Ambassador Fine Cigars

Ambassador Fine Cigars has been a fixture in Peoria, Arizona since 1997, and after all those years it has earned a reputation as one of the most respected cigar shops around. Ask anyone who spends time here and the humidor comes up first. It is a big one, packed with a serious lineup that runs from Padron, Arturo Fuente, and My Father to Davidoff, Oliva, Rocky Patel, Drew Estate, and Camacho, plus more specialized names like Atabey, El Septimo, Byron, Warped, and Tatuaje. One regular swears the Byron Epiques is the best stick in the house.

Whatever you are after, the word around town is they usually have it. What keeps people coming back is the crew. Sam, the manager, has a reputation as about the most knowledgeable person you will meet on cigars, and locals say he has never steered them wrong on a good pick. Cameron gets named again and again too, especially by folks just getting into cigars, for taking the time to walk newcomers through recommendations without any pretense.

It is the kind of place where a first-timer and a seasoned smoker get the same welcome, and where a birthday gift search turns into solid advice and a lighter that comes with a lifetime warranty. The lounge itself is spacious and relaxed, not fancy, which is exactly how the regulars like it. There is a good selection of beer on tap along with a few wine options, and it is a comfortable spot to catch a game and enjoy a stick. Bring your own cigar if you like, as long as you pick up something while you are there.

A few visitors have mentioned the odd off day with service when it gets busy, but that runs against the grain of what most people experience here. For cigar lovers passing through or living nearby, it is the kind of shop worth making a habit of.