It’s All About a Good Cigar

The other day, I happened to be sitting with a bunch of guys who were smoking cigars and talking about how good they (the cigars) were. Never having smoked a cigar, I had to ask why it was so enjoyable to smoke these things.

In almost unison, they passionately spouted out the same answers as to why cigar smoking is “so” enjoyable “The different smells ... different tastes … how well the cigar is rolled … the quality of the tobacco ... sitting around having a good smoke with the guys …”

Yes, “It is about the camaraderie,” Rick Loehr, owner of , told me when we spoke about this very topic.

For a bit more than a year, Rick and his son Troy have offered the community the Malibu Cigar Lounge, what Rick says is “the only place in Malibu where you can smoke a cigar.”

“At one time, my passion was wine and spirits, then cigars," he said. "I love people, and I want to be in Malibu every day."

Inside, there are two lounges, an additional private lounge for parties, two high-definition flat-screen televisions, Wi-Fi and a selection of beverages that includes soda, energy drinks and organic teas. Smokers can also bring their own liquor, a good scotch or a bottle of wine (with no cork fee).

“The atmosphere brings people in,” Rick said.

Customers include Malibu residents,  students, businesspeople and international tourists from all over the world.

“We have the regulars, but then you can have Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Piven and Kid Rock show up at the door too,” Rick said.

The camaraderie between guys also, of course, includes sports. Watching games and smoking cigars has the place hopping on any given game night. Out of my element with cigar and sports knowledge, but being the Backgammon expert that I (alone) think I am, I like that this game as well as chess and checkers have draw at the place too, keeping the customers challenged in more ways than one. Also, a masseuse comes in for chair massages on Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

I think I’ll surprise my boyfriend at one of the next cigar events, and we’ll stop in for it. A manufacturer does cigar tastings coupled with wine tastings. I’m there for the wine; he’d love it for both.

And, of course, Rick and his son offer a variety of hookahs, accessories, humidors, and, yes, cigars, from H. Upmann, Cohiba, Avo, Casa Magna, Tatuaje, La Gloria Cubana, Ashton, Camacho, Montecristo, Padron, Partagas, Rocky Patel, Hoyo De Monterrey. And if a customer doesn’t see it, they’ll find it. They’ll help educate along the way in the purchases.

I guess I kind of get why cigars are so popular. Sitting around talking to the guys smoking that night, they shared lots of cigar-smoking stories. I found this quote from Raul Julia that seemed so appropriate to what everyone was trying to express: “A cigar is as good as memories that you have when you smoked it.”

Rick agreed. “You can sit back, relax and everybody likes to be by the beach smoking a cigar …” Especially in Malibu …

Malibu Cigar Lounge, 22525 Pacific Coast Hwy; 310-456-8324