Yvonne Balloun found an interest for the cigar business before she even smoked one. Now she and her family own and run Old City Cigars, a store with the largest humidor and biggest selection in Northeast Florida.
What made you decide to open this business?
One year, my husband wanted a cigar for Christmas so I bought one from Isabella's and he liked it. At the time, there was a cigar store located here that had been in business for twenty years. That store, unfortunately, went out of business and I knew this was a good opportunity for us, so we waited a year for the store to close because I didn’t want to buy him out or take over. That store closed in December 2016 and in January 2017, we took over the whole thing, gutted it, and renovated.
How's it been going?
It’s going great, I love it and am looking to open a second location in World Golf Village.
Do you smoke cigars?
I do! I picked it up because everybody kept asking me for my opinion. I always thought I would get addicted to it, but the nicotine in cigars is not addictive like cigarettes. The additives they put in cigarettes is what makes them addictive. I can smoke a cigar tomorrow and not pick up another for months and I don’t get a craving for it.
How are the relationship with other cigar places in St Augustine, is there competition?
We are one big family, there's no competition between any of us. Each store does their own thing; Stogies has a small humidor, you can smoke your cigar outside, you listen to some music. Isabella's has a small humidor and she serves wine and coffee as well. We all have our own thing! My thing is the store, I want to have a lot of variety. I get 90% of the tourists coming in looking for that cigar they can’t find in their local store, so I carry a lot of boutique cigars for them.
What is a boutique cigar?
A boutique cigar company is one that sells under 100,000 per year. They are the small guys and I like to support them because I’m a small guy too. There are a couple guys from Deltona that own a store called Cigar Hustler, they started their own brand of cigars which I carry. They’ve been mentors and an inspiration to me. I like to promote the little guy because they aren’t always out there and easy to find.
Where are the cigars in your store from?
Most of the cigars are from other countries, the biggest right now is Nicaragua. Other countries include, the Dominican, Peru, Honduras, Jamaica, and Columbia is starting to do some. They come from all over, except Cuba. We do not and cannot sell Cuban cigars.
Do you consider cigar making an art?
It is very much an art, the way they roll the cigars is an art in itself. You have to learn how to do it, you can’t just pick up some tobacco and roll a cigar. There are different shapes and sizes to learn. For instance, the box press, which is a very hard cigar to make because it is square.
When you knew you were going to do this, did you go tour some of the cigar making facilities?
The only place I’ve been is the Arturo Fuente company in Tampa to watch them roll the cigars. It’s an interesting process from curing and fermenting the tobacco to binding the tobacco leaves, to rolling it with the wrappers, which is where Fifty Percent of the flavor actually comes from.
What’s the hardest cigar to make?
The hardest cigar to make is the Figurado, you have to be an expert to learn how to roll it. The Figurado looks like a torpedo, it’s named that for the shape of the head.
This cigar is $26.00 because of the shape, but we do have a sister cigar that is rolled differently (easier) which are $10.00.
Another cigar that is truly a work of art, has four different wrappers on it. You can see the different colors of the tobacco leaves used. This cigar consists of the Madero which is sweeter, Connecticut which is the lightest, Habano, and Sun Grown. This cigar’s flavors change as you smoke it. The shape of the cigar itself is an art form, there aren’t many people that can roll a cigar like this.
Do you have the most cigars in town?
I have the largest walk-in humidor in Northeast Florida that is not attached to a cigar lounge with the largest selection and I only have 1/8 of the tobacco companies out there. I have 671 open cigar boxes in the store.
What is the temperature control in a humidor?
This humidor has to stay between 68-72 humidity. The temperature needs to stay below 80 degrees to prevent bugs and mold. Cigars are the purest form of tobacco, there are no pesticides used, no preservatives added so it’s important to keep the cigars in the correct climate.
Why do all the cigars have that ring of paper on it?
Smoking cigars is a social thing and it always has been. It used to be a very elegant process, Kings and Queens would smoke cigars and as a matter of fact a Queen came up with the idea of putting the ring on the cigar because she didn’t want her fingers to touch tobacco. Now, most cigars have a ring on it…Thanks to the Queen!
Do you have standard favorites?
Everyone has their favorites, but Arturo Fuentes is number one, Perdomo is a standard in the industry. Everybody loves Liga Privada too, Drew Estate is the most exclusive cigar they have.
What do you do with all the cigar boxes?
A lot of people collect the cigar boxes. If it’s cardboard we put it outside and anyone can take them, if it’s a wood box we ask for donations for the St. Augustine Police Benevolent Fund. My son is a Police Officer and we feel that’s a really good fund to donate to. It doesn't matter what the donation is, I keep a collection throughout the year and present them with a check at the end of the year banquet.
What other products do you offer here?
We have flavored cigars such as chocolate and cherry. We have our own alcohol infused cigars where we do a cognac, applejack brandy, and a rum. We also do a Jack Daniels which needs to marinate for 30 days. We also have accessories, pipes, cigarettes, and dip.
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Old City Cigars is located at 123 St George St., Unit 9, Saint Augustine, Florida
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