Baton Rouge and New Orleans Cigar Shops

[Smokin'Sims]

Often, some asks about good smoke shops in various towns. I've added my opinions of the ones I visited while in Baton Rouge and New Orleans this past week-end.

Random French Quarter Shops:
All had nice staff, not particularly helpful, but I don't ask for help. Only one one shop near Jackson Square had a sales person who tried to push his house blend. In general, all the shops it the French Quarter were overpriced. Selection was moderate, nothing particularly special usually an assortment of Ashtons, Cohibas and other recognizable brands.

Cigar Factory New Orleans (on Decatur in the French Quarter):
I liked this place. I only saw their house blends, but we were able to watch a toreador roll a cigar or two. The prices per stick were about $6-8, but you could save up ~30% by buying a box. One of the nicer things I liked about this place was the offer to bring our own drinks and smoke. The lounge itself has nothing fancy; however, it would be a nice break from the walking around the quarter or to sit and watch the world go by. I will definitely go back and get some sticks here or order some.

Mayan Import Co. (on Magazine in the Garden District):
These guys had a great selection and prices were good. They had a straight mark up on cigars (at least they told me that). Marcas present were: Fuentes, Tats, CAO, Padron and lots of others. The staff was friendly and answered the few questions I had honestly and openly. A nice little shop and a good break from the madness of the quarter. Parking is an issue, but good luck avoiding that in the Crescent City.

While in Baton Rouge I visited 2 shops, Don Juan and Churchill's.

Don Juan Cigar Co. (on Corporate in the shopping center at the corner of Corporate and Jefferson)
This had a nice selection and had several HTF in stock; however, the prices on HTF's were well off MSRP, even taking into account the 20% tax in LA. The lounge had a nice TV and large chairs. The only knock on this place is that the sales person I asked did not know what Illusione were. Because this is situated in a shopping center, it would be an excellent place to send others (read wife/girlfriend) shopping while you enjoy a cigar.

Churchill's ( on Jefferson hwy)
This struck as a more upscale establishment. I have this observation due to a lower selection of medium to low end stick and a large amount of HTF. I found hemi maddies, WOAN, WOAM and BTL's. These also were heavily marked up, for example $35 for a BTL. The staff were friendly and helpful. I think they also had a bar in the back I did not check this out and therefore have no opinion on it. They also had some nice scotches and whiskeys in the front.

If you plan to visit either of these fine cities, (I must admit I love Louisiana) I would visit Mayan for New Orleans and Don Juan in Baton Rouge. The food in either city you won't beat and the price for alcohol is pretty good, if you stay off Bourbon Street for you main drinking.

In the end these are my opinions, and your may vary.

 

[Delta]

Good thread, i still need to check out mayan.

 

[jcritt]

My wifa was in New Orleans before the hurricane while on a trip to see the inlaws. They stopped at The Cigar Factory and she brought me back some of the cigars. I have to say I found the Vieux Carre to be a very nice medium bodied smoke. The others were good but a little too mild for my tastes. Thanks for the reminder. I think I still have one sitting around waiting for a light. :thumbs:

 

[Cigardude]

I live in Baton Rouge, it is nice to see a review of these shops. In NOLA, the Cigar factory is a great place to have a smoke, great atmosphere. They only carry their smokes (3 lines) Tres Hermanos, Veaux Carrie and Plantation Reserve and they are decent smokes. The rollers are set up right there in the lobby and it is fun to watch them.

Churchills is the only one in town that is also a bar. Very comfortable lounge and bar area spilt into sections. One is set up like a home living room with tv, fireplace, very comfy furniture and a small bar. The second area is set up more like a regular, long bar with tables oposite. In the very back there is a private sitting room. Cigar selection is very good but as mentioned, prices are high.

Daon Jauns is the newest and I have been several times. It is in a convienant shopping area and their selection is one of the best I have seen. Certainly the best in Baton Rouge. I find the prices are high, even for La. The lounge area is nice and the staff has always been nice and reasonably educated in cigars.

There are a couple of other, older shops in Baton Rouge. They are smaller and therefore a little less well stocked, but have decent staff and comfortable chairs.

 

[Delta]

I live in Baton Rouge, it is nice to see a review of these shops. In NOLA, the Cigar factory is a great place to have a smoke, great atmosphere. They only carry their smokes (3 lines) Tres Hermanos, Veaux Carrie and Plantation Reserve and they are decent smokes. The rollers are set up right there in the lobby and it is fun to watch them.

Churchills is the only one in town that is also a bar. Very comfortable lounge and bar area spilt into sections. One is set up like a home living room with tv, fireplace, very comfy furniture and a small bar. The second area is set up more like a regular, long bar with tables oposite. In the very back there is a private sitting room. Cigar selection is very good but as mentioned, prices are high.

Daon Jauns is the newest and I have been several times. It is in a convienant shopping area and their selection is one of the best I have seen. Certainly the best in Baton Rouge. I find the prices are high, even for La. The lounge area is nice and the staff has always been nice and reasonably educated in cigars.

There are a couple of other, older shops in Baton Rouge. They are smaller and therefore a little less well stocked, but have decent staff and comfortable chairs.

I live in Covington, and am in BR every weekend. We need to Herf!

 

[jgohlke]

Thanks for the tip. I made a point of stopping by the Cigar Factory on Decatur when we visited a couple of days ago. It was a great experience. Neat to watch the rollers and the guys I talked to were knowledgeable and not pushy. I bought a box of cigars from them and they let me mix-n-match them. Haven't smoked one yet, but the place smelled good and had a nice vibe. Hopefully the cigars will be the same. They have a small, but comfortable lounge and it looked like a great place to sit and have a cigar. We were on our way to dinner, so we didn't get to stop and smoke.

In New Orleans, you can't smoke in any establishment that makes 51% or more of it's money from food, even if they have outside seating. You can smoke in bars (just look for ashtrays, that's the best clue), but several of the bars we stopped in didn't allow pipe or cigar smoking. The streets in the French Quarter are very narrow and few places have outside seating. It turns out to be a tough place to sit and have a cigar. It's very touristy. Lots of t-shirt shops. You can walk around in the French Quarter with a drink (plastic cup), most bars will give you a beer/drink "to go" and most places will let you bring in your unfinished drink.

We visited in Nov '09 (5 years after Katrina) and the place has bounced back...mostly. Evidence of the hurricane and flood damage is easy to spot if you look.

As a general observation, depending on where you are from and how much drinking you are doing, you may find the French Quarter quaint and rustic with lots of character or you might find it disgustingly dirty where you will think twice about eating anything and the sidewalk gets a good hosing with disinfectant every morning.

Edits: Typos

 

[Triple_D]

I'm in Denham Springs, next time give me a shout! southpit@cox.net

 

[dagoR6]

I'm heading back to NOLA in a couple of weeks and will be looking to smoke quite a few cigars. What's the advice in general on some good spots that are not cigar shops?

 

[snooper800]

I like the Tres Hermanos line; decent prices and available through their website for those of us on the west coast.