Beverly Hills Cigar Club

I was recently contacted by a new cigar retailer, Beverly Hills Cigar Club, to look into what they’ve got going on, and I must say, that so far, I approve.  Now, anything with the name Beverly Hills attached to it automatically sounds pricey, and, well, bear with me as we work through this.

First, the Beverly Hills Cigar Club is an overall retailer.  They first established their web retail business, so you can currently buy from them online, and their prices seem very reasonable at first.  They have all of the regular brands and some of the not-so-regulars as well for a nice variety that most people won’t find at their local shops.  There is a kicker though.  The shipping standard is $10 which probably wouldn’t be such a big deal, however, if you’re not a club member, then you can automatically tack another $20 on top of your online order.

Pays to be a member, right?

Well, remember, this is the Beverly Hills Cigar Club.  A look at membership costs had my jaw drop.  Now, I lived in San Diego for a few years and had been to Beverly Hills a couple times, so I wasn’t completely in shock, but you might be.  Standard memberships start at $1000/year, but gets you five free cigars each month.  They have a monthly payment option for this membership level.  Also, if you visit often/live near Beverly Hills, once they have their B&M location/private club, you’ll have limited access to the boutique club.  The next level is an annual $5000 membership or the VIP membership which gets you a free box of cigars each month and also gets you limited access to the boutique club.  And finally, the Club membership “will hold your place as a Charter Member of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club private lounge and club facility.”  Sounds great, but at $50,000, you might wanna talk to your significant other before joining.

Now, I have to give it to them, they do have a $20 one-time VIP pass that will allow you to rub elbows with some of Beverly Hills’ finest, so I know that the next time I head out to Los Angeles, I’ll definitely be showing up to take a look inside.  I’ll even make sure to pack a nice sports coat, but I’m not wearing a tie.

The club itself is scheduled to be open sometime in late 2009 and will be located in the Rodeo Collection on Rodeo Drive.  Not bad…not bad.

All-in-all, though I jest much about the club pricing, I like the overall idea of a very classy, private cigar club.  With smoking bans going up left and right, private clubs are going to be the only way to go in the too-near future, I’m afraid.  Well, at least if you want to smoke anywhere else besides your garage. The club price is definitely out of my range, but then, so is any shopping on Rodeo Drive period.  I’m not sure about the additional $20 price tag online for not being a club member.  I think that the prices they show online are pretty competitive at first, but they lose that by tacking on another $20 to the order.

Check it out for yourself and see what’s going on in Beverly Hills.  Let’s hear what you have to say about this place!!

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