Saturday, July 9, 2011

Best Place to Buy and Smoke a Cigar in Las Vegas a la 2011.

I originally wrote this article a couple years ago but found that much of the information I shared, desperately needed updating as many of my favorite cigar haunts have closed and shops have changed. Usually PT's or Timbers are fairly cool about smoking stogies while you have a nice frosty brew but I usually retreat to a secluded corner (if one is available) to enjoy mine. That being said, here is a bit more about cigar culture and Las Vegas:

In case you're feeling nostalgic for the "old days" of 2009, here is the original post with the old information.
 
As a Las Vegas local, I saw the days where smoking a cigar was really just a matter of "Where do you want to go?" Today, it is a little more touchy with regards to lighting up a big phatty in a public place. I have decided to blog some of my favorite locales for smoking (or buying) a cigar in Las Vegas and have listed a few places to avoid that are NOT cigar friendly.

If you enjoy watching a game, having a microbrew, and smoking a nice cigar all at the same time, you have two choices: Grab the rabbit-eared TV from the closet, buy some cheap Oregon beer at Albertsons, and light up a cigar in your gas fumed garage. OR, you can just make a quick trip to The Chicago Brewing Company on Fort Apache and West Sahara in Summerlin. The upstairs room opens at 5pm so you'll have to make it a night game, but you will have access to a little tobacco hideaway with leather chairs, big ashtrays, and a plethora of micro-brews to choose from. My personal micro brew favorite here is the sampler. It is about 10 small sized beers on a round rack that gives you a nice overview of everything they have to offer. A nice Maduro wrapped Punch Belicoso with a Chicago stout microbrew and you'll feel like you were watching the game from a luxury box!

Another enjoyable haunt for locals is FAR FAR away from the strip (just like I like it!) in the northwest of the Las Vegas valley, and about 4 miles north of The Chicago Brewing Company. It is yet another micro brew house called Tenaya Creek Brewery on Cheyenne and Tenaya. Whereas this is a nice place to grab a number of delectable micro brews from the lightest to the darkest, it is not a place to get your grub on. They don't serve food here and haven't for some time. However, they are quite friendly toward cigar smokers and have a nice set of leather couches toward the back which allow for a little quieter cigar atmosphere (if that is your thing).

OK, I've covered some places far from the strip for those Vegas natives among us who avoid the strip like a pile of fresh vomit in a meat packing facility. But perhaps you are a visitor to our grand city and are staying on or near our "Fabulous Strip" and would like to find a great place to enjoy a cigar that is not far from your hotel (or motel if you're in my income bracket). Read on my welcomed visitor. Read on:

My favorite place on the strip to enjoy a nice cigar would have to be Napoleon's Lounge at the Paris Hotel. The Paris is a centrally located resort next to Bally's and across from Caesars Palace and the Treasure Island or "T.I." as we smug pretentious locals call it. When the Paris first opened Napoleon's, it had a sultry piano and a big, dark, and seedy interior. They have now added an additional piano and brightened up the place just a bit but it is still a nice locale to acquire an enticing glass of cognac or brandy whilst puffing away thoughtfully at the cigar of your choice. There used to be a small humidor here which sold your standard famous names at a wonderful "Strip markup" price - i.e Punch, Macanudo, Monte Cristo, Davidoff etc. but humidors come and go depending on the profitability so no promises there. I will say that the entertainment has been bumped up a bit with the second piano as you may now find "dueling" pianos on a Saturday night, which to be honest, does NOTHING for my cigar experience. Mostly because I not only like to hear myself think, but I like to hear myself talk...endlessly...about nothing...and everything...philosophical...political...religiosical, etc.
whether I am with someone or not! (weird as I may look) So for this reason, I tend to stick to quieter environs para mi fumo.

Another decent place on the Strip to smoke a stick would be Andre's Cigar and Cognac Lounge at the Monte Carlo. The Monte Carlo is probably one of the best kept secrets on the Strip, in my never so humble opinion. If I didn't look to avoid the Strip, wasn't married, didn't have kids, didn't have a morning job, and didn't have a limited bank account, I would probably hang out here on a semi-regular basis. The Keg Room has a wall of lighted kegs of some of the best beers in the world, and a 'meat and potatoes' food menu which is a great place to start. The Keg Room is not, however, a place to consider for smoking stogies as it is like most "restaurant/pub" establishments and has become "smoke free". But, cigar fans do not fear, Andre's Cigar and Cognac Lounge is but a few scant strides away here at the Monte Carlo and, like Napoleon's in Paris, is a great place to grab a nice Port, Brandy, or as the name suggests, a Cognac to sip in very upscale cigar lounge surroundings.


