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| - I'm not going to ponder over the implications of yelping a cigar shop; I'm just going to assume that if you're reading this you are on a quest to find a great place to buy (and possibly smoke indoors) a cigar. No judgment here.
Without further ado: Blooms is the fantasy of every working class cigar smoker in the country. Working class guys like 'Biker Mike,' who I met the last time I was at Blooms, and who smokes four stogies a day (!) hanging out in the shop for hours on end talking and watching sports. This type of cigar smoker is a first cousin, but definitely not a sibling, of the kind of smoker that likes leather chairs, dark wood and scotch on the rocks.
The shop's been open since the fifties and is still run by the same family (who never felt like redecorating), so its antique feel and appearance is the real deal (complete with a red velvet theater curtain). It's smoky, crammed with worn-out sofas, filled with loud old men, piles of girlie mags and overflowing ashtrays.
But you want to know about the cigars you'll be finding in the walk-in humidor that's twice the size of your apartment. The short version is that they carry everything. The long version is that they carry everything you want and then a bunch of stuff you've never even heard of, much less tried (including the house brand).
Marc, the owner, is more than willing to take you on a tour of the humidor giving recommendations based on price and preference. And he's a pretty straight shooter, "There's not a cigar in here worth more than $6."
Even though I've smoked tons of cigars (yes, I'm in my mid-twenties, and yes, I'm a female--it's one of the more eccentric habits I picked up from my dad) I still ask for suggestions because he always introduces me to things I wouldn't try otherwise.
Taking it to the next level: you can join a members-only club for $350 that gives you 24 hour access to the shop and a locker to put your cigars in. And there's free brisket or ham in the back every Saturday afternoon that's way better than any free brisket or ham should be.
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