Welcome Back to the Garage

We’re back for another episode of Smoke and Steel, and this time we’re diving deep into something every cigar enthusiast cares about: what makes a cigar lounge truly great. Spoiler alert, it’s not just about having a killer humidor.

Tonight’s lineup? Eric’s smoking a Plasencia Alma Fuerte Salomon. Jim’s got the Mi Querida by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. And Walt’s testing out a La Flor Dominicana Suave Maduro that he picked up from Kyle at LA Cigar Collective. The mystery continues with these LFDs because the one Walt’s smoking looks completely different from what he saw on Cigar Page. Different band, different look, same confusion.

Snow Day Stories and Philly Nostalgia

Before we got into the heavy stuff, we had to talk about our first podcast recording with snow on the ground. The kids got called out of school early, which never happened when we were growing up. Back in our day, you either went to school or you didn’t. None of this two-hour delay nonsense.

Walt shared some stories about walking through Kensington to get to school. For those who don’t know Philly, Kensington has changed dramatically over the years. What used to be a regular neighborhood where kids walked to school is now a place where even grown men think twice. We’re calling it now, Kensington is the next gentrification target. It’ll probably be Port Richmond first, but eventually those housing prices are going to skyrocket.

Shoutout to Our Community

We’ve got to give some love to our listeners who keep showing up week after week. On YouTube, Jim Cronin from Top Shelf Cigars in Skippack, PA dropped a comment. On Discord, Dave West has been absolutely killing it with engagement. And DR.TLO has been rock solid.

Over on Facebook, Rob G. is on a seven-week streak with 281 points. We have no idea what the points mean, but you got 281 of them, Rob. Eddie is on an 11-week streak. Our boy Larry is hanging tough. And we’ve got new top fans like Bruce joining the crew.

Instagram is showing love too with Jose and Big Rob showing love. These guys are the backbone of what we do, and we don’t take that for granted.

The LA Cigar Collective Launch

Big news from our friends down in Louisiana. The LA Cigar Collective just launched their subscription box service. For $70 a month, you get anywhere from three to six curated cigars with detailed descriptions, pairing notes, and nice packaging. The value will always exceed what you’re paying.

Here’s what we really like about it. There’s no commitment. You can do one month and cancel. You can pause it if bills are tight. They’re not locking you into a year-long contract like some other clubs do.

They’re also creating a private Discord channel just for subscribers. If you sign up before December 15th, you get a gift for being one of the original members. Shipments go out on the 15th of every month.

We’ve been burned by cigar of the month clubs before. Jim got stuck with one years ago where the first couple months were solid, but then it went downhill fast. He ended up giving away 70% of what they sent him. But we trust Kyle and Big Rob at LA Cigar Collective. They’ve got their finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the community.

What Makes Great Cigar Lounge Hospitality?

This is where things got interesting. We played a clip from the Long Ashes podcast where they interviewed Michael Herklots. For those who don’t know, Herklots has been around the industry for years. He worked for Davidoff, then Nat Sherman in Manhattan, and now runs his own brand, Ferio Tego.

Michael made some really compelling points about cigar lounge hospitality and cigar shop customer service. He said we should apply the mirror of alternative hospitality to cigar lounges. Would you do this in a restaurant? Would this behavior fly at a concert or theater?

Here’s the thing that hit us hard. In most hospitality businesses, regulars get treated like royalty. You walk into a restaurant as a regular and you always have a seat. Coffee and dessert might be on the house. The staff knows what you’re going to order.

But in cigar shops? It’s completely backward. You’re a regular who comes in every day, and suddenly you’re getting less service than the guy who just walked in for the first time. No one’s helping you in the humidor because “that’s just Joe, he knows where everything is.” Meanwhile, the new guy gets the full treatment.

Then customers start taking advantage of that familiarity. They’re manspreading on the couch, playing their own music on speakers, bringing in a cooler full of drinks, and packing a lunchbox full of cigars they bought somewhere else. They think they’re doing the owner a favor by buying one stick.

