They don't call Toronto "Big Smoke" for nothing. The cigar-smoking trend has hit Ontario's capital city like everything does here: writ large. Just three years ago, puffings were done mostly in private. Heaven forbid anybody but a "somebody" would make an appearance with a smoking stogie jutting out from their face. But today, Toronto's playing host to a flurry of cigar bar openings. Cigars speak to people now, and the edge of hip they cut is razor sharp. To some, the transition from a smokeless scene to smoke-and-be-seen might seem unremarkable. Toronto's story, after all, is the same as that of so many North American urban centers going up in smoke these days. Perhaps it takes a Torontonian, born and bred, to point out the irony of this city's "light(en)ing up." ....
The following information is a summary of Toronto's Cigar Scene from SMOKE's original article. For the full text of this article, see the current issue of SMOKE magazine - available at a tobacconist near you.
Name: YITZ'S HUMIDOR
Special Features: Located up in Toronto's
"second cigar neighborhood," Yitz's greatest
feature is the restaurant it shares real estate
with. Yitz's is one of Toronto's best-loved
delis, and there's nothing like a corned beef
on rye to wash down your cigar with. There's
also an aromatic bakery on the premises, to
add to Yitz's bill as a one-stop shop. And the
restaurant lends its hours to its humidor as
well, making it a convenient locale for a later-
evening purchase. Along with a vast selection
of Cuban, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican
and Philippino smokes, Yitz's offers a house
brand: Cuban tobacco rolled in Canada.
Name: TOBACCO HAVEN
Special Features: Like so many of Toronto's
cigar purveyors, Tobacco Haven claims to
"carry the largest selection of domestic and
imported cigars in the city." Perhaps it does,
for this retailer definitely boasts a well-
stocked humidor, which also features pipe
tobacco. There's no lounge or place to cool
your heels, but there is a range of "humidor
accessories" - including Mont Blanc pens,
Dunhill lighters and English chocolates -
with pricetags that reach as high as $4,000.
Tobacco Haven also scores points for speak-
ing to the most connected of cigar smokers:
it has its own web site.
Name: CASA DE LA HABANOS
Special Features: This charismatic retailer
offers customers a great deal of personal
attention. Cigar connoisseurs are welcome to
sit and enjoy an espresso or coffee along with
their smoke. The humidor is well stocked , and
patrons are invited to express whatever "cigar
wishes" might pop into their heads: the staff
will endeavor to comply.
Name: GROUCHO & CO.
Special Features:This new kid on the block is
a classy example of the new generation of
cigar retailer/lounges that sprung up across
the city in great numbers over the past year
or two. In point of fact, the retailer and the
lounge are two separate entities: Groucho's
back door leads into the equally new Black &
Blue Steak and Smoke Bar. There, cigar lovers
can drop in for a single-malt or a whiskey,
after retrieving one of their beloveds from
among the I 00 private lockers Groucho rents
out. There's a mail-order catalogue to order
smokes, timepieces or any other of a range of
cigar accessories; and a site on the Internet to
do likewise.
Name: HAVANA TOBACCONIST
Special Features: It's hard for a cigar shop in
a shopping mall to have much character, but
this 800-sq.-ft. north-ender gives it a real go.
Cigars in this walk-in humidor hale from the
world over - literally - including Brazil,
Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico and Europe.
Located in the Bayview Village Shopping
Centre, 1 0 minutes from the airport and just
north of Highway 401, Havana Tobacconist
caters to the well-established executive. It
also sells a range of related "men's items,"
such as smoking jackets; golf, nautical and
airplane paraphernalia and grooming accessories.
Continued on next page... For the full text of this article, see the current issue of SMOKE magazine - available at a tobacconist near you.
Name: YITZ'S HUMIDOR
Name: TOBACCO HAVEN
Name: CASA DE LA HABANOS
Name: GROUCHO & CO.
Name: HAVANA TOBACCONIST
Continued on next page...
