Cigar Shop Etiquette 101: A Beginner's Guide with Laurel Tilley

[@LoveShackBBQ]

My first time in a lounge, I asked the manager about his preference. He turned it around and made it about me and my preference. This community is Epic!

[@The.Epicurean]

Great to see an intelligent, articulate woman enjoying cigars. We need more.

[@EJGentleman]

One more tip. Don't critisize how or what cigar someone smokes. You are all there to enjoy your time, Listen and learn. I have enjoyed cigars, cigar history, and cigar making process. I continually learn about the wonders of the world and Tim is a great source of information and knowledge. I also smoke pipes and it is all about relaxation and camaraderie.

[@doubleicecream1302]

look at the top comment, everyone’s criticizing Laurel for exactly that 🤣

[@taochi100]

They are for sure judging her rabbit style puffing although it does seem to me she doesn't actually enjoy it

[@georgewatts9361]

Enjoy Laurel every time I see her on a show.

[@CocoboloCowboy]

I personally only got to a couple of Cigar Shops, the reason I do not do most Cigar Shops is. Many shop have El Crapo Owners & Staff. A Cigar is a luxury item, if the buying experience is not positive, go find a shop we’re the experience is positive. Pretty good video Tim keep the info flowing.🏆

[@PeteJacksonPapasVlogs]

Sitting out on the front porch enjoying a cigar while watching this video (Enjoying my cigar and this video).

[@captdramamine]

I have traveled all over the US for work and always find a cigar lounge to visit. I have met some really great people. Most recently I got called out for ashing my stick too often. I acknowledged the old man's advice and ended up dropping a 3 inch ash in my lap. We ended up pooling funds and one of the patrons made a call. Ten minutes later we were sharing a bottle of Buffalo Trace and great conversation. One of the patrons ended up being a manager at the facility I was in town to work at. This coincidence worked out great for me the next day on the jobsite.

[@ChristIsLord7]

I love AJ cigars. Thank you for this interview. Great guest.

[@MarcusBraden]

AJ is some of my favorite cigars and Laurel is one of my favorite guests that you have on here.

[@nco_gets_it]

sitting in my garage cigar lounge enjoying a nice Diesel and watching a show about a cigar lounge...life is good

[@mikeg6666]

I'm doing the same thing right now with a Black Market torpedo. Luckily we're having some decent weather up here in the northeast and my garage door is open...

[@Interfect727]

Black Market is a good cigar.@@mikeg6666

[@KevinAClassA]

Excellent choice, I do that after work. My garage, sit back with a drink and a Perdomo. Nobody bothers me.

[@romanpyskir8577]

Love listening to Laurel!

[@simonschmid1936]

Aj Fernandez is the bomb!

[@TheEasyeman]

Laurel is the best. She’s been up my shop before. Very knowledgeable 😊😊

[@ChuckNorris-rr3zk]

She have a great energy 😊

[@NJT1013]

I always love the episodes with Laurel. She seems genuine and fun to be around. AJ is a blending wizard for sure.

[@SomeGuyFromOK]

First shop I went to the guys were rude, didn’t seem interested in helping me pick out cigars at all. Switched shops and it completely changed my opinion, they took a hour showing me the difference in cigars and got me 6 cigars to try within budget I gave them.

[@JesseWidner]

Today was the second time I went to my local shop. I let the owner show me around, asked questions and took his recommendations. My first cigar was Monday and I’ve had everyday since. He was a good guy that helped me pick out good cigars at prices I can afford. I got lucky

[@theimpaler2317]

What all have you smoked that you liked?

[@JesseWidner]

@@theimpaler2317 my first was a Mayflower Dawn, that’s the new one released by a podcaster that I got to support the channel. I thought if I didn’t like it I could give them to like minded friends. It’s a Connecticut and it was great. I’ve also had a My Fathers and brick house Connecticut. Tonight I’m smoking a Padron Damaso

[@ericsparks4288]

I don’t think you got lucky necessarily. I think most cigar lounges are probably like that. I know mine is. I just started in January and the owner and manager and my local lounge have been great.

[@jony6toes307]

My first Cigar. Went into my local B and M, said i was new to it and the guy was awesome. Full of what i now know to be good advice. Helped me choose my first stick and gave me a free cutter. How good is that. Been hooked ever since.

