You can make the right cut, light the foot evenly and even enhance it with a glass of bourbon, but truly enjoying a cigar involves something ore.finesse s required for each draw to be worthwhile, but the real secret to making the most of a good cigar is having someone to slow down and share it with.
“Cigars are just a way to have a conversation with people; it gives us that avenue of discussion into a community,” says Terry Turner, cigar connoisseur and owner of The Cigar Man on Main Street. “I meet people from various walks of life I would never have met before. Homeless, workers, bankers, lawyers and doctors … they share their lives with me, they share their tastes with me. It keeps you humble.”
With the right cigar and a circle of friends, the only thing left to find is the perfect atmosphere. Two floors up from Cherry Street is a place Shannon Baxter calls the best-kept secret in downtown Chattanooga. The manager of Burns Tobacconist is referring to the shop’s new private Davidoff Lounge, complete with comfy leather chairs, a glowing two-way fireplace and the faint, though unmistakable, husky scent of cigar smoke.
The lounge is all about escaping the buzz of a busy life, a top priority for any dedicated stogie smoker. “When I smoke a cigar I don’t think about anything else. I just relax and enjoy the moment,” says Baxter, adding, “There’s nothing like being able to come and enjoy your cigar in a nice environment.” Members of the lounge receive access to personal humidified cigar lockers as well as access to the lounge even when Burns is closed, as long as the Chattanooga Billiards Club next door is open. During the lunch hour and after 5 p.m. especially, the lounge is sure to be filled with plumes of smoke and good conversation.
For the Ladies