Shop: C.I.G.A.R., San Antonio, The Woodlands, TX 78232

Location: The club is located off Thousand Oaks, a few miles east of Highway 281/37. It is in a plaza on the north side of the road. If you take the curve too fast you’ll drive by it and have to double back. <sigh> Here’s a photo:




Wooden Indian: Maybe the guys across town bought up all the Indian statues. C.I.G.A.R. earns partial credit for their Cuesta Rey chalkboard chief. He looks a little embarrassed about the whole sandwich-board thing.





The emphasis is on the Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge. It is for members only, but one of the owners gave me a full tour of the place. No photos inside the lounge are included out of respect for the members present at the time. This is an exceptional cigar lounge and club.

We entered through the locker room just past the main retail service counter. It is a well lighted, conditioned storage space which serves as a members’ entrance to the DC Lounge. The lockers are custom made and designed specifically for cigar storage. They are large enough to hold several boxes of fine smokes and are tall enough to hold upright a refreshment container the size of a two liter soda. Draw your own conclusions. Rentals run from $575 - $775, and include annual membership to the club. It’s worth it.

The interior lighting is a little dim. Once my eyes adjusted, I could see the various seating areas and all the expected smoking accessories. There are several televisions, wireless internet, and even a pool table. (Please, no wagering.) You can see the entry to the lounge in the background of the lobby photo.






Service: These guys are experienced and knowledgeable. Equally important, they are accommodating and friendly. C.I.G.A.R. is both a store and a members’ club. I believe the owners and personnel are fully aware of the distinction between customers and clients.

Walk-in: I really like this style of display/walk-in humidor. It gives the shop an appealing ‘open look’ and still keeps the merchandise in top notch condition.







C.I.G.A.R. also offers a full array of smoking related accessories and merchandise. They will gladly acquire for you any item that they do not stock. Unfortunately, I failed to photograph the entire left side of the retail area. You can see some of the displays in the photo above.

Additional amenities: Along with the DC Lounge, they offer beverage service and soft drinks. Texas has strict laws on liquor licenses. Since the club is close to a school, they are not permitted to serve alcohol. Here in FL, I believe they serve it with the school lunch, but that’s just speculation based on student S.A.T. scores.

Oh, yeah, there is a deck out back for use during events and when the weather cools.





Summary: If you’re on the North end of town or out in Hill Country, stop in at C.I.G.AR. If you’re on the South end, take a drive up that way. IMO - This is the best smoking lounge in San Antonio… but there’s still a larger humidor in the Southwest. I’ll tell you about it later.

Disclaimer and Full Disclosure:
Do not smoke too much; it is bad for you. I have the utmost respect for our Native American brothers. They never wear metallic armor. Ice cream is good. Sometimes I use Stay-Puft marshmallows in hot cocoa. I have no financial interest or ownership interest in any cigar shop, store, retailer, wholesaler, distributor, manufacturer, packager, shipper, stevedore, roller, farmer, harvester, or tobacco farm land lease holder, nor do I receive any other benefit, explicit or implied, from the inclusion of or review of any establishment herein named, referred to, or otherwise described. One guy did give me a free cigar. I watch the Big Bang Theory on CBS. We should promote more old-school pirates. Arrrrgh. The most common commodity in this country is unrealized potential. I think Wooden Indians are cool. I wish more Cigar Store Indians were made from actual wood. Please, no flash photography.