Now, speaking of buying cigars in Las Vegas, I have two rules:
1. Don't do it unless you absolutely HAVE to.
2. Don't buy down on the strip EVEN IF you have to! You will get reamed my friend, reamed.

So here is what you do, if you're down on the strip, hop in a cab and say, "Driver, take me to Pheasant Tobacco!" "Where is that?" he might ask, you answer, "West Sahara directly across from the Palace Station Casino" and then lean back with a smug I've-been-in-town-45-minutes-and-I-know-it-ALL look. Be sure to tip him though. Pheasant is not far from the strip at all but its WAY on the North side where the old school hotels are: Circus Circus, Riviera, Sahara, etc. It is a very reasonably priced tobacco shop with a fantastic selection. There is a cigar there for everyone no matter what your income bracket. They have a nice smoking room and , in my humble opinion, the most knowledgeable staff in Vegas. The only catch is, operating hours. For some reason, these guys seem to think that they have set up shop in Minnesota or something. They close early and don't give a rat's behind that this is a 24 hour town (is my personal frustration showing through?).

If you are happy to travel up to the west or northwest side of town, there are a couple good places to purchase a cigar.

Tobacco Leaf on West Lake Mead and Rock Springs. Again, a decent selection, but the prices are bit more jacked up. They are still probably 40-50% cheaper than what you would buy on the strip or in a cigar lounge that I've suggested.  The store has been around a couple years and contains a decent walk in humidor with a somewhat helpful staff. I would consider it a bit small and cramped but they offer a frequent flyer punch card where if you purchase 8 or 9 cigars, you get one at the same level for free, so its about a 10% discount for volume or repeat business

Another Cigar store that is a little more roomy, has a wall-lined humidor (no walk in), a decent selection with cigars in nearly every range is Hemingway's on Cheyenne Rd and The I-95 way up in the northwest of Vegas...right where I like it! This guy is very knowledgeable of all that he sells, he's very friendly every time I've been in. My typical weekend wear is flipflops and a UNLV cap...this look tends to draw a worried dithering of humidor attendants who seem worried that I might try to slip a pack of Phillies Blunts in my camo cargo shorts pocket, but this guy is hassle-free and will let you browse to your hearts delight, and will come over only if you appear to need some help (or have slipped a pack of Phillies Blunts in your camo cargo shorts pocket). I will say that he does appear to be a bit "proud" of his high end cigars and overprices accordingly there, but I usually buy in the $4-5 range and this cigar shop has more to offer along that budget line than does the aforementioned Tobacco Leaf.

The last and most recent find for a place to buy cigars in Las Vegas is WAY WAY out in the Northwest, just outside of town at the Snow Mountain Smoke Shop on the Paiute Indian Reservation. I found this sort of 7-11 looking "smoke shop" out there that I thought I might pop into as its on my way...to...well...nothing. Its not on the way to anything except wilderness. But I somehow found an excuse to stop in to this little building only to find rows and rows of cigarettes everywhere. I was afraid that I would be left with Swisher Sweets or a nice choice of Backwood Smokes (which I like by the way) but there in the corner, a beam of Sunlight from heaven and angelic voices began to sing...angelically...as I discovered a glorious corner walk-in humidor with one of the best-priced (and tax free!) selections of cigars from everywhere! (Except Cuba - but that is a different blog post) Romeo y Julieta, Te Amos (which I hate and which hardly anyone in Vegas sells anymore), El Rey Del Mundo, La Gloria Cubanas, Punch, and a slew of great mid-range cigars that fit my budget.

I realize that Snow Mountain Smoke Shop is way out in the sticks to go and buy...well...a stick, however, it turns out that I discovered only the tip of the iceberg as the MAIN Paiute Reservation Smoke Shop is called "Main Street Smoke Shop" or "Cigar Shoppe" in downtown Las Vegas! It has been rated by our local newspaper as the "Best in Las Vegas" for cigar and smoke shops and boasts the largest selection of cigars under one roof in the city of Las Vegas.

Ultimately, its all about finding what works best for you, your budget, your tastes, and your temperament that will determine your cigar experience here. Hopefully the above list will give a couple good places to start, that are off the tourist's beaten path.