Michael nailed it when he said we punish our best customers with less.

Our Take on Lounge Service

Jim’s experience working at a local lounge taught him a lot about this. He always tried to greet everyone by name. How’s the wife? How’s the kids? Making people feel welcomed mattered more than just ringing up a sale.

That’s why people would wait for Jim to be working. The owner would come up to him and say, “So you came in at 4. From Noon to 4, we sold $100 worth of cigars. Then you were here from 4 to 9 and we sold $850.” That’s the power of genuine cigar shop customer service.

Walt brought up a great example. He was riding his motorcycle to Smokies Cigar Lounge one cold morning. He got there early and sat outside freezing his ass off waiting for them to open. When he finally got inside, they immediately offered him coffee. Then they came around asking if he needed a refill, if he wanted water, if he needed another cigar. It’s not complicated stuff, but it makes all the difference.

We’ve been to Smokies many times and never had a bad experience. The only problem they have is that they’re too popular. It isn’t uncommon for every seat in the house to be filled. But for the owners, that’s a great problem to have.

The Restaurant Comparison

Michael Herklots made another great point comparing lounges to restaurants. In a restaurant, your best customers get perks. Free dessert. A reserved table. Priority seating. What’s the cigar shop equivalent?

We think most lounges should have some kind of loyalty program. Whether it’s 10% off after you spend a certain amount, or buy five get one free, there needs to be something. When you walk into a place with no rewards system at all, it leaves a bad taste.

It doesn’t have to hurt their bottom line either. Eric shared a story about his birthday at the local lounge. He’d been eyeing this $175 Opus lighter for a long time. On his birthday, he went in ready to buy it. He had $105 cash and was going to put the rest on card. The owner just looked at him and said, “Happy birthday, give me the 105 and we’re square.” That $70 discount meant everything.

Jim remembered when Tim owned the lounge and every Thursday was happy hour from 5 until closing. Different deals every week. Buy five get one free. Buy five get 10% off. It was never the same deal, but there was always something going on.

The Best Lounge Experience

For us, the gold standard is Santiago Cigar Lounge in Bethlehem. There’s a woman named Consuela who owns Amos Cigars out of the Dominican Republic. She’s got a local shop in Bethlehem, and when you walk in there, you’re family.

The humidor isn’t fancy. The parking sucks. But Consuela sits you down, asks what you need, brings you drinks, and clears ashtrays. She gives you a hug even if you don’t know her. We drive 45 minutes to get there because that’s how good the experience is.

Jim told us stories about guys hanging out for football games that ended at midnight. Everyone’s still drinking, the party’s going great. Consuela would say, “You guys want to hang out?” They’d say yeah, and she’d respond, “I’ll make some food.” She stayed until 3 AM with them. On New Year’s Eve, she stayed until 4 AM because the place was packed and everyone was having a good time.

That’s hospitality that goes above and beyond. That’s what keeps people coming back.

What Kills a Lounge

We’ve seen gorgeous lounges with incredible setups fail within a year. Why? The guy just sat at the desk. The humidor was back there somewhere. No suggestions. No conversation. Just “cash or card?” and “the lounge is back there.”

There was something missing. It doesn’t matter how beautiful your space is if the experience feels cold.

We also talked about music in lounges. For us, it’s a big part of the experience. We’re very respectful about it. We read the room. If there are older guys in there, we put on oldies. When it’s just Walt and Eric, they might throw on some metal. But they’re always aware of who else is around.

The key is that music should be background noise that doesn’t obstruct conversation. When you can’t talk to the person sitting next to you, that’s when it becomes a problem.

Eddie on the Streets

Eddie sent us another installment of his cigar lounge tour series. This time he was at Bourbon and Ash in Tulsa. The place looks incredible. He’s getting more and more comfortable on camera, which is awesome to see.

