigars?
You can't buy Cuban cigars legally at any US cigar store. That's because it's been illegal to import or possess any Cuban exports, including cigars, since 1963. It is also illegal to buy Cuban cigars from an online cigar catalog or a foreign cigar shop where Cuban cigars are legal and have them shipped to the US. If you're caught, you'll pay big money and be subject to jail time. Instead, choose a Honduran or Dominican cigars, which are legal and offer just as good a smoke. You can also choose a Nicaraguan cigar, which is one of the faster growing imports and recently exceeded Dominican cigar imports into the US.
The Best Way to Find a Good Local Cigar Shop
There are all kinds of ways to find a good local cigar store. Try the Yellow Pages or go online to one of the major cigar magazine web sites, where you can find state-by-state searchable databases of cigar stores. But the best way is to get a recommendation for a good cigar shop is to follow your nose: When you smell a good cigar, seek out the person smoking it and ask where the cigar was purchased.