Cigar Lounge Etiquette for First-Timers

Cigar lounge etiquette is about respecting a shared space: buy from the lounge when you can, ask before bringing outside cigars, keep your voice and cologne down, tip the staff, and let the regulars set the pace. A lounge is part shop, part living room, and newcomers who read the room are always welcome back.

Buying vs bringing your own

Many lounges attach to a shop and prefer you buy cigars there, since that is how they stay open. Some charge a cutting or sitting fee if you bring your own, and a few do not allow outside cigars at all. When in doubt, buy at least one cigar from the house, or simply ask the staff what their policy is.

Tipping and the staff

If someone brings you a drink, cuts your cigar, or looks after your table, tip as you would at a bar. Good lounges remember regulars who treat them well, and that relationship is part of what makes the place enjoyable.

Be considerate of others

• Skip heavy cologne: it clashes with the aroma everyone came for.
• Keep your voice down: lounges are for slow conversation, not loud calls.
• Take calls outside: a ringing phone breaks the calm.
• Mind your smoke: never blow it toward a neighbor.

General manners

Do not stub out your cigar, as covered in the cigar etiquette guide. Clean up after yourself, return magazines or ashtrays, and do not overstay if the lounge is packed and waiting. Most of all, watch the regulars; every lounge has its own culture, and mirroring it is the fastest way to fit in.

Where to go next

Brush up on the core rules in the cigar etiquette guide, and if you are still learning the basics, read how to smoke a cigar properly and the beginner's guide.