L.J. Paretti Company- Great Selection

Boston is a great city, where a person can find almost everything they may need.  For me, that extends to finding a good selection of cigars, and I found it at L.J. Paretti Company.

Located at 2 1/2 Park Square in Boston, the L.J. Paretti Company has been a part of the city for the last 140 years.  As you walk through the door, you feel all those years of history open up around you.  On nearly every wall is a humidor, and the store has two walk in humidors in the back for the storage of tobacco and cigars (sorry, not open to patrons).  Only one wall is not lined with a humidor, and that one contains an impressive display of pipes and smoking accessories for sale to the public.  Above the humidors on the  high walls are the decor from years of selling tobacco, tastefully displayed and lightly aged from years of tobacco exposure.

As I browse through the humidors, one thing becomes clear; the proprietors of this shop take very good care of their products.  Their is not a dry cigar in the shop, and I was even able to note some bloom on more than a few.  Bloom is the result the essential oils of the cigar rising to the surface, which often appear as tiny crystals making the cigar look dusty.  More advanced bloom gives the cigar an opaque white look.  This is not harmful to the cigar, but is an indication that the cigars have  been maintained at 70+ RH for a long period of time.

I have already decided on a Brick House Churchill and potentially a Hemingway, when one of the tobacconists asks me if he can help me out.  Deciding that this would be a good opportunity to try something new, I tell the tobacconist my cigar mood, and he recommends an Ashton VSG.  I pay for the Brick House and the Ashton, and the tobacconist asks me if I want it cut.  The answer of course is yes, and I remove the cello and toast the foot.  A master of his trade, he has chosen for me just what I wanted.

There are benches out front of the shop, but I decide to take one of the comfortable chairs inside.  There are ashtrays around within easy reach, and a few other patrons have decided to rest a bit with their own purchases.  Relaxing with my cigar, this is the first time I notice the light jazz music playing softly in the shop, a nice touch that adds beautifully to the afternoon in the city.

If you find yourself in Boston and are looking for a good selection of cigars, stop by L.J. Paretti Company.  They are open Monday through Friday 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM, Saturday from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM, and on Sunday from noon to 5:00 PM.

Keeping the Costs Down

The enjoyment of smoking cigars does not come cheap. The individual who is just starting out may have an inventory that consists of a cheap cutter and a box of matches. The list of cigars that the amateur likes and dislikes is small, and it is hard to spend any amount of money on something that you may end up throwing away. But there are a number of good solutions to this problem.

The first is to find a good tobacconist. These individuals love to talk about cigars, and will spend as much time with you as you need. They are willing to show you the different products that exist on the market, and with a small amount of input from the buyer can steer you to a number of decent smokes. Generally the cost will be between $5 and $12 per stick, but if you want to dish out more for a smoke they can help you with that as well.

For those who may not feel confident in approaching a tobacconist, fear not, for there are other solutions out there. Nearly every online retailer of cigars has what they call "sampler packs" on their individual sites. These consist of a mix of different cigars, usually in a 5-pack configuration, that will give you a few different options. The cost per stick drops with this option to between $2 and $10 per stick, though again you can pay more (and occasionally less!). This is a good way to try out a few different smokes without committing to a full box. The downsides to this are that you do not get the personal attention that a tobacconist can offer, and you will have to think about storage of the extra smokes so that they remain preserved for future enjoyment. If this is a route you choose to take, some popular sites are www.famous-smoke.com, www.cigarsinternational.com, and www.thompsoncigar.com. There are many more, just be sure that they are reputable before you buy.

And finally, you will find forums out there where you can get some free info on different cigars, and what people think of them. Forums are easy to work with, as they can leave you feeling a bit more anonymous while getting answers to your specific questions. My favorite is over at www.cigarworld.com. The inhabitants are a bit crazy, but I find this comforting.

Cigars are a wonderful enjoyment, and with a little time you will find what you like.