Posted January 11, 2015 by theaveragejoescigar 2014 Featured Cigar Lounges

2014 Featured Cigar Lounges.

A diamond in the rough…while visiting the wonderful city of San Francisco, I stumbled upon The Occidental Cigar Club at 471 Pine Street. Cigar bars are hard to find, but this one is located in the heart of the Financial District. Apart from cigars, you can enjoy great drinks and conversation.

Co-owner Yvette Cervantes was working the bar and telling me about her wild trip to Barcelona, Spain. She’s going to get a great deal on a secret stash of Cohiba cigars.

At the Occidental, you can find a great selection of cigars including: Padron, Oliva, Alec Bradley, Gurka, Kristoff and Rocky Patel to name just a few. Their bar is extremely well stocked with whiskies, beers and wines. Overall great prices and great people make this is a must stop for the Average Joe.

Here is a little bit of history from their site:

While the Occidental Cigar Club was established in 2001, its roots go far back in San Francisco history to the 1860’s and The Occidental Hotel. This “Quiet House of Peculiar Excellence” was the first real cocktail lounge in the City. Principal Barman Professor Jerry Thomas plied his trade there and was the originator of the Martini. The first bi-coastal celebrity bartender, he brought civility to the bar scene as well as creativity to mixology. The wood cut etchings found in his book, The Bon Vivant’s Companion or How to Mix Drinks adorn our walls, and his spirit is embodied in the drinks we pour today.

With the change in laws governing employee workplace environments, cigar smoking in bars and restaurants was banned in 1998. This labor code was to protect employees from the dangers of second hand smoke. It did not, however, apply to owners. A group of like- minded individuals approached the City and requested guidance on opening a legal friendly bar. The Occidental Cigar Club was born. And thanks to the support of the City of San Francisco we continue to operate to this day.

The Occidental Cigar Club

471 Pine Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

415-834-0485

Owl Shop New Haven, CT

Owl Shop …. Since 1934

The Owl Shop was originally opened on Wall Street in 1934 by Joseph St. John who came to America from Greece in 1925. Beginning originally as a bookstore, he was also selling tobacco and mixing his own blends. In 1937, a second store on College Street was opened by Joseph and his wife Catherine, also of Greek descent. Expanding to having five stores they decided in 1951 to have everything under one roof, the College Street location.

At the time when the Shubert Theatre was flourishing from the 30’s – 60’s, you might have seen Edward Robinson, Vincent Price, Van Johnson, Alec Guiness, Rex Harrison, Olivia de Havilland or Helen Hayes visiting the shop. In those days the theatre brought lots of glamorous people to the area, but in 1977 the Shubert was closed. The Shubert has been re-opened and is again a thriving theatre in New Haven.

After the death of her husband, Catherine St. John kept the shop open, and with it, two of the shops original employees, one of which is still with the shop today; Joe Lentine. Joe arrived in the 1960’s and his specialty is mixing the tobaccos. The Owl Shop is now owned by Glen Greenberg, who has owned the shop since November 1998. Today the shop still maintains its fine reputation for being one of the last, best, quality tobacco shops in the county offering a 400 sf walk in humidor, cigar lounge and bar, tobaccos blended on-premises, pipes, chess, backgammon sets and other fine gifts.

Jake & Harley Cigar Gallery and Smoking Lounge Albuquerque, NM

Jake and Harley’s (J&H) was founded in 2010 by Tony Shangler and was named after his late Yellow Lab (Jake) and Chihuahua (Harley). After owning and operating several successful art & jewelry galleries in Albuquerque, Tony decided to combine his love of the galleries with his passion for cigars. What sets J&H apart from other cigars stores in New Mexico is the perfectly humidified 400 sq. ft. well stocked humidor. The ambience at Jake & Harley’s can be really be enjoyed in The Dog House lounge. The lounge has been designed for relaxation, conversation and is the perfect place to catch your favorite sporting event on one of the three television screens. The Dog House Lounge has a hospital grade filtration system to prevent the smoke from getting too thick, which is a great feature to have. It is also equipped with free Wi-Fi, making for a prime meeting location or private event.

J&H partnered with Jinja Bar & Bistro next door to create The Patio, a place where you can enjoy your favorite smoke with Jinja’s full bar and menu service. The Patio overlooks the city and the backdrop of the majestic Sandia Albuquerque Mountains. On the weekends in summer months, the patio is host to live music of all types.

