So what’s behind the name of this particular cigar lounge? Let’s get that explanation directly from the website: “You are probably wondering what 21 Degrees stands for. The optimum temperature for cigars is 21 degrees Celsius, which is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and the optimum humidity is 70 percent. We strive to have the best environment for our premium cigars in our spacious cedar walk in humidor so what better than 21 Degrees.”

Walking through the front door and with a quick glance you can take in the entire public section of the shop. The cash register is to the left, some accessories are located to the right and just passed that is the everyman lounge. This everyman’s lounge is done quite well with fully reclining leather seats that are perfectly situated in front of a nice T.V. However it’s important to note that the “everyman” lounge is only capable of accommodating about 4 people.

The well-stocked humidor is located at the end of the lounge next to the “everyman” section. Selection is great and you are able to find anything from the popular boutique to the … general General cigar. Prices are on par with out lounges in the area but they usually have a deals section that offers cigars at a great discount. This humidor also contains a number of lockers that are situated high above the cigars making it seem somewhat tedious to access.

Rocky Patel, love or hate his cigars, always operates in style and the cigar lounge bearing his name is no different. Walk through the vault door labeled “Members Only” and enter a world of great luxury. The RP lounge has a beautiful pool table, a great number of dark leather lounge chairs, group seating, a card table in the back, and a bar in the very back. Members get to share an area that appears to be about the same size, if not bigger, than the entire public section. 21 Degrees was built for its members and this can clearly be felt and experienced, which is not necessarily a good thing for the “everyman”.

I would like to take the time to acknowledge the great staff at 21 Degrees Cigar & Accessories. Everyone was courteous, personable and extremely knowledgeable. There was not a single tobacco fact or cigar (industry) question that we couldn’t get answered by the people who were assisting us.

21 Degrees Cigar & Accessories with the Rocky Patel Lounge is one great experience that everyone will enjoy. This is a great shop to become a member of if you’re longing to belong somewhere or just simply need a smoking haven. However the “everyman” might feel a little uncomfortable if he’s not one of the early travels to the lounge.

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21 Degrees Cigar & Accessories
(480) 551-2121
14144 N. 100th Street Suite B105
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Visit the 21 Degrees Cigar & Accessories website.

A quick glance around the shop and you pick up on the leather seating area that’s situated in such a way that everyone can engage in conversation. Or in this shop you’ll get an ear full of jokes and genuine conversation you usually share with friends. In the middle of the seats you can find jars of jelly beans, Cheeto Puffs, and pretzels that make you feel right at home. You’ll waste no time kicking your shoes off and hanging out with your new found friends at Oggie’s. Let’s not forget about the big screen TV  filling the room with the latest sports, news, and movies ( he even has his own movies to pop in). Side Tip: Take note of  the sports memorabilia on the wall and bite your tongue as you watch TV because saying the wrong thing will cause an uproar in the shop that will see no end.

Office space is also provided by Oggie’s in the corner of the lounge. Open up your laptop and enjoy the free wireless internet, there is a fax machine, and printer to use at your disposal.  What amazes me the most is the new computer at the desk you can also jump on for that must check email/twitter/work updates. As they like to boast “Make our store your office.”

Don’t forget to pull away and find the humidor because Oggie’s carries a nice selection of cigars that is sure to please any pallet. You will find everything from General cigars down to the unique boutiques like Illusione, Oliva, and the entire series of Padron. Oggie’s caters to every budget so don’t be afraid to walk in with just a few dollars in your wallet. Sign up for his email list to receive some amazing deals that no one, anywhere, can compete with.

Don’t let the Scottsdale city or zip code scare you. Stop into Oggie’s Fine Cigars to get a piece of that quaint atmosphere you won’t find in any other cigar lounge. First time visitors will feel at home and… well… most of the others have made it their home. Thank you Michael and everyone at Oggie’s for making sure all the cigar lovers are taken care of regardless of their bank account size.