[@Retiredrookiecigars]

I’m blessed to have a nice lounge with helpful employees

[@manny2562]

My first lounge I smoked in was inside a Motel 6. It had a hidden smoke and bar lounge with 6 tv’s and 7 to 8 tables with comfy leather chairs. You can order food and drinks and the food is amazing! To this day I still go there and love it! I prefer wooden matches over torches. I’ll spend as much time and however matches to have a good burn on my cigar and I believe wood matches make for a better taste

[@RIKPANKIEWICZ]

Enjoyed your segment on cigar shop etiquette. I have never experienced a bad time in a cigar shop. Merry Christmas to all who watch this channel……

[@becksterch9903]

Wohoo .. first live event at CigarsDaily ❤

[@CigarsDaily]

Nice! Thanks for watching!

[@jjhassy]

I love this channel cuz u guys seem like ppl that are very fun to chill with

[@sunnyendeavors]

Very helpful. I have learned so much through your podcast

[@stangrove6153]

The remarkable thing about cigar lounge culture is that it manages to be a refuge of tranquility and camaraderie. I would be more careful there about expressing vehement opinions, even on let's say sports and certainly politics than I would in a bar type atmosphere which can allow for more vehemence. A guy who showed up every evening at a lounge I know was there to just seek quiet solace in the wake of his wife's passing, though he would not talk about it necessarily and you just had to get to know him in order to be aware of this.

[@frost68nskate]

When my wife and I are done smoking we set the cigars down and wait for them to go out. We clean up our area and make sure to empty the ash tray we used into the big bucket that they empty all the ash trays into. We do this at every shop we go to. Our local b&m has a chess set we play every time we go and we make sure to organize the pieces on the shelf when we are done even if they were a mess before we got there.

[@douglashealey8262]

Loved this! You guys hit all the marks. I smoke a lot of A.J.'s cigars and will continue to...

[@robertfleagle4250]

Lol when she said about asking all over Terrence's desk and they showed him, I couldn't stop laughing. Great vid you two.

[@jamesf931]

Thanks for the video. I’m always looking to continually educate myself about cigars. The majority of my education and knowledge has come from two places. First, the Cigars Daily channel. Second, from none other than Robert Caldwell himself (of Caldwell Cigars). I met him at a birthday party I attended in AZ and asked a ton of questions.

[@Pro49er]

Great Video! Awesome to see Laurel back on your guys energy and chemistry is fun to watch.

[@denniscotey8182]

Mentioning Miller Park!! I live just outside of Milwaukee! Love Miller Park! Too bad about the name change😢

[@BrutusMaximusAurelius]

17:43 wahahaha! For some reason I got Cleveland Brown vibes there after one of Peter’s shenanigans.

[@tekufu]

This would not be the first time someone told me I sound like Cleveland - Terrence

[@I_Did_That_46]

I had to rewatch that part 3 times - good laugh!

[@nathanbeier8332]

I always tell a new shop that I have been in before and then I wait to see if they have pride in what they are selling. I will easily sit with them for 30 mins if the excitement is there and I always ask them to pick 6 medium priced cigars for because they may open my world to something new. I was there to spend money anyway so I want them recommend me what they believe is a good choice.

[@BlakesPipes]

Sad, I walked into my first cigar shop as I walked in as a pipe smoker and it had a young vape guy that did not know much about cigars but knew the behind the counter info about lighters and and cutters. I am guessing that was the least expensive person he could hire. Second time to the same place, was a bit better, but was more into talking to another person that might have been a distributor, but that was not the conversation they were having. And it's a nice place. They did have some pipes and loose tobacco and over the counter blends. I hope to visit another place in the town next door and find something better. Thanks for really good information in your videos

[@andrewsmall1193]

Stogies in Hunters Creek Orlando, FL 2011. There was a great knowledgeable guy there that turned me on to Aj, Espinosa, and Drew Estate.

[@glenncharles6622]

Great video

[@erikg007]

Im a relatively novice cigar smoker, but when I go to a cigar store, I don't try to hide the fact that I don't know something. If you tell the store owner you hade these cigars and you liked them, but you don't know what they have in common, they will figure it out for you. I already figured out from my first couple of cigars that prefer Maduros, and it saved me a lot of fiddling around

[@AlexP253]

Only other newbie tip I would add is to smoke the cigar down to near the band before trying to remove it…let the heat soften the glue to avoid tearing the wrapper. On a side note, I love a woman who enjoys a cigar. No, not for any phallic reason. Who generally smokes cigars? Men. What kind of woman smokes a cigar? The one who says “move over boys, I’m joining the club”. That confidence is very attractive in my opinion.

[@johnshonka7930]

Since Covid and now working from home, the Cigar Lounge is where I enjoy my time with others to just talk about everything that comes up. Water Cooler talk, sports, movies, some politics etc. For a new person though, don't come into a Lounge and try to dominate the conversation, just like being a new person in a job, don't come in and try to be the center of attention. Enjoy listening to others and add your 2 cents. Once you get to know people more, then you can open up.