He also hit up Billy Sims Barbecue across the street. Now we’re getting bonus barbecue reviews with the cigar content. The guy’s a natural.

When Eddie first started doing this, he wouldn’t even go inside the lounges. He’d film outside on the street. Now he’s walking in, talking to owners, really getting into it. We love seeing that progression.

Looking Ahead

Next week we’ve got our Christmas extravaganza with Kyle and Big Rob from LA Cigar Collective coming back on. They’re going to curate some great gift ideas for the cigar smoker in your life. Accessories, cigar bundles, all kinds of stuff. If you want to show your wife or significant other what you’d like for Christmas, just send them that episode.

We’re also working on a listener appreciation episode. We’ve reached out to some of our day-one supporters and people who’ve been with us from the beginning. We want to bring them on, introduce them, and celebrate the community that’s made this possible. If you want to be involved, reach out to Eric on Instagram or Facebook.

Cigar of the Year Predictions

Cigar Aficionado released their schedule for announcing the top 25 cigars of the year. By the time you’re reading this, the list is definitely already out. We went through past winners going back to 2004.

Some interesting ones on that list. My Father Judge Grand Robusto won last year. Opus X won in 2023. The Padron 1964 took it in 2021. One that surprised us was the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro in 2019. We love Aging Room, but didn’t expect them to win cigar of the year.

Here’s something wild. There’s not a single back-to-back brand winner on that entire list. Everyone’s calling for the My Father Blue to win this year, but if history is any guide, they might be out of luck since My Father won last year.

We’d love to see something from Dave West’s Avowed line make the list. Imagine a small Louisiana shop taking home the crown for the Gris Gris. That would be incredible. But realistically, these lists tend to favor the big established brands.

Why We Do This

We had a moment of reflection this episode about how far we’ve come. When we started this podcast back in July, our biggest critics were the people closest to us. Friends and family would be like, “Oh, a podcast, huh? You guys are just messing around.”

We had no legs under us at that point, so we just had to take it. But now? Those same people are asking when they can come on. They’re asking what we talked about this week. They want to know when the new episode drops.

Even our wives have come around. Eric’s wife is now a top fan on Facebook. Jim’s son-in-law went from snickering at the idea to asking when the next episode comes out.

We’re not doing this to get famous or make money. We’d be sitting in this garage smoking cigars and busting each other’s chops whether the cameras were on or not. The fact that people want to listen and be part of the conversation? That’s just icing on the cake.

We’re one of the few cigar podcasts where the hosts all meet in person every week. Most of them are Skype boxes with audio delays and awkward pauses. When Jim makes a joke here, we laugh immediately. There’s an energy you get from being in the same room that you just can’t replicate virtually.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, great cigar lounge hospitality comes down to making people feel valued. Whether you’re a first-timer or you’ve been coming in for 20 years, you should feel welcomed. The best lounges make it look easy because they genuinely care about their customers.

We’ve seen the good, the bad, and everything in between. The places that thrive are the ones that treat regulars like family while still rolling out the red carpet for newcomers. They have loyalty programs. They remember your name. They make you feel like Cheers – where everybody knows your name.

If you’re a lounge owner watching this, take some notes from Michael Herklots. Apply those hospitality standards from other industries. Your regulars are the ones keeping your lights on. Treat them that way.

And if you’re a customer, don’t take advantage. Respect the space. Don’t bring your own cigars and expect free reign of the lounge for eight hours after buying one stick. It goes both ways.

Watch, Subscribe, and Support

If you enjoyed this breakdown, make sure you watch the full episode at the top of this post. We cover so much more than what we can fit in a blog post. The full conversation about cigar shop customer service and hospitality is worth your time.

Hit that subscribe button and share this episode with your buddies. We’re building something special here, and we want you to be part of it.

If you want to rep the Smoke and Steel brand, check out our merch at the Sticker Mule Store. We’ve got hoodies and t-shirts.

Thanks for being part of this journey with us.