Oggie’s Fine Cigars
(480) 948-9950
13610 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Visit Oggie’s Fine Cigars website

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A Gentleman’s Store for the Masses

Cigar smoking has always been presented as a gentleman’s game.  It comes as no surprise that cigar lounges and stores try to capitalize on this image, and indeed Ambassadors’ does so well.  On their website they talk about how they are an everyman store, and they are that, as well as a gentleman’s playground.  Every customer has a place in their store, but the mentality of Ambassadors from its decor, to its proprietor is refinement and class.

The proprietor is Vartan Seferian, and he is the affable host of Ambassador Fine Cigar.  On the many occasions that I have frequented the store he has always been a welcoming and helpful host.   He will often ask a few questions along the line of “what body strength are you looking for,” and  ”what range in price are you looking to spend?”   This is usually followed by a delightful stroll through the humidor, in which he enumerates the many cigars that would fit the guests parameters, until you ultimately decide upon one.  There are other workers in the store as well that are knowledgeable, but Vartan really is encyclopedic in his knowledge of cigars, and is first rate in his ability to make the consumer feel like they belong.

The atmosphere of the store from the construction of the humidor down to the attire of the staff is suffused with class and dignity.  The rich dark wood cabinetry and shelving looks like it belongs in a captain of industry’s office or lounge, the ensconced lighting also has the subtle textures of old world meets new.  The Humidor is simple and elegant using large panes of glass to allow natural lighting in to highlight the selections, as if God himself approved and was personally highlighting his favorites.  The sitting area in the front is simple and plush, with a small area for customers to come in and sit a spell.  All of the staff wears fine suits, which indicates also to the customer, that while this may be an everyman’s store, it is a gentleman’s store first!  This to me is the unique factor about Ambassador Fine Cigar it; every inch of the store plays on a customer’s psychology.   Fast food restaurants use bright colors, like red, to be a tacit visual message to the consumer that this place of business is meant to be quick, i.e. get in, get your food, eat quickly, and leave.  Like the use of color psychology, Vartan employs the subtlety of opulence to create a higher price point in the consumer.

Vartan’s prices are set reasonably, if not lower than most, but very few individuals I have spoken to have ever walked out of there without dropping more than they expected.  It wasn’t because of the price, as much as it was about feeling the need to buy more expensive due to the environment that they were in.  Simply put, an opulent plush setting and well manicured staff equals a setting where the consumer feels compelled to reflect his environment and buy lavishly themself.

The negative aspect to the store is perhaps its club which is truly a “members only” affair.  Given once again that this store caters to a wealthy area it seems fitting that there would be a club for those of the plutocracy, and indeed there is.  When one of my friends inquired about this room and what it took to become a part, the worker said that it required you to spend quite a bit of money.  My friend then inquired how much, and the worker said that its not worth asking, because it was also “invite only” and left it at that.  So the moral of the story is that if you want to browse the main part and the sitting area up front you are more than welcome too, but unless you are part of the wealthy upper echelon you should probably not hold your breathe on passing the velvet rope.

Ambassador Fine Cigar is truly an experience.  From one of the largest, most well stocked humidors in the valley, to all of the gentlemanly overtones the store is a great location to come and buy a stick from.  The environment invites the casual consumer to step outside their buying shell, while it offers the wealthy customer a place to come and discuss the daily grind after a long day at work (just don’t expect these classes to meet in the exclusive “members club“).  So if you are in the Paradise Valley part of Arizona, and you are in the mood for a great selection of sticks at a fair to great price, then Ambassador Fine Cigars does it with flair and style!

Ambassador Fine Cigars
(480) 905-1000
4912 E Shea Blvd # 108
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Visit the Ambassador Fine Cigars website

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Thank you Lonsdales Cigars for operating a location that cigar smokers could gather and mingle.

Many great conversations were had and lots of new friends were made.

Unfortunately I am here to pass on the bad news:

Lonsdales Cigars has closed the doors.

Lonsdales Cigars is closed.

The only explanation of the closure is from their website:
“Lonsdales is Closed. We lost our lease. Thank you to all our customers for your loyalty.”