J&H also offer their own unique mild to medium long filler cigars blend, which will give you the pleasure of a very high end cigar at a very affordable price. These cigars are grown, processed and totally handmade in the Dominican Republic with authentic Cuban seed tobacco leaves and wrapped with a smooth and beautiful Corojo and Maduro wrapper. These cigars are perfect for the everyday smoke. You will never grow tired of this wonderful cigar.

Customer service is everything to Jake & Harley’s, and they work to provide each customer coming through the door with a satisfying experience – an experience that if you will also want to share with friends, family and colleagues.

Papa Juan Cigar Room New York, NY

Welcome to Papa Juan Cigar Room, a cozy oasis conveniently located in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of upper manhattan. Whether seeking business or pleasure, Papa Juan Cigar Room offers an exclusive environment where you can network or simply enjoy a puro in a relaxing niche where class meets sophistication.

Papa Juan Cigar Room is the premier destination for anyone from the aficionado to the …casual smoker or new beginners of the cigar smoking culture. Our attractive venue offers the perfect atmosphere for catching up with friends, conducting business, or just a getaway to relax and enjoy a good cigar with your personal choice of wine.

Offering a variety of the world’s most exclusive cigars coming from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras and handful of domestic products, Papa Juan Cigar Room definitely will become your personal sanctuary.

La Habana Hemingway Cigar Bar “French Quarters New Orleans”

Offering wide range of premium cigars including our own house blend aswell as cigar humidors and accessories.

Cigar locker Rentals and full bar and bottle service.

Exclusive cigar bar in the heart of the French quarter. Where every cigar goes up in smoke. Carrying all major premium cigar lines and full service bar.

Habano’s Cafe & Cigar Lounge San Diego, CA

Habanos Cigar Lounge and Cigar Bar in San Diego CA offers San Diego residents and visitors a unique smoking experience inside our 3000 sq. ft. Cigar Lounge, including a 600sq. ft. walk-in humidor in our Cigar Shop. Cigars from every leading cigar brand are available in our humidor, and we have our very own brand of hand-rolled cigars made from the finest tobaccos.

Our Cigar Lounge provides a comfortable smoking experience, with large relaxing chairs to smoke your favorite cigar, free wi-fi, flat screen televisions, and games like backgammon and dominoes to while away your time. Enjoy a hot lasagna dish or a delicious Panini from our extensive food selection.

Our Cigar Bar offers a wide selection of red, white and sparkling wines from around the world, fine ports, and a terrific inventory of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers from draught IPA’s to many types of bottled beers, and beers on tap. We also offer a wide range of cigar ashtrays, cigar cutters and cigar lighters when you’re looking to shop cigar accessories.

Cigars bring people together from all walks of life in one cigar fraternity – the simple pleasure of enjoying a good cigar made from quality tobacco, while you sit back, relax, and enjoy a cold beer or a glass of chilled wine from our extensive bar selections. Enjoy listening to music from our live band artists at weekends including jazz and blues.

Access to our Cigar Lounge is free at all times to San Diego residents and visitors alike, come visit Habanos Cigar Lounge & Cigar Bar, San Diego’s friendliest place to smoke a cigar!

3111 Hancock Street San Diego, CA 92110

619-692-0696

http://habanoslounge.net/

Air Conditioning: Yes

Alcohol Beverages: Yes

Cigar Prices: $$

Environment: Patio

Membership Required: No

Separate Restrooms: Yes

Wi-Fi: Yes

Recommended: Yes

Classic Cigars & Lounge Tulsa, Oklahoma

The marriage of cigars with the right atmosphere is the perfect way to relax at the end of a good meal or a long day. A great spot to do exactly this is Classic Cigars & Lounge in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they want to share the cigar lifestyle with hard working individuals that need to escape from stress. Along with cigars, you will find plenty of wines (from both major and boutique vineyards) to enjoy at all ranges of price points and taste preferences.

There is a great walk-in humidor with a very nice selection for all types of cigar lovers. You will find patio seating outdoors and, inside, there are plenty of flat screens and leather chairs to relax and enjoy your evening.

Classic Cigars & Lounge also hosts a great selection of accessories. They have everything from cigar cutters, lighters, ashtrays and much more, so if you are looking to upgrade or just get something new, they definitely have plenty of options.

The Classic Cigar & Lounge is located in the heart of downtown Tulsa. It is on the top of our list for a great place to stop in and enjoy a cigar and a drink.

118 N. Boston Ave. Tulsa, OK 74103

918-960-2646

http://www.classiccigarsok.com