CWNews
Paradise in Clemson SC
Owners and operators of Paradise Cigars, 106-1 N. Clemson Ave., in Clemson, the pair was able to purchase Cigars of Key West, a fine cigar supplier in the heart of the paradise getaway for 17 years. Their son lived in the area and was able to run the store for a while, but soon, the economic downturn hit the cigar industry too.
“We’ve lived in Pickens since the early ’90s,” Don said. “So when things weren’t going well in Key West, we decided to move the business to the Upstate.”Open since August 2008, Owen said the move has been sprinkled with highs and lows.
“A lot of people don’t know we’re here,” he said. “But we’ve gotten a very warm welcome from the people who do know about us. There isn’t a quality cigar shop around. We have one of the biggest humidors in the Upstate.”
Some cigar dealers aren’t equipped with humidors — storage facilities that help cigars keep their moisture. Contributing to 70 percent of the taste in each stogie, moisture is key when it comes to a savory cigar, Owen said.“Without one (a humidor), the cigars will dry up very fast, ruining the taste and the overall experience of smoking a fine cigar,” he said.
Upon walking into the glass cigar haven, a soothing aroma of oak and pinewood meets the olfactory senses, while more than 50 varieties of cigars line the walls. You won’t find any Cuban cigars, however, as Owen reminisced about a time when they would fly off the shelves in Key West.
“When we’d be in the store, this was after JFK signed the embargo with Cuba, people would ask where they could find Cubans,” he said. “I told them, walk up the road a few miles, hop in the water and start swimming.”
But today, Cubans don’t hold the same glowing candle as they used to, Owen said. While the tobacco used in Cuban cigars was allowed to cure for very long periods of time, most other cigar brands flaunt a long aging process as well, producing that same Cuban quality.
“The production has gotten much better across the board,” he said. “Although companies have cut back on their variety, the quality of a fine cigar is just that, very fine.” And for those cigar aficionados out there, Paradise Cigars can order a brand if you can’t find your special smoke. “During football season, we saw a lot of visitors,” he said. “Now in the summer, people like to enjoy a cigar outside or on their boat.”
Once dubbed “the wealthy man’s vice,” cigars are appreciated more widely now, along with the traditional celebratory engagement, at graduations and the like. “Cigars are about enjoyment and relaxation,” he said. “It’s not something people do quickly or often. Cigars can be up to 90 percent healthier than a cigarette, and a good way to help yourself steer away from that hard-to-tackle cigarette addiction.”
And that lifestyle comes with more knowledge than the Owens ever expected to know about cigars.
“People come in with specific questions,” he said. “We still don’t know everything there is to know about cigars, but we know a lot. We do a lot of reading,” he added while pointing to a pile of cigar literature.
And while the smoking ban in Clemson has put the snuffer on smoke inside eating establishments, feel free to sample a fine cigar inside of the Owens’ shop. “We have a great ventilation system that clears this place out when people light up,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
For more information, call (864) 643-0496 or visit www.paradisecigars.biz
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