Noyo Harbor Inn (in Fort Bragg, California) adds cigar lounge to visitor experiences

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A new Cigar Lounge has opened at the Noyo Harbor Inn - the only one of its kind on the Mendocino Coast. (Contributed) 

Noyo Harbor Inn adds cigar lounge to visitor experiences

By Carole Brodsky - Fort Bragg Advocate-News
PUBLISHED: February 5, 2026 at 6:00 AM PST | UPDATED: February 6, 2026 at 9:46 AM PST

Noyo Harbor Inn General Manager CEO Scott Schneider enjoying the warm ambiance and view from the Cigar Lounge. (Carole Brodsky — Fort Bragg Advocate-News)

“Smoking cigars is like falling in love; first you are attracted by its shape, you stay for its flavour, and you must always remember never to let it completely burn out.”

— Winston Churchill

There is something timeless about the clear, crisp scent of a glass of fine whiskey. And the folks at the Noyo Harbor Inn have made it part of their business to educate and serve customers the finest whiskeys from all over the world- featuring what is arguably the most comprehensive whiskey and spirit menu in Mendocino County.

Now, says General Manager Scott Schneider, a new component, long associated with whiskey is being offered at the Inn: an outdoor cigar lounge, where newbies and aficionados can add a choice of cigars to an overnight stay or a crafted cocktail by celebrated mixologist Laura Spradlin. The cigar lounge is located in an outdoor gazebo, that sports a warming fire, plenty of seating and a spectacular view of the harbor.

Like many indulgences, the choice to smoke a cigar, or not- is clearly an individual decision. For those who choose to make an alliance with the gods of tobacco, having a beautiful, friendly atmosphere to enjoy a cigar is the best possible way to enjoy the ride.

For Schneider, the cigar lounge was a natural extension of the ambiance of the Inn and the array of services they offer to the public. He was fortunate to have a relative who is steeped in the world of cigars, and is receiving quite an education on how to select the best cigars for his customers. “We also encourage customers to bring their own cigars and enjoy them in the gazebo,” he explains.

For countless generations, indigenous peoples grew and smoked tobacco- placing cured leaves in a rolled “wrapper” leaf that eventually became synonymous with today’s cigars. Cigar tobacco was considered a medicinal herb. Discovered by explorers coming to the New World, conquistadors and common sailors picked up the habit and returned to Europe with tobacco in hand. It is thought that the word “cigar” comes originally from the Mayan “sikar.”

Production of cigars began in Spain and France, and historians gather that the first imported Cuban cigars made it to North America in the 1760’s. It took another 100 years for an intrepid entrepreneur to bring both cigars and a copious amount of tobacco seeds to the United States- and the rest is truly history. Cigars predated the much-cheaper cigarette, and continue to be a national status symbol associated with wealth, luxury and celebration- a unique ritual that has long associations with social connection and community bonding.

Cigars are not like a cigarette or even a cannabis joint- both of which are constructed using a smokeable cylinder filled with ground-up product. Cigars are constructed from 3 separate types of tobacco leaves: wrappers, binders and filler- each of which are cultivated and harvested in specific ways to produce the optimum product. The tobacco is first grown, cured and fermented, sometimes for months to produce the optimum flavor profile, much like the whiskey that pairs so well with cigars. Unlike cigarettes and cannabis, the internal “filler” leaves are the least valuable portion of a cigar. The filler is held together with a binder leaf, but the outer, wrapper leaf that one sees when purchasing or smoking a cigar is actually the most-costly portion of the product. The best binder leaves are carefully cultivated in shaded conditions so that the leaves can mature to their fullest potential. Cigar tobacco leaves are air-dried for up to 50 days, then piled together to help eliminate both ammonia and nicotine. From there, tobacco is aged- sometimes for up to two years, to enhance flavor development. Once packed and wrapped, the finest cigars are then rested in cedar rooms for months before being deemed ready for sale.

At the Noyo Inn’s Harborside Cigar Lounge, four premium cigars are currently available for purchase. “Staff are happy to help recommend fine whiskey recommendations for pairing with the cigars,” Schneider continues. Everything one requires for an enjoyable smoking experience is available- from cigar cutters to special pieces of wood used to light the cigar and enhance flavor.

