Charlottesville’s hidden cigar oasis
I started smoking cigars a few weeks after my 18th birthday. At first I did not fully appreciate the wide range of flavors that cigars brought; at the time what I was really seeking was the nicotine. However, in the 3 years since, I have developed more of a palate as well as a taste for both good cigars and good tobacconists. In my opinion, Tobacconist & Gifts is one of the better shops in town.
Before this review continues, this should not be read as an endorsement for smoking, especially if you’re a former or non-smoker. While the addictive chemical in tobacco, nicotine, is not itself inherently harmful other than the fact that long-term release of epinephrine can cause heart and arterial damage (making it no different than caffeine), the smoke itself has serious long-term and short-term effects due to its carcinogenic nature.
There are several key factors in finding a good cigar shop. The first and most important one is that the humidors in the shop are set humid enough that they keep the cigar oils from drying out and turning it into tobacco paper, but not so humid that they grow mold or turn into wet sticks that are impossible to light and smoke. Tobacco Hut & Vape Village and Carytown Tobacco seem to do a terrible job in this respect. Several times I have found mold on some of their cigars. While Tobacco Hut seems to have a highly unreliable humidor that makes their cigars either dry as paper or damp enough to grow mold, some of Carytown’s humidors make their cigars so damp that the cap becomes impossible to smoke out of.
The second factor is that the tobacconists have a good level of knowledge on the cigars in their humidor. A good tobacconist is like a good sommelier; they should be able to tell you the basics of the cigar you are going to purchase and recommend one based on your preferences. The only two places in town that employ actual tobacconists are Tobacconist & Gifts and Cville Smoke Shop, with the latter being located on the north side of town now that their 4th street Downtown location has closed.
The third factor is that they have a wide selection of cigars to choose from, with a variety of gauges (widths), bodies (strength), and shapes. In terms of selection, Tobacconist & Gifts is roughly tied with Carytown Tobacco but is outsized by Cville Smoke Shop’s massive humidor.
These factors, along with the general environment of Tobacconist & Gifts, make it a pleasant location to shop and smoke at. Tobacconist & Gifts is a smaller shop environment that is considerably less hectic than Cville Smoke Shop. With the exception of weekends, you are likely to be one of two or three customers in the shop at any given time. This provides you the opportunity to get a quality recommendation for a cigar, especially if you have difficulty making a decision on what to purchase. When the lounge is open, it is a relaxing environment to kick back and unwind with a cigar and drink.
The shop is primarily run by Sandy, whose family has been running Tobacconist & Gifts in Charlottesville since the 1980s. Previously, her family ran three shops in Maryland, where they sold firearms and tobacco products. The store has almost anything you can think of, including glassware, steins, pipes, memorabilia, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco, and cigars.
As a local business, Tobacconist & Gifts donates money back into the community and various charities. “We donate to the Autistic Foundation and the Dyslexia Foundation, and our accountant participates in a children’s health foundation golf fundraising event and we always donate cigars for them to take to the event, which brings in more money for the charity itself. We also donate to the Darden Law School at UVA,” said Sandy.
The majority of Tobacconist & Gifts’ clientele are locals who are regulars at the store. They are a wide range of folks including those looking for a place to smoke and play cards, professors looking to purchase cigars and pipe tobacco, and even local author John Grisham.
On the day I wrote this review, I was looking for a medium to full bodied cigar, preferably with earthy or spicy undertones. Sandy recommended a Drew Estate My UZI Weighs a Ton cigar, and a Gran Habano Persian King cigar. Since the lounge was closed, I headed to my usual smoking and writing spot, Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, to light up. To pair with the two maduro cigars, I had a pot of Masala Chai.
I started with the My UZI Weighs a Ton. Typically, I prefer to do what is called a “cross cut,” which uses a v-cutter with two cuts in the shape of a plus sign, as opposed to the traditional guillotine cutters that most people are familiar with. Before lighting the cigar, I like to do what is called a cold draw (where one takes a puff from an unlit cigar), so I can ascertain the flavor of the cigar. This cigar had an earthy flavor, with hints of dark roast coffee and what tasted like cedar or mesquite. Upon lighting, the coffee flavor came out more, as well as a hint of chocolate.
When you are smoking a cigar, you should not inhale the smoke. Instead, you should keep it in your mouth so that the smoke and flavor stays in your saliva. Cigars have a higher alkaline smoke which makes it difficult to inhale, hence why even some of the most experienced smokers still cough when they accidentally inhale. As the nicotine gets absorbed by the pulmonary vessels in your mouth through your saliva, you feel a wave of energy go through your body, as your cigar slowly burns down to a nub, the sensation turns into a pleasant headrush. It is almost as though a wave has been building into a pleasant splashing sensation over your brain.
After finishing the My UZI Weighs a Ton, I took a half-hour break to allow the flavors to settle so I could properly taste the Persian King. This particular cigar is unique because it lacks any branding on the cigar itself, including a band (the label) or a protective wrapper on the cigar. On the foot of the cigar (the part you light), this cigar has a different leaf that is incorporated into the wrapper of the cigar, which ends with a rat tail. The cold draw on this cigar has an earthy flavor with a strong taste of dark chocolate and hints of French oak, which provides a light and pleasant vanilla flavor. This cigar is particularly oily, which allows it to have a pleasant change in flavor as the cigar burns, from a summer-like earthy flavor with chocolate and oak to an almost light and peppery flavor.
Overall, these were two particularly great cigar recommendations, and I highly recommend that you visit Tobacconist & Gifts if you are looking for a tobacconist who can give you a great and personal recommendation for a cigar. Tobacconist & Gifts is located in the Seminole Square Shopping Center near Whole Foods.
