Friday, January 15, 2010

Iwan Ries & Co.

www.iwanries.com

19 South Wabash Avenue
Second floor
Chicago, Illinois
60603

800-621-1457
312-372-1306

With a history going all the way back to 1857, you know you are standing in a place of legend when you walk into Iwan Ries & Co.

This is a full-scale tobacconist, with large selections of every kind of tobacco.

You can feel the patina of age on the place, and faded touches of elegance from a bygone era. In the age of cell phones, the two pay phone booths in the walnut-paneled entry foyer are simply closeted wooden seats with wires hanging...and then you walk into cigar heaven.

The smoking lounge has smaller chairs that date back easily to the 60's, if not earlier, seven of them. They're comfortable, and the TV is vintage 90's, which suits me fine. There are numerous pipe and cigar magazine articles on the walls, and photos from a Davidoff factory that is clearly South of the border and old-school. It makes me want to shake the hand of each worker pictured, and thank them profusely for the treasures those hands wrought.

The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and they will cut your cigar to your specification and provide you with a light if you're going to smoke in-house.

There are all the accessories a pleasure-smoker could possibly need.

Yes, it's old, alright. And that means they know their business.

Spend an hour or two with a legend. Enjoy.

Thank you for reading.

Dan


Words are the mind's bridge - its connection to all the universe.
Love is the heart's bridge - its connection to all other souls.
Loving words can work miracles.