Cigar bar
Acigar bar(or lounge) is an establishment that caters to patrons who smokecigars.Many serve food andalcoholas well. The prevalence of cigar bars varies by country; some jurisdictions ban smoking in all businesses, while others offer an exemption for cigar bars.
History
[edit]While cigar bars have been around for years, interest in them developed in the 1990s when cities and government entities began institutingsmoking bansbut provided exceptions for establishments that catered to smokers.[1][2][3]
Features
[edit]While some cigar bars permit the smoking ofcigarettes,the classic cigar bar focuses strictly oncigars.Many of the upscale cigar bars such as the Grand Havana inBeverly Hills, CaliforniaandNew York Cityas well as those in Paris, Spain and Germany, create agentlemen's clubambience with plushly-appointed interiors, sometimes including a piano or pool table. Featured prominently in upscale bars arehumidors,even walk-in humidors where people can buy and store cigars for safekeeping in special cigar lockers for individuals.[4]The bars frequently also serve food and alcohol.
Prevalence by country
[edit]Australia
[edit]Cigar bars can be found in allcapital citiesinAustraliaand on theGold Coast, Queenslandas well.
Canada
[edit]During the 2000s, many of Canada's cities and provinces banned smoking in indoor public places; some of these bans came with an exception for non-cigarette smoking such as hookah or cigars. In 2006, when such a ban came into place in Montreal, all cigar bars opened before May 10, 2005, were allowed to stay in operation, though future establishments were banned.[5]There are also cigar lounges in Gatineau, Quebec.[6]
On June 23, 2021, Alberta's cabinet amended the regulations enabled by the province'sTobacco, Smoking and Vaping Reduction Act, 2005to allow for ventilated smoking rooms for the smoking ofcigars.[7]Such rooms are permitted so long as they meet the following conditions:
...(a) the cigar lounge is designated as a cigar lounge by the manager;
(b) the cigar lounge has floor-to-ceiling walls, a ceiling and doors that separate the lounge visually and physically from any adjacent area in which smoking is prohibited under the Act;
(c) the cigar lounge has doors equipped with a properly functioning self‑closing device;
(d) the cigar lounge is equipped with a separate ventilation system that maintains negative air pressure at all times and exhausts smoke directly to the outside of the building in which the lounge is located;
(e) minors have no access to the cigar lounge;
(f) no service, including cleaning, is allowed in the cigar lounge during the hours of operation.[8]
As of 2021, Alberta and Quebec are the only two provinces or territories which permit cigar lounges or any ventilated smoking rooms outside of nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Alberta is the sole province or territory which does not restrict the establishment of new lounges; Quebec's remaining lounges are preserved through a grandfather clause in its smoking statutes.[9]
Finland
[edit]Pikku Havanna( "LittleHavana")[10]inTurkuis the first and only cigar bar established inFinland.
United Kingdom
[edit]Following theindoor smoking banin the UK in 2007, various establishments in London have managed to accommodate patrons by adhering to the legal allowances in the law. Exemptions are permitted for specialist tobacconists, where patrons are allowed to sample cigars and pipe tobacco on the premises under specific conditions.[11]Some hotels in the city have established outdoor smoking areas that comply with the regulations.[12]
One prominent tobacconist in London is James J Fox, a shop with a history dating back to 1787 and which is considered the oldest cigar shop in the world. This venue is noteworthy as it is one of the few places in England where smoking indoors is still permissible due to an exemption for stores where at least half of their sales come from cigars and pipe tobacco. In addition to on-site smoking, James J Fox provides a dedicated sampling lounge.[13]
While there has been a decrease in cigar consumption in the UK following the mid-1990s, the cigar culture has shown signs of transformation. An increased presence of cigar terraces in luxury hotels has been observed, and newer establishments have reported positive growth. The changing attitudes towards cigarette smoking and the impact of the indoor smoking ban have led to a shift in consumption patterns, with some smokers exploring cigars as a luxury good or occasional indulgence.[14]
United States
[edit]The only two cigar bars inMajor League Baseballare theCuesta-Rey Cigar BaratTropicana Field,home of theTampa Bay Rays,and theCamacho Cigar BaratComerica Park,home of theDetroit Tigers.Cuesta-Reycigars originally were made in Tampa, whileCamachocigars are distributed in Miami.
In the United States the Private Smoking Club inCincinnati, Ohioclaims to be first cigar bar opening in 1995.[citation needed][15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Cigar Sensibilities by Roy SteinArchived2017-02-23 at theWayback Machine- Cigarfriendly.com
- ^"The Cigar Bar".Rapid Detect.Rapid Detect Inc.27 March 1997. Archived fromthe originalon 2 January 2015.Retrieved20 July2010.
- ^Directory of Post-Ban Cigar Bars- CigarPlaces.com
- ^The Age,"The cigar bar makes a comeback" article, 28 December 2010[1]
- ^"Cigar bar owners puffed up with glee as butt ban nears".Montreal Gazette.May 23, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon May 12, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 13,2014.
- ^Jennifer Cox (February 6, 2012)."Top 7 Canadian cigar lounges and shops".Crave Canada.RetrievedFebruary 13,2014.
- ^"CIGAR EDITORIAL: ALBERTA, CANADA BLINKS ON CIGAR LOUNGES".15 July 2021.
- ^"Tobacco Reduction Regulation, Alta Reg 240/2007 | CanLii".
- ^"New café risking fines over shisha smoking | Montreal Gazette".
- ^"Pikku Havanna".pikkuhavanna.fi(in Finnish).Retrieved2021-02-26.
- ^UK Legislation.legislation.gov.ukhttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/765/regulation/7/made/data.xht?view=snippet&wrap=true.Retrieved25 May2023.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^Hacker, Richard Carleton (17 February 2015)."Roll On, Britannia".Robb Report.Retrieved25 May2023.
- ^"There's a museum in James J Fox, London's oldest cigar shop".ianVisits.23 November 2021.Retrieved25 May2023.
- ^"Cigar smoking enjoys a revival in UK".The Independent.9 January 2014.Retrieved25 May2023.
- ^Private Smoking ClubGoogle Answers
External links
[edit]The Age,"The cigar bar makes a comeback", article, December 28, 2010[2]
The Age,"Cigar bar rebel gets let off on defiant smoke signals", article by Steve Butcher, December 28, 2010[3]