Bill’s La Habana Cigar Club in St Petersburg, FL: Cigars | Tobacco Shop

Local cigar aficionados and anyone else seeking cigars to smoke will be delighted by the wide selection and welcoming atmosphere at Bill’s La Habana Cigar Club. Owner Bill Elsasser has been busy expanding the offerings and enhancing the atmosphere at the cigar lounge on Pasadena Ave. His goal is to provide the world’s best cigars and a place where lovers of the “cigar life” can meet like-minded patrons and relax.

Customers can purchase beers and fine wines along with their cigars in a comfortable atmosphere.

The “Rebirth of Cigars” event will be taking place on February 18, 2018 at Bill’s La Habana Cigar Club. Drew Estate KD and Bill will be there and every Drew Estate cigar sold will give you a ticket into a grand prize drawing for a box of cigars.

And with the trend of Bitcoin, Bill has recently introduced a meeting at the cigar club for everyone who is interested in Bitcoin and crypto currency. You can stop by Bill’s La Habana Cigar Club and ask to be put on a text list that will send you a text for weekly and monthly specials, special events and the next crypto meeting.”

“I’m here for the customer,” says Elsasser. “That’s what I offer: customer service.”

To that end, he’s been researching a new look and theme to the vintage establishment, along with new products to compliment the cigars, pipe tobacco, lighters, humidors, cutters and other accoutrements now in the store.

“Any accessory for the cigar world, we can get,” he says, “and we can compete with online vendors for box purchases.”

Elsasser, 65, is deeply passionate about cigars and the culture associated with them. Since he discovered them about ten years ago, he’s been learning everything there is to know about cigars, their manufacture, history and the lifestyle associated with them. People from all walks of life enjoy cigars, he says, adding that he’s met everyone from plumbers and cattle ranchers to chief executive officers pursuing his interest.

“It’s a very social business,” he says.

Ask him a question about his beloved cigars and he can wax poetic. He’ll talk at length about fillers, binders and wrappers; flavor profiles (creamy, tart, earthy, sweet, spicy, nutty, chocolaty, peppery); and strengths (mild, medium and full).

He’ll expound about a cigar culture that revolves around relaxing and enjoying the company of good friends, about the sensory experiences of smoking a good cigar, and the aromas that invoke childhood memories of celebrations and family. He’ll discuss his national network of cigar-loving friends and the hundreds of cigar lounges he’s visited around the country. And he’ll describe the far-flung places where cigar tobacco is grown and the long tradition of cigar making that involves tens of thousands of people in a manufacturing process that’s measured in months and years instead of days.

“Because cigars are a hand-rolled product, about 350 people have handled the cigar