The sign said "Fine Cigars and a Place to Enjoy Them". We weren't smokers but our wives were off shopping in one of Bermuda's many fine stores and we were looking for a place to relax, As we entered the shop, we were greeted by an attractive, formally-dressed lady. It quickly became obvious to her that we were novices so she recommended an El Rey Del Mundo, one of the milder, Cuban handmade. After ringing up $6.50 for each of our cigars, the young lady skillfully clipped the ends for us.

We lit up and looked around. Men from several countries were sitting in easy chairs! sampling their purchases and critiquing their selections. Each of the men would slowly and deliberately puff on his cigar, contemplate the ash and then pronounce his opinion. "Elegant and refined one would say and the others would nod in learned agreement. It was civilization at its highest level. Despite all the health warnings, we were hooked.

Over the next few months, we studied hard. We learned about the growing and processing of tobacco, how cigars are rolled, and the proper way to light one (a ritual which purists believe must only be performed with wooden matches). We would get together on Sunday nights to smoke identical cigars and share our over all impressions based on the cigar's aroma, appearance, construction, smoking characteristics and flavor. We were no longer novices.

Unfortunately, our new-found interest coincided with a general surge in the popularity of premium cigars. Handmades are a hot item these days and it is difficult to find a well-stocked store in the suburbs. Off to New York we went.

Our first stop was Nat Sherman's on Fifth Avenue. Two stories of polished mahogany house an impressive selection of cigars and accessories. The store offers a variety of shapes and blends under the Nat Sherman label as well as Macanudo and Partagas. The sales staff consists of knowledgeable and well-mannered men and women in expensive business suits. The atmosphere and clientele were upscale. This is the place to go if you are shopping for a $1.750.00 humidor. Our purchases were more modest. We each bought a single $8.00 cigar. The sales clerk offered to clip them for us. When we declined saying we would smoke them later, he carefully boxed each cigar and automatically included a box of wooden matches. It was definitely a class operation.

Next was De La Concha Tobacconists on the Avenue of the Americas. The store was crowded with businessmen on their lunch hour so it was difficult to browse. I asked if they carried La Gloria Cubana cigars which are considered by many to be the best cigars produced in the United States. The clerk said they normally did, but they were sold out. He said they were selling them as fast as he could get them.

We moved on to Davidoff's, an elegant store on Madison Avenue. The store offers an assortment of Dominican cigars under the Davidoff and Griffin's labels and Honduran cigars under the Zino label. A well dressed gentlemen politely opened the door to the store's walk-in humidor for us. (when someone asked him for help, he said he was in charge of security, but would summon a salesmen. We felt like we were in a fur salon or jewelry store.) We purchased several cigars each. The sales clerk rang up an incorrect price and had to be corrected. She placed the cigars in a zip-lock bag and then placed the bag in a box along with wooden matches. The place was impressive, but we preferred the decor and staff at Nat Sherman's.

Next it was Arnold's Cigar Store, also on Madison Avenue. The store was well stocked and offered several hard-to-find, top brands, although La Gloria Cubana and a few others were subject to limits of three to five cigars per customer. One fellow put $250.00 down on the counter and said he'd like a box but the clerk would not relax the limit. Another fellow accidentally backed into a stack of cigars in the walk-in humidor and had to do some impressive juggling to avoid a minor but potentially expensive avalanche. It's a good thing that Arnold does not post a full time security guard at the humidor door. Incidentally, the Davidoff cigars at Arnold's were cheaper than the Davidoffs at Davidoff's.

Our last and most interesting stop was at Sanchez's on 30th Street near Penn Station. Mr. Sanchez's cigars are made right at the shop. He wore a Panama hat and his hands appeared to be stained from years of tobacco rolling. He dispensed a little philosophy on the value of hard work along with his cigars and invited us to see his rollers in action.

Three men were rolling filler leaves into two binder leaves and then pressing the resultant "bunch" into wooden molds. The wrappers would be added later. A young lady was inserting finished cigars into cellophane which carried the label "SANCHEZ'S CUBAN HAND MADE" . Well, the cigars weren't Habanos, but the labeling was technically accurate.

We purchased 10 of Mr. Sanchez's cigars at $2.00 each. No wooden matches, no boxes, no zip-locks, just 10 cigars unceremoniously thrown into a large plastic bag. We each lit one up and formed our impression. "Sturdy and honest", I said. My friend nodded in reamed agreement. It just doesn't get any better.

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