Lonsdales Fine Cigars
(480) 585-8330
23535 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255
Lonsdales Fine Cigars Website

Were you wondering if this is a luxury cigar lounge put together in Scottsdale by Graycliff?  The answer is no. We took to the cigar streets for some insight on the story and this is the information that we were able to scrape together.

Information was provided by various “cigar insiders” whom all wanted to remain anonymous. I have not received an official response from Graycliff and Michael Sibay was not contacted directly.

Graycliff Cigars Inc is a cigar lounge that was created on Feb 14th, 2006 (click here to see the official filings) by Michael “Mike” Sibay.

Graycliff Cigars Inc was off to a rocky start as the company was almost dissolved by the state of Arizona.  Reason: DELINQUENT PUBLICATION.

Graycliff was aware the cigar lounge was opening in Scottsdale. They has even agreed to “sponsor” the shop in a sense and offer many Graycliff items and incentives.

Graycliff Cigars Inc, as any business would do, listed their name in the yellow pages, created ads, and spread the word.

However Graycliff did not give permissions to directly use their name in the cigar lounge operation and were upset it didn’t meet “Graycliff standards“.

Graycliff Cigars Inc is forced to stop using the name. They file for dissolution effective 10/31/2007.

Graycliff Cigars Inc is now operating as G Cigars. G Cigars still uses the Graycliff “G” in their font, has various large Graycliff sings in his shop, and even uses their cigars/logos as his website logo.

G Cigar shop in Scottsdale is not a store we enjoyed visiting.

Let’s Be Fair: The prices on the cigars were standard to other cigar lounges throughout the valley. The lounge had various accessories, even limited edition Dupont Opus lighters. Mike, the owner, is quite friendly and the people who frequent the shop were equally warm and inviting into the store.

The Bad Points: The lounge was put together with various pieces of furniture that were not really “lounge quality“. Cigarette butts were all of the establishment that left a foul cigarette odor.

The Really Bad Points: Cigars boxes were in the humidor but not many cigars inside of the cigar boxes. That was just a complicated way of saying I was visiting one empty humidor. A lot of the sticks I did see in the humidor were old (covered in dust), damaged (literally broken), and some sticks even had mold.

Graycliff Cigars or “G Cigars”
(480) 946-3999
2515 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85257
Graycliff Cigars or “G Cigars” Website.

Ford and Haig’s website lays claim as a cigar shop that is frequented by “professional baseball players” and in general “famous people“. Knowing this I somehow imagined walking into a grand cigar shop laced with fine leather chairs, beautiful women, and only limited edition cigars.

Opening the door to the Ford and Haig cigar shop I quickly realized the cigar shop is very small and very packed (packed in a good way). I overheard a conversation about the fluctuation of the oil market and the effect of their portfolio (yes I am now in Scottsdale). Two gentleman working warmly greeted me and I walk straight into an oddly shaped, triangle-ish, humidor.

The humidor had a great selection of smokes. Something that immediately caught my eye, as you can see from the pictures below, is the nice selection of Don Carlos cigars. Pricing was all around fair and nothing was too high or a great deal; I did expect a Scottsdale cigar shop to be overpriced. After multiple laps in the small humidor I selected a nice Cabaiguan cigar.

I had no real intention of smoking the cigar in the shop due to the limited seating area. Out of no where I hear a “Are you going to smoke that bitch?” Okay – That’s the kind of invite I like. While checking out the friendly staff v-cut my cigar. I like people who can offer creativity and suggestions in smoking.

The atmosphere portion of the review has always been good for this Scottsdale cigar shop. Seating is limited to about 5 seats in the very front of the store. You wont be able to have any kind of private conversation and if the company is not good, or there are more than 5 smokers at once, you will be quite uncomfortable. Another thing I noticed is the lounge is in front of large windows that face the bright Arizona sun – so be careful.

Overall I give this Scottsdale cigar shop a thumbs up. They have friendly / knowledgeable staff, a great location, and some pretty unique cigars at a fair price. Just hope you get some great smokers to sit with!

Ford & Haig – The Tobacconist
(480) 946-0608
7070 E. Fifth Avenue
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
Visit the Ford & Haig – The Tobacconist Website