Want to buy a present for the cigar lovers on your gift list, but don't know where to start? As with many of the finer things in life --like high-end wine and gourmet food -- with cigars some people have broad tastes, while others have fallen in love with one specific variety. When you get a cigar that matches your recipients' preferences, you have given hours of enjoyment that won't be forgotten.
Here's the first tip: cigar-lovers love CIGARS. Okay, we'll admit this tip may seem redundant. However, after every major gift-giving holiday we see quite a number of gentlemen coming into our shop wearing brand-new cigar-themed ties. (A lady aficionado once offered to donate all the cigar-themed embroidered pillows she had received over the years to our lounge!) When these same ladies and gentlemen then proceed to enter our humidors to stare longingly at a box of their favorite premium cigars... well, we can't help but get the impression that some of the significant others in their lives might be missing the boat.
Rather than getting the cigar-lover in your life a cigar-shaped novelty tie, or cigar-shaped novelty slippers, or cigar-shaped novelty pens, here's a truly novel idea.... get them a cigar-shaped cigar! It's not that those other tchotchkes aren't very nice in their own way. It's just that when you are, let's say, passionate about a cigar that comes in a tube, and you open up a beautiful, perfectly-shaped cylindrical package to find... a cigar-themed novelty pen. Well, unless that pen is quickly followed by an actual cigar, it's just a bit of a tease, that's all.
We get it; when you are a first-time premium cigar buyer, the sheer number of choices in our shop might seem overwhelming. Help is at hand! Even if you don't know much about cigars, we can talk you through it. Come on in and The Tobacco Company's knowledgeable staff will guide you to the perfect selection. When it comes to gift-giving, we've got a great track record! If you can, you could help us help you by making a few observations so that you'll be sure to get a gift that is a real hit.
Take a peek at the color of the wrapper of your recipient's favored cigars - the wrapper is the tobacco leaf that is put around the binder and filler of the cigar, forming the outside. Don't worry, you don't have memorize a bunch of terms like claro (a light tan leaf) or maduro (a reddish-brown to a very dark brown) -- though it can be fun to learn a little of the lingo -- but do make a note of the color and the oiliness/dryness of that outer leaf, as well as the length and width of the cigar as a whole, as this will provide some clues as to what your recipients really want.
Here's another real sneaky gift-giving tip: Next time the cigar smoker in your life seems to have found a cigar he/she really enjoys, whip out your camera/phone and take a few pictures to bring in. Just say you are taking fun pictures for Facebook (and make sure to get the cigar clearly in the shot!) If you are really sly, surreptitiously collect the discarded bands of cigars he/she loved enough to smoke down to the nub. Some cigar smokers even keep journals with tasting notes; don't worry, this isn't like reading someone's diary, if they leave the journal out it is okay to take a little peek to learn about their best-loved cigars. Then come on in to The Tobacco Company and show us the 'evidence' and we'll steer you right to that selection.
Don't want to spoil the suspense? Get a Tobacco Company Gift Certificate! For some smokers, the pleasure of coming into our well-stocked humidor and browsing through our wide selection is a big part of the fun. When you give a gift certificate to The Tobacco Company you are giving more than a cigar, you are giving the experience of coming to our welcoming humidor to unwind, browse, and pick exactly what they want for themselves. We all need time to relax. It's easy for you as well. You can even call ahead. Pay by credit card over the phone (we accept all major credit cards except MasterCard) and we can mail the card directly to the recipient for you, hold it behind the counter for you to pick up, or hold it behind the counter for one of our regulars as a surprise for the next time they come into the lounge.
But what if you have someone on your list with more eclectic tastes? Here's your chance to treat them to a sampler pack, to let them try all those new cigars they've been eyeing. At the Tobacco Company we carry special gift samplers that offer a variety of cigars from a top label, like Alec Bradley, Ashton, Cohiba, Curivari, Cusano, Davidoff, Drew Estate, H Upmann, La Aroma de Cuba, Monte Cristo, Oliva, Punch, San Cristobal and more. Some gift sets even come with special tie-ins. During major holidays, call ahead we can even have it wrapped for you; it doesn't get any easier than that!
As you can see, far from being intimidated by the wide world of fine cigars, you can count yourself lucky. For all the cigar lovers on your list, there will be no more racking your brain as to what to give that pleases; when you tune into someone's passions, you'll always hit it out of the park.
© 2014, The Tobacco Company Cigars