New and seasoned cigar smokers in the Capital Region have plenty of places to explore the world of cigars.
At spots like Habana Port Cigar Merchants on Perkins Road, cigar brands like Oliva, La Aroma de Cuba and Padrón line the shelves of the shop’s humidor. Stacked wooden cigar boxes stand in the middle of the aisle, neighboring the many shelves full of pigtail cigars mounting over one another. Davidoff Winston Churchill Cigars are cherished in a glass case outside of the humidor. Bar patrons can sit back in a row of black leather chairs and enjoy a cigar of their choosing. The lounge also has a wide selection of pipe tobacco blends, featuring flavors like espresso, champagne and honey.
“(Cigars are) the only pure way to enjoy tobacco, since the entire product itself is a whole leaf,” says Luis Molina, who opened Habana Port Cigar Merchants in Baton Rouge 2013. “It’s pure, with no additives or chemicals, so I’ve just always been fascinated with the leaf.”
|
|
|
Habana Port Cigar Merchants buys cigars directly from the manufacturer. Each of the cigars has its own flavor profile, with Dominican cigars traditionally having a mild profile and Nicaraguan cigars having a full-bodied and intricate profile. “Cigars are kind of like wine,” says Molina. “It’s hard to generalize the characteristics of these blends just from the country. There’s specific regions and valleys within each of these countries.”
Over on Highland Road, Cigar Den also pays homage to the process behind cigar-making, through the portraits of tobacco rows on a farm and a woman carefully rolling cigars on the wall. In the back of the shop is a spacious cigar lounge, featuring flat-screen televisions and rows of leather sofa chairs.
Unique cigar brands sit on the shelves of Cigar Den’s humidor, which is tucked in the corner of the shop. The most distinctive brand Cigar Den offers is Stolen Throne Cigars, which are rolled in Nicaragua and range from medium-strength to strong flavor profiles. The shop’s best-selling cigar brands include Nicaraguan brands like Tabernacle and Honduran brands like the Bolcock Brothers. Finding a cigar that fits your preferred flavor profile is like finding “food with a flavor that fits your palate,” owner Ricky Thibodeaux says.
Thibodeaux views smoking cigars as a time to unwind and converse with one another.
“It’s a time where you can sit back, and if you choose to, just relax and smoke it on your own,” Thibodeaux says. “There’s always somebody else in a cigar shop that you can have a good conversation with, either talking about sports, grandkids or just this beautiful world we live in.”
Cigar lounges to explore around Baton Rouge
What’s your favorite place to enjoy cigars? Tell us at [email protected].
Churchill’s
2561 Citiplace Court
If you’re looking for a place to unwind, this lounge not only offers live music nights and premium cigars, but also a wide selection of premium whiskeys, cocktails and wines to choose from.
Cigar Den
19970 Highland Road, #B-2
Don Juan Cigar Co.
7539 Corporate Blvd # 170
Whether you want to learn more about the world of cigars or you’re just looking for a place to sit back and relax, this cigar shop is the spot to do so, with a selection of cigars, small humidors and bulk pipe tobacco, as well as its separate bar next door, featuring whiskeys, cocktails and more.
|
|
|
Habana Port Cigar Merchants
4433 Perkins Road, Apt. 106 (moving soon to a new location at 4715 Perkins Road)
Stogies Cocktail and Cigar Lounge
30614 La. Hwy. 16
This new cocktail and cigar shop in Denham Springs offers cigars to pair with its daiquiris, cocktails and more classic drinks for everyone to enjoy.