[@VETUSAF1]

Enjoyed this video. Answered a lot of my questions about lounge etiquette.

[@wildbill7081]

Very nice video, I am watching you both in my smoke and drinking room with a balcony in the Philippines for over 33 years. I love all types of cigars but living here its cheaper to smoke the local Tabacalera Perique Robust Torpedo, they are pretty good. I first started smoking cigars while stationed in the Pentagon while in the US Army in the early 70's. I have been watching your channel for quite awile and love it.

[@CigarsnWhiskey]

Nice to see a woman in cigars. I love AJ cigars I have at least 6 on my regular smoke profile.

[@ColTingle72]

I smoke at least 5 Enclaves a week. Great cigar.

[@mkelley51]

Also, ya gotta buy a couple cigars!

[@BeastMadeReviews]

excellent advice!

[@j-averycandler7160]

Do you leave band on or remove it? Any reason to stop snoking at the band? Is it a wasted smoke to stop there?

[@DavidDouglasToth]

I leave the band on for about the first 1/3, then I take it off. This is a compromise between taking it off so you don’t look like you are showing off what you are smoking, and not taking it off because there is a small chance the wrapper leaf will be damaged when you remove it. Smoking some of the cigar may loosen the glue on the band. You can smoke it all down until your fingers and lips can’t take it, if you like, I do.

[@thorny3218]

I put the nub in a pipe and finish the whole thing. I don’t hang out at lounges though. Not sure about etiquette because I don’t care.

[@brwi1]

Can anybody explain why some shops are insistent on using their trays when shopping even when only buying a few that I can easily hold in my hand?

[@JDonGeorge]

Laurel rocks. Unfortunately, the lounge closest to my house has the worst ventilation. I feel like I'm traveling across the Bay Bridge on a foggy morning. I pretty much have to toss out my clothes after leaving.

[@mikeg6666]

At least you have a lounge , I have nothing in my town or next to me. We don't even have a cigar shop , all we have is those vape/cigar franchise places. The majority of the 2 places we have cater more to the vape crap with a little small cigar area with not much of a selection , I order 99.9% of my cigars online.😕

[@dirtybanana3]

i have been smoking cogars (maybe 1 or 2 per week) for a few years now. i have never gotten or felt sick..is this odd?

[@thorny3218]

I have a large nicotine tolerance. I occasionally get the hiccups if I smoke too fast. But never turned green

[@kdworak4754]

7:40 I tried to get the last couple of big rips on that LP Ratzilla yesterday, felt great until those last two draws and i drove home nicotine drunk. 😂

[@steveharvey5982]

Always great information. Love the video's. Keep up the great work.

[@J1995M]

Is blowing smoke rings in the lounge considered rude?

[@jobu03]

Is it proper to bring your own cutter and light to a lounge? Always wondered.

[@TheSafetyMarshalPSF]

I think rule number one is smile and be nice. I actually like to try what the employees are smoking. I have tried many duds but found many studs that i love.

[@stevee8318]

Enjoyed the video

[@sergonia]

A question... When do you think it's a good time to remove a band from cigar without ruining it.

[@joshuaperry4112]

My personal biggest tip for a newbie: don't sweat it. This is a hobby for relaxation, the area is called a "lounge". Just chill out, ask a guy to help you pick out 3 smaller cigars, grab a ginger ale (important), and just...lounge.

[@Cloud_Surfer]

I’m looking for a cigar that doesn’t taste like charred wood while taking a draw. Any recommendations on a sweet brand or wrap?

[@captainforrix956]

Acid Blondie has a really sweet wrapper and a pretty mild smoke, it's really good

[@micaiahbilbrey8707]

A problem I've had in the past is when my cigar starts to go out mid-smoke and I would really have to puff on it really hard to try to save it, sometimes it would make me sick and ruin the cigar for me. What I found is that you can blow gently through your cigar and 9 times out of 10 you can save it. Just watch the ash

[@marioplousiou4812]

I'll do you one better. When you blow out, hold your lighter flame up to it. If you see it lighting up like a flame thrower, keep blowing till the flame goes out. It's a technique called "purging" and I promise, it's a game changer.

[@OmniphonProductions]

It's also okay...though some gatekeepers will swear it's blasphemy...to use your lighter to touch up your cigar as needed. In fact, Laurel actually _does_ in this video.

