If you’re like me, maybe you’ve stuck your head into a cigar lounge before and found yourself intrigued by the scene. You see sophisticated types sitting in plush leather chairs, taking long, thoughtful drags off their cigars as they discuss what you imagine must be profound topics like politics, science or religion—certainly not the fart jokes you and your buddies banter around on a regular basis.

And then there’s that aromatic smoke—rising slowly from what you assume must be $50 or even $100 cigars—that swirls over their heads, giving off an enchanting haze and engulfing the room with the deep, rich smell of tobacco. You want to join them, but you’re sure both your wallet and sense of sophistication will come up horribly short, so you move on.

But the truth is, cigar smoking these days is no longer just for the rich or social elite—it’s for everyone. Wealthy or poor, male or female, they all seem to be joining the club. And, perhaps most surprising, they’re all being welcomed with open arms and a big, fat stogie.

BROADWAY CIGAR COMPANY

Photo courtesy of Broadway Cigar Company

Jason Lee, owner of Broadway Cigar in the Hollywood neighborhood, might just be the perfect metaphor for our misconceptions about the hobby. From a distance, Lee—a huge dude at 6-foot-10 with a shaved head and a wardrobe that likely hasn’t included a shirt smaller than XXL since 5th grade—can come off as pretty intimidating.

But tell him you’re a novice smoker, and suddenly he becomes the Cigar Whisperer, patiently and without any air of pretension explaining how to cut, light and properly smoke your “stick” of choice. The quick version from my lesson with Lee comes down to a few basics: 1) Cut the cigar (“Cut it at the cap. The very least you can trim off to get a nice, flat edge.”); 2) Light the cigar (“Take two matches, light them, let the sulfur burn off, then what you want to do is act like you’re roasting a marshmallow…kind of twist it or spin it.”); 3) Finally, “Take one big drag, hold it in a bit, let ‘er go, and just enjoy.”

It’s easy to relax and enjoy your cigar in the plush leather chairs and welcome environment at Broadway Cigar. From the outside it looks like nothing more than the quonset hut that it is, but on the inside it’s the ultimate man cave. Split into two main areas, the front of the shop is an open and bright room with several comfortable chairs arranged in a circle and a good-sized walk-in humidor containing over 600 different types of cigars. The back room is much bigger, darker and more secluded, with soaring ceilings, a plasma TV and several individual areas designed to encourage conversation.

Before you sink into your seat, though, you’ll need to pick out a cigar. To determine my palate, Lee asked how I take my coffee (cream, no sugar), my liquor of choice (whiskey) and if I prefer steak, chicken or fish (steak, of course). The result? “Overall I think you’re going to like stronger cigars; you’re going to like something with a little kick to it,” he tells me. “Someone who’s a Vodka drinker usually likes something a little smoother, or if they drink white wine, or if they’re more of a fish person. It’s kind of like how you pair wine with food. It’s the same way with cigars.”

“Once I get to know a customer, I’ll know what his palate is like,” adds Lee. “So if something new comes in, I’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, you’re going to like this.’” 

For Lee, it seems, cigar smoking is primarily about building relationships. “You get to know somebody over a cigar in an hour in a way that would take a year hanging out in a bar,” he says.

Jason Lee, Broadway Cigar Company. Photo: Kenneth Aaron, Neighborhood Notes

3615 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
503.473.8000
www.broadwaycigar.com

RICH'S CIGAR STORE

While Lee is the new kid in town, Rich’s Cigar Shop has been gracing the streets of Portland in one spot or another since 1894. With such an entrenched history and an impressive collection of between 1500–1800 cigars on hand at any given time, you might think that the old cigar elitist attitude still persists here.

Surprisingly, though, when asked what it costs to get your hands on a good cigar, General Manager Bill Shindler answers simply, “There’s no reason we can’t fit you between $5 and $8 with a great cigar.” What? Really? I received the same answer from Lee at Broadway Cigar as well, but it came as even more of a surprise from such an established shop.

“We need to suit it to your palate,” continues Shindler, “and maybe your palate requires that. Maybe you need that certain smoothness, that certain flavor, the little nuances that come in that you find in a $35 cigar. Most people don’t. If you’re buying that cigar, it’s to show off.”

So how do you find the right cigar in your price range? “People come in often and they say, ‘What’s the best cigar you have?'” My answer, ‘The one you like,’” says Shindler. “When you come in you’re an open book. So what we encourage you to do is to try as much as possible to take notes, just like wine tasting, and from there we keep narrowing it down until we can fit exactly your profile.”

While Broadway Cigar offers a great atmosphere to hang out and smoke, the main draw to Rich’s is their huge selection of cigars, the ridiculous amount of magazines they have available and, if you’re interested, a must-meet gentleman by the name of Steven Books—who in addition to being very knowledgeable about the art of blending pipe tobacco, may very well have the most excellent set of mutton chops in all of Portland.

Books, who claims to be one of only five Master Blenders left in the US, opened our conversation by stating that he has “35 volumes of books on tobacco that I have handwritten over the last 40-some odd years.” Instantly I was hooked. At age 12, Books took on a 10-year apprenticeship at a tobacco warehouse and has been studying the art of pipe smoking ever since. Pipe smoking, he says, is “very much alive, except that we’re hiding on the back corner of the street, or under the shade of the tree, or somewhere at home. There are a lot of us.”

If you’re interested, Books will gladly help you pick out a pipe, find the right blend of tobacco based on your personal tastes and tell you everything you need to know to get started. The cost? About $40-$70 for a decent pipe and $10 or so for a bag of tobacco.

820 SW Alder St
Portland, OR 97205
503.228.1700
www.richscigar.com
(additional locations in the Pearl District and NW District)

Photo courtesy of Broadway Cigar Company

EL GAUCHO

While cigar and pipe smoking is allowed in Rich’s, due to city restrictions they don’t have a cigar lounge. Rumor has it that might change, so check back often. Until then, many Rich’s customers choose to take their stogies down the street to El Gaucho’s cigar room, a small but luxurious space with plush seating, a plasma TV and a fireplace located in the back corner of what is easily Portland’s swankiest steakhouse.

As with everything at El Gaucho, if you choose to purchase a cigar from them it’ll cost you (their 19 current selections range between $17–$48). But also as with everything at El Gaucho, the cigar you select is sure to be really, really good, and the service you receive will be spectacular. And don’t let the ultra swanky atmosphere intimidate you.

“If you’re afraid when you come in and buy a cigar that you will have to cut it or light it for yourself and you’re not sure how, well, we have professionals that cut it and light it for you, so you don’t have to feel uncomfortable,” says Cigar and Wine Captain Leann Loveland in a soothing tone. “They’re going to do all the work. You just lay back and enjoy.”

As for the atmosphere, Loveland adds, “It’s dark, it’s a very intimate feeling…the room almost becomes a little bit of a party atmosphere. Everybody ends up talking to one another, with some good stories rolling back and forth.”

319 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97205
503.227.8794
www.elgaucho.com

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While we’ve only scratched the surface of Portland’s cigar scene, these are a few great places to start. So pay a visit to Jason Lee at Broadway Cigar and let him find you just the right stick, or lend your ear to Steven Books at Rich’s and learn the secrets of the pipe tobacco smoker, or head over to El Gaucho and simply be waited on hand and foot. Like any hobby, it seems, cigar smoking is a journey. And thankfully, our city has many experts who will gladly point you in the right direction.