Thank you!
If I'm missing anything or doing something wrong, don't hesitate to tell me. First time doing this type of thing on a forum!Chicago HERF - Dec. 2, 2017
- Thread starter cyn06
- Start date
If I'm missing anything or doing something wrong, don't hesitate to tell me. First time doing this type of thing on a forum!
personally, im not a fan of this lounge - but that was under the old regime. now that they have sold to CdM, im hoping it will be better.
the problem (for me, at least) is they forced you to buy 3 cigars in order to use the lounge. all other places are simply a 10$ purchase.
i usually bring my own cigars to smoke, but i will purchase the same amount of cigars from them that i end up smoking. but when the minimum purchase is more than double that of other lounges, i see no reason to support them.
another problem i had with this lounge was the humidor was a complete mess. every other place i have been to has the cigars sorted by brand. however, i believe this place had it sorted by something random - probably by binder leaf type, or by glue type. i remember seeing 3 different MF Le Bijou boxes scattered randomly on different shelves, next to different boxes.
i cant recall if they have have an outdoor area.
i like going to havana joes, even though it is smaller, as they have a covered outdoor area with access to TVs (it rained the other day, and the whole covered area was dry). they also have plenty of heaters, and you can even light up a bonfire. (i try not to smoke indoors when possible). also, you can bring booze. they just ask that you keep it out of sight - rather than drinking beer from the bottle, they ask you to transfer it to a glass, etc.
the problem (for me, at least) is they forced you to buy 3 cigars in order to use the lounge. all other places are simply a 10$ purchase.
i usually bring my own cigars to smoke, but i will purchase the same amount of cigars from them that i end up smoking. but when the minimum purchase is more than double that of other lounges, i see no reason to support them.
another problem i had with this lounge was the humidor was a complete mess. every other place i have been to has the cigars sorted by brand. however, i believe this place had it sorted by something random - probably by binder leaf type, or by glue type. i remember seeing 3 different MF Le Bijou boxes scattered randomly on different shelves, next to different boxes.
i cant recall if they have have an outdoor area.
i like going to havana joes, even though it is smaller, as they have a covered outdoor area with access to TVs (it rained the other day, and the whole covered area was dry). they also have plenty of heaters, and you can even light up a bonfire. (i try not to smoke indoors when possible). also, you can bring booze. they just ask that you keep it out of sight - rather than drinking beer from the bottle, they ask you to transfer it to a glass, etc.
I personally never had a problem with their purchase policy, but I get it.
I will say, the humidor has been completely cleaned up, resorted, and cleaned. It is much brighter in there now that the lights have been cleaned. I believe they revamped the humidification system as well.
I've only been to Havana Joe's once, but I did really enjoy it.
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@joe45 - yeah, i get it too, but i feel like it is steep in comparison to all the others. at a herf, yes, i will easily smoke 2, maybe 3. that covers the fee. but if im in the area, and i have an hour to kill, im forced to buy 3 in order to smoke just one cigar. what would/should be a 6-8 dollar purchase for one cigar has swelled to 25+.
Just gonna toss this out there. If any of you plan on bringing friends or a +1, can you post that as well? Jason from The Cigar Lounge told me with a somewhat accurate head count, we can get a room on reserve, or at least a section of space for us. Thank you!
True. It will all change now that casa is running it though. I am just curious if you will need to be a member in order to smoke there once I get everything finished.
i havent been there in a while, but from what i recall, there were certain rooms with TVs, and certain rooms without. im not gonna swing by if we dont have a tv with the hawks game on... #justsaying
I'd walk in and walk right out if the Hawks game isn't on, don't worry. When I set this up, I will make sure we are in a room with plenty of TVs!!
i havent been there in a while, but from what i recall, there were certain rooms with TVs, and certain rooms without. im not gonna swing by if we dont have a tv with the hawks game on... #justsaying
agreed. the last time i was there was a few years ago, so all my gripes with the place are attached to the old regime.
however, if you look at CdM (countryside), they have a tiny room for non-members (located upstairs) ... and a huge basement lounge for the members. i think something like this will happen to schaumburg, eventually.
Ins't that how Iwan Ries is as well? I don't think thats a bad deal at all. Give non paying members a taste, but have a monthly membership
yup, same way, iirc.
i guess im just comparing it to how the schaumburg location was (pay your fee, and you have access to the whole place) vs. how it is in CdM in countryside, and how the schaumburg location might change.
That's a long trip to work for just one day!i dont think you have ever shown up to a herf... ever! i'll believe it when i see it
dec 2 (sat) should be good for me - i just gotta check with the wife, as she is headed to japan for work on that day.
Harry didn't even say after the infamous "Bloody Herf" when Pierre met his only fan. HA HA HA HA HA
Burning Leaf in Aurora allows for "one day memberships" with the purchase of $10 or more. I like that since I don't buy enough to maintain a membership at most places
Haha! Good times.
Well... I just got back from The Cigar Lounge and I'm going to apologize now for double posting my purchase here and in the "latest purchase" thread. First off, Jason and Mike are amazing guys! They gave me a full tour of all the rooms, walked me through the humidor and showed off everything they had (which was
hot damn!), and then we talked about the HERF. They have a couple different rooms, all with TVs and plenty of seating, including a more private conference room with a TV and table/chairs. They said they're working with the City of Schaumburg about a BYO license, which hopefully they can obtain after they start the renovations in February-ish. For us, they'd like me to give them a call back next week Tues/Wed with a roundabout head count to reserve our space. They said they will close off a section of a room for us, or if we have enough people an entire room for us. They said to reserve a space like that, it would be $100 no matter the amount of people (5 or 50). Since I took on creating the HERF, I'll front the money for the room reservation. Being the holidays and having lots of little nieces and nephews running around, I will absolutely take contributions for the room reservation, but I don't expect it.As for pricing for lounging, they don't have strict rules on it. They said casually, if you're here using our lounge, buy a cigar or 2. If you come in and buy a $5 cigar and stay for 6 hours, you're a dick (which I agree!). But pretty much, if you're there, smoke their cigars. If you smoke your own, buy back what you smoke. Sounds fair to me! I was there for quit a bit which scares me because I have a feeling I'll be a frequent visitor. I was never there before they got bought by CDM about 7 weeks ago, but it sounds like they're headed in the right direction and they're striving to be the next big lounge in Chicago that everyone wants to visit. Kudos to them!
If you guys have any other questions about my visit, feel free to ask. Cheers to hopefully a great HERF and a big turnout!
EDIT: They promised to have some UF4s in stock for us that weekend. I don't know about you, but I'm excited to finally get my hands on a few!