[@taochi100]

​@OmniphonProductions yeah I've met ppl that say touching it up with the lighter means your not smoking it correctly

[@OmniphonProductions]

@@taochi100 It could mean that you're taking too long between puffs. It could also mean that there's an issue with the roll itself, causing it to draw too hard, burn unevenly, or any number of things that aren't your fault. Either way, the person who _made_ the cigar intended for you to smoke it in such a way that the burn line remains as straight as possible, and sometimes that simply requires a touch up. Clearly the people who have told you that don't subscribe to Cigars Daily. 😉

[@markahdz]

I was wondering what happened to her, I was about to ask when you will be inviting her again, I didn’t knew she left Macanudo, but I’m glad she did lol

[@humphriesbrett24]

What do you do when you're done with the cigar and you about to leave? Do you just leave it in the ashtray Or is there a place to throw it awhile

[@MerlinspopTBH]

Yup. Just leave it in there. Tidy up your area and bid everyone a good day. Someone from the store will be along with a pail to dump it in. My first time in a lounge the guy across from me thoroughly smashed his cigar into the ashtray. It did make a stink cloud. No one said anything though. Then I dropped an ash into the gap between the cushion and the side of a chair.

[@THEDEPLOYMENTCIGARLOUNGE]

Loved your Video, would like to talk about maybe possibly getting a review on your channel. Veteran owned company that gives back. Share a smoke with an unknown hero.. Small batch cigars..

[@Photoboy1948]

I’ve yet to go to a lounge because I salivate a lot and I’m not sure how to deal with that in that environment. At home I keep a used plastic container to spit in. Do I take that with me or do I ask for a Dixie Cup or something?

[@357.maggNUM]

Swallow like a man

[@AesirBerserkr]

as a welder I have fire retardant clothing already so Im good on the not burning my clothes front LOL

[@kennethcapps3451]

She said behoove:)

[@TexasNationalist1836]

How do I taste the flavors of the cigar because I can’t taste anything when I smoke cigars

[@tp5401]

Take your time, keep smoking, try different cigars, breath gently into your nose as you draw, get rid of distractions and focus on the cigar, retrohale, smell the cigar before lighting. See if any of that helps. If you have tried all that maybe you have covid 😜

[@TexasNationalist1836]

@@tp5401 retrohaling makes my eyes water and makes me cough

[@tp5401]

​@@TexasNationalist1836try only retrohaling the last 10-20% of the smoke and start with mild cigars. I find the biggest thing for me is gently "smelling" the smoke while drawing by lightly pulling smoke into my nose. I draw with my mouth and gently pull in through my nose by breathing. Not enough to get it anywhere past the nose... I'm not inhaling... Just the most subtle pull through the nose. Taste is almost all in the nose so try to focus the smoke there in very small doses... It takes very little.

[@jeffherdz]

Than your doing it the right way!!. I have that same problem as well. And to top it off I have no taste of a cigar. Which really frost my cookies. I blame eating jalapenos.

[@BarrelProofPodcast]

Love you Laurel!!!!! Gotta have you on the podcast!!!!!

[@bobsimmons1470]

Whenever I enter a cigar lounge I like to start my conversations off with, " I bet you keep your cello on all your cigars, don't you?"! 😜

[@1580BoC]

"...Miller Park bathrooms..." I knew I recognized that accent. Chicago.

[@testchannelone6616]

If I met a Sasquatch and wanted to offer him a cigar, would it be proper for me to cut and light the cigar and offer it to him, or offer him the lighter and cutter with the cigar and let him do it himself?

[@ThatCigarGuy]

What's a "urenal"?

[@VIDEOHEREBOB]

She left Macanudo? Didn't realize.

[@ericsparks4288]

Yup. She’s on another video on here a while back as her new position with AJ.

[@freedomfamily1358]

When all else fails just start asking the other smokers about themselves and what there smoking and it works every time!!!!

[@frankmorris7003]

Hey wait a minute here back this boat up to harbor. Wasn't Laura tilley with Macanudo now she's with a.j Fernandez this needs some answers.

[@jeffherdz]

She mentioned that when she was on the "live" show a few month back. And at that point was already working for AJF.

[@richardvicentino5466]

Gotta say, I couldnwatch Laurel Tilly read ingredients from a cereal box ❤

[@_Timo1]

Only 1 cigar has every made me sick (and puke)...the original release of the Camacho Triple Maduro. Smoked it at the local shop with an iced coffee in the morning. I'm sure the empty stomach was part of the problem, but damn that cigar kicked my butttt.

