I found myself at the one of the best shops around - Burns Tobacconist on Jordan Street in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
I was in the area with a bunch of friends for a bit of a
gathering but had decided that I would take a few hours to myself on the
Saturday. I grabbed my android phone and
pulled up the Cigar Boss app, clicked on Local Shops and soon found myself
going for a half-mile walk to the shop from my hotel.
The shop looks contemporary from the outside with stucco
structure, but as soon as I entered, it was a thing of sheer pleasure and cigar
indulgence. Each end of the shop
features a walk in humidor with choice selections as Davidoff, Tatuaje, Padron,
and Ashton. Between the humidors sits a
cigar lounge with seating in reclaimed barber’s chairs that offer surprising
comfort for one to enjoy a cigar, read a magazine, or watch the large flat
screen television. The ceiling is graced
with hanging tobacco leaves that surround the air filtration system. The whole place has an old-world feel.
I sat back, opened my new copy of Cigar Aficionado, and lit
up my Ashton VSG Tres Mystique. It’s a
powerful little cigar according to some, but I, as one who has not generally
been a fan of strong tobacco, enjoyed the smooth flavor of this cigar. It was smooth and blended with sweet and
spice. Maybe it was the environment that
played on my taste sensations, but I smoked it to the end.
While at Burns, I picked the aforementioned Ashton VSG,
Romeo by Romeo y Julieta (Cigar
Aficionado’s Number 3 cigar of 2012), Partagas 1845 Corona, Nub Cameroon 460, and
San Lotano Oval (Cigar Aficionado’s Number 25 cigar of 2012).
The staff there was great.
Although I cannot recall his name, the staff working had been at Burns
for a number of years and spoke highly of the establishment - a quality not often found in employees. He takes pride in his work and knows his
stuff when talking cigars. We chatted
for a long time about life, cigars, careers, cigars, social media and cigars. I was even offered a ride back to my hotel if the freezing rain
hadn’t stopped by the time I was ready to leave this place, or when he was done
his shift.
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| One of the walk-in humidors (Photo from puff.com) |
Last year I first noticed the Tweet Up on Twitter, although
I didn’t have the slightest clue what it was about. While at Burns I learned more about the
Tweet Up. Great concept and I would love
the opportunity to come down some time and spend the day or two at the shop
spending time with the faces of the companies who attend en masse for the
event. The basic premise is that the
cigar manufactures such as Pete Johnson and Rocky Patel come to the shop to
meet with their customers and everyone networks, smokes cigars, and
parties. Simple concept; it’s all about
the relationships with people.
Recommendation: If you find yourself travelling on I-95 through Tennessee,
jump off in Chattanooga and stop in at Burns.
You’ll be thankful that you did.
