Cigar Barn by Anstead's Tobacco Co.

If you are into cigars in Sanford, Cigar Barn by Anstead's Tobacco Co. is the place people around here point you toward. As one local put it, this is not a tobacco shop with some cigars, it is a proper cigar shop, and that distinction shows the moment you walk through the door. Word around town is that Sanford needed a spot like this, and the folks at Anstead's brought the most wanted sticks to town and do it with real style. The centerpiece is the humidor, kept at just the right humidity, with several hundred varieties in stock.

The lineup runs deep and covers just about every name a cigar lover looks for: Padrón, Arturo Fuente, Ashton, Davidoff, AVO, Rocky Patel, Alec Bradley, CAO, Cohiba, La Gloria Cubana, La Flor Dominicana, Plasencia, AJ Fernandez, Aganorsa Leaf, Crowned Heads, Espinosa, Gurkha, Hoyo de Monterrey, God of Fire and more. You will find budget friendly options right alongside hard to find sticks. They also carry tobacco pipes and a solid range of smoking accessories, including Colibri and Elie Bleu, plus barrel-aged names like Buffalo Trace and E.H. Taylor on the shelves.

The pipe side runs a little leaner, but ask and they will order what you are after. The staff are what regulars talk about most. Ask for Kevin, Chris or Brandon, and you will get knowledgeable, down to earth recommendations without any pressure. One newcomer said he walked in a beginner and walked out a pro, and that seems to be the standard experience here.

Folks new to cigars say they never felt intimidated or embarrassed asking questions, and the team can rattle off the history behind nearly any cigar you point at. Someone got steered toward a Jamie Garcia by My Father Cigars and came away thrilled with the pick. The shop is clean, organized and well kept, and it has earned a reputation as one of the top-rated smoke shops in the area. If cigars and pipe tobacco are your thing, this is where Sanford sends you.