[@lancerogers9694]

Pro hack Stroopwafels and coffee pairs with most cigars

[@Rosales79Diego]

“Let the cigar die with dignity” I learned this from a tour of the Aurora cigar factory in DR, that It’s out of respect to the craftsmanship and artistry involved in cigar making, appreciating every aspect until the very end.

[@gusseisern1151]

Is that the macanudo Girl ?

[@cincy.a.l.w3219]

@13:15 I seriously thought you were talking about accidentally ashing on the floor and got confused for a sec. Bro, I'd give someone some for sure "words" If I see him purposely ash on the floor. D*k move.

[@BbqMikeG]

AJ Fernandez has a cigar, ( I won't name because I want to keep it cheap) that is rolled so well that it burns perfectly every time. I have purchased 100 boxes of these because I like to light up and get some work done. I'm a big fan!

[@kendallnoland3153]

What I didn't know once I went into a cigar shop was how I became addicted to cigars

[@themoon69420]

My local cigar shop is just a head shop with a walk-in humidor the size of a closet. 😬

[@TheEasyeman]

Just like my rabbi said “just the tip”🎉

[@kilroywasherebutnowhesgone9532]

My dudes a stud muffin 😉✌

[@HachiHugada-ve8ex]

Another thing I hate is when people come in to our humidor where I work. They say this brand is crap well nobody asked you to buy it. There are brands I like and dislike but that is my personal opinion.

[@TrenbologneSandwich]

Every time I'm about to ash, the ash falls off in my lap or onto the side of the seat of my chair. Literally the worst

[@kevingroulx9205]

I wish I knew that it was okay to relight the cigar and that I didn’t have to smoke it all the way through.

[@user-qo1hy8dq3f]

I had smoke a pipe for a while before I smoked my first cigar. I ordered an oliva sampler and smoked my first g series. Loved it, but I smoked it to fast and hadn't built up the tolerance I thought I did. Went to the bathroom and puked on the floor. Still love the g series.

[@michaelduzenski9910]

Every time I go into a cigar lounge, first thing I ask (quasi announce) before I go into their humidor is: "where can I wash my hands before I go in touching the cigars?"

[@bobsimmons1470]

Back in the day I had a buddy that would say," I'll talk about two things... How the Angels are doing or the latest Spider-Man movie" when politics was brought up

[@CigarWhisperer]

Unfortunately I did not feel welcomed in my local cigar lounge... nobody offered to help they just stared me down and looked away. I walked in the humidor grabbed 4 cigars went to pay and the cashier didn't even make eye contact with me, I payed walked out and never went back.

[@rcc3music]

For the BYOB lounges, if you are a regular visitor you don't want to be known as the guy that's always mooching off of others and never having anything to share

[@giacozanger]

The one thing I think some cigar lounges do wrong is not have their prices clearly marked on the product. Nobody likes sticker shock.

[@MGM_Think]

GReat video

[@thorny3218]

I love to smoke in peace and quiet. Cigar lounges are for social people 😂we have two places to get cigars here. One is a cigarette store that sells weed pipes and cigars. The employees know next to nothing and they are just there to man the register. The other place is an actual cigar shop called cigar chapel. Those guys never let me get out of the store without teaching me something new. That’s the difference. Passion vs a job.

[@michaelpsions]

Talking about Good etiquette, Its good to here she didnt swear within the first 5 minutes like her last guest appearance on the show.

[@doubleicecream1302]

Thank the good lords! She didn’t fucking curse!!! really

[@Music.cigars.2024]

Crushing on her like im back in college 😂

[@davidmcculloch7709]

I love talking about religion and geopolitics!!

[@OmniphonProductions]

i only knows Ashton by reputation, but it seems their products might be wasted on an _absolute beginner_ palate. Yes? No? As for my first experience at a cigar shop, not that you asked, it was a walk-in humidor at the Venetian in Las Vegas, the size of a bedroom. I was so overwhelmed; I honestly don't remember what I smoked that night. _However,_ I can say that the shopkeeper definitely steered me right because...along with my wife, my dad, and even my mom...we enjoyed a great smoking _experience_ that night! As for my first cigar ever, it was a $10 Cuba Libre that my buddy picked up on a trip to the Caribbean. Not the best cigar I've ever had, _but_ it was definitely good enough to _ignite_ a passion that has lasted for 25 years, so far.

[@denniscotey8182]

The only time I will "crush out" a cigar is when I am outside, at a festival, for instance, or a park or a flea market. Simply because leaving a cigar butt on the curb or on the ground or heaven forbid on a bench seat, is gross and disrespectful to others. If my drink cup is nearly empty I might drown the butt in there , otherwise, I will crush it out and only then, throw it in the trash barrel only so I don't start a fire.