The “Romeo y Julieta” cigar is considered a medium-mellow cigar, and the brand is considered to be a staple for every enthusiast’s humidor. The company was founded in 1875 and is still producing one of the best-selling handmade premium cigars worldwide. Those ever-present stogies held by Sir Winston Churchill were the Romeo y Julieta brand. The wrapper is produced from seeds that were cultivated in Connecticut and imported to Ecuador, where the cloud-forest climate provides the perfect environment for high-quality wrappers. The binder tobacco is from Nicaragua, and the filler is Dominican-aged tobacco. They are crafted in the well-known Tabacalera de Garcia factory in the Dominican Republic. Similar to craft cannabis, the cigars are packaged using two-way humidity Boveda packs, so that they remain in optimum smoking condition. Like wine and spirits, there is a broad lexicon used to describe the taste of cigars. The Romeo y Julietas are said to have a “slightly sweet, woodsy flavor and a tender aroma.”

A selection of the worlds’ finest cigars are available for purchase, or visitors may bring their own cigars to enjoy at the lounge. (Carole Brodsky — Fort Bragg Advocate-News)

The Ashton Virgin Sun Grown cigar is considered by aficionados worldwide to be one of the finest cigars available. It is described as “earth, cedar, leather, espresso beans, and rich spices.” Handcrafted in the Dominican Republic, the wrapper is an Ecuador/Sumatra hybrid grown in Ecuador on a private estate. The heralded Fuente family is responsible for the fermentation of the wrapper, and the cigar is considered unparallelled in its dark, lustrous appearance. The Ashton Virgin Sun Grown has been awarded multiple 90-plus ratings by Cigar Aficionado.

The Arturo Fuente Hemingway series focuses on medium-bodied, Perfecto cigars- one of the most challenging shapes to produce and only attempted by the most experienced cigar craftspeople. The shape was created in the early 20th century, and maker Arturo Fuenta uses molds similar to the ones used at the turn of the century to create the original “figurado” cigars, which take twice the time to produce compared to more standard cigar shapes.  Estate-grown Dominican filler and binder tobaccos are used, along with a Natural and Certified Cameroon wrapper. Its taste is described as “dark chocolate, earth, and freshly ground coffee balanced against buttery spices leading to a medium-bodied luscious finish.”

The Montecristo Classic Robusto is described as “the perfect balance of smooth, coffee, and nut balanced against warm spice flavors that are mellow in strength.” The binder and filler hail from the Dominican Republic, with the wrapper cultivated here in the United States under the shade in the Connecticut River Valley, which results in thin leaves with even thinner veins- a prized trait in luxury cigars. The seeds were originally from Sumatra, and farmers use fabric to filter out the harshest rays of the sun- making a wrapper that cigar lovers describe as “creamy and approachable.” These are considered a cigar that is a good starting point for the beginning connoisseur, and receive an 85-plus rating by Cigar Aficionado.

A cigar is smoked in a unique fashion. There is no inhaling involved, and the user is instructed first to cut the end of the cigar to remove the cap, then to “toast” and light the “foot” of the cigar. The smoke is to be drawn into one’s mouth and no further, so that the consumer can experience the full flavor, fermentation and taste of the multiple types of tobacco that created the cigar. It’s a slow, deliberate process, with most cigar enthusiasts recommending taking only about one puff per minute. A standard-sized cigar should take between 45 and 90 minutes to consume.

Smoking a cigar may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for some. Popular culture is filled with images of fathers celebrating the birth of a child with the handing out of cigars to friends and family. But the slow, deliberate and opulent ritual of smelling and tasting a handcrafted, high-end cigar, especially following the delights of an excellent meal and the social lubrication of fine wines and spirits is thought by many to be an excellent way to socialize.

Schneider notes that the Harborside Cigar Lounge is the only such venue available on the entire Mendocino Coast. “It took some time to get the permitting to sell cigars and offer a smoking area on the property,” he notes. The cigars also available for sale in the Noyo Harbor Inn Gift Shop.The gazebo is tastefully located so that those not interested in the cigar experience will not be impacted by the lounge. In time, says Schneider, the lounge will feature music options and an online system to order food and beverages from the Harborview Bistro and Bar. “We are delighted with the response we have received from community members and guests,” he notes. Users of the lounge are thrilled to have a beautiful and welcoming place to recreate the sensory experience provided by a plant that has traveled the road with humans for thousands of years.

For more information on the cigar lounge visit https://www.noyoharborinn.com.

Source: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/02/05/noyo-harbor-inn-adds-cigar-lounge-to-visitor-experiences/