When, in the early 1990s, the premium cigar industry
rebounded after years of stale sales figures and slackening consumer interest,
it faced a new social climate. More and more municipalities and states had
passed anti-smoking legislation throughout the eighties, and this trend only
continued through the 1990s and beyond. All of which meant that many of those
new smokers found themselves unable to enjoy their new hobby over a fancy
restaurant meal, at the movies, at some bars, or sometimes (as in the case of
the new, ultra-restrictive British smoking laws) anywhere outdoors at all.
Thankfully for smokers, cigar bars sprung up throughout the country as a way
to offer premium cigar smokers the chance to enjoy the rich taste of cigar smoke
in the company of folks with similar interests. Many of the new anti-smoking
laws make exceptions for establishments that cater directly to smokers-though,
often, in these cases, the smoke-permitting establishments must also install
air-filtration systems and various other gadgets that ensure maximum air purity
(for those inside) and minimum leakage (for the non-smokers outside). Thus,
cigar bars represent an important site for the new generation of cigar smokers.
Often, they're the only place in town where a person's love of cigars can be
shared in a like-minded, social atmosphere. So it's no wonder that cigar bars,
like cigar specialty shops, cigar clubs, and cigar magazines, became an
important part of the new cigar culture that blossomed during the 1990s.
The range of amenities offered varies with the bar. Some high-end cigar bars
offer for-rent humidor-lockers-such as Club Macanudo in New York-or books for
sale, such as the two Bar and Books stores in New York City (at Hudson and at
Lexington). At Azucar Cigar Lounge in Corona, California, you find plasma
television sets and walk-in humidors. Many cigar bars double as, in effect,
high-end sports bars; they're classy places in which to sit in leather
furniture while watching the Knicks game.
Other cigar bars offer the same amenities and entertainment options as other
kinds of bars. Burbank Bar and Grill in Burbank, California-the same
"beautiful downtown Burbank" from which so many '60s television shows
broadcasted-has its own band, and another cigar bar in Glendale, California,
has free appetizers. At Fumare (the Spanish word for "to smoke") in
Reno, Nevada, patrons play poker, browse books, and watch sports on the
flat-screen TV. And Shelly's Back Room, in Washington, D.C., with its location
close to the heart of the nation's governmental processes, offers a chance to
eavesdrop on the corridors of power.
Other cigar bars are actually cigar stores with substantial added-in
lounges-similar to coffee-roasting foundries where coffee is also served, or breweries
that offer excellent bars. For example, at The Tobacco Shop in Hartford,
Connecticut, you find some hard-to-find cigars and pipe products. Signature
Cigars in Rockville, Maryland, offers free coffee to smoking customers.
These establishments are traditionally male-dominated, according to
stereotypes, but as with many once-well-established facts about cigar smoking,
this one has been subject to some revision in the years since the mid-1990s
cigar boom. Premium cigar makers noticed an uptick in the number of female
cigar smokers during that period, and stars like Jennifer Garner and Demi Moore
trumpeted their love of cigars on the cover of magazines such as Cigar
Aficionado. In this new climate, it's no surprise to find women frequenting
cigar bars as well. Photographer Danuta Otfinowski offers, on her website, a
photo essay devoted to the women who patronize New York City's cigar bars. She
writes, "Cigars have been a smoky symbol of male power for many years, but the
post-feminist 90's are witnessing the resurgence of the stogie among both men
and women." The photos are available at http://www.musarium.com/Cigarbar.html.
With cigars continuing to enjoy steady growth in popularity, and those
restrictive anti-smoking laws seemingly not about to go anywhere, the
importance of cigar bars will likely continue to grow. But there's nothing new
about that-tobacco has had a social dimension for nearly as long as it's been
smoked. Smoking in ancient tribal societies was, after all, often a social,
celebratory activity, and perhaps cigar bars recover some of that ancient
camaraderie.
CigarFox provides you the opportunity to
build your own sampler of the finest cigars that include cigar brands like
Montecristo, Romeo & Julieta, H Upmann, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Gurkha
and many more. Choose from more than 1200 different cigars! Other cigar
products include cigar humidors, cigar boxes, and cigar accessories like Zippo
Lighters. For more information, please visit
http://www.CigarFox.com. |
