It was another sunny Sunday in February. After I got my steps in at the mall, I followed the suggestions of a couple of my online cigar contacts and made the trek all the way out to Lake Country Cigars in Delafield, Wisconsin, about forty minutes from my home in Milwaukee.
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| Another Sunday cigar stop! |
I walked through the door with a Starbucks coffee in my hand. While the counter was immediately to the left of the front door, beyond it the humidor ran along the left side of the shop. Then to the right of the humidor was the spacious front lounge, with a small bar toward the back of it. Almost every seat was taken. However, I tuned everyone out as I entered the humidor, and immediately the name, "Churchill," resonated in my mind. Then a tall, nice-looking gentleman offered to help me, and I asked him to recommend a Churchill that goes good with coffee. He led me through the humidor and described several, but like a cat with catnip, I got very excited inside the walk-in humidor: oh, the aroma of tobacco and cedar! I could barely concentrate on the details he shared, however, one cigar did stand out. He said the Drews Estates Undercrown Shade was middle to bold, and would go great with coffee. SOLD!
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| Drews Estate Undercrown Shade |
Lake Country is a beautiful rustic place! The main lounge area had black leather couches and seats, with antiques and framed cigar prints decorating the walls. A cooler with glass doors rested behind the bar, revealing a generous stock of beers, sodas and other beverages, to which patrons could help themselves and pay for on the way out. Down the center, between the humidor and the lounge ran a back hallway, leading to a coffee bar and an office on the left, and a decently sized back lounge on the right. And that lounge was full of patrons, too!
I sat where I can best describe was the center of the whole place, with my back against the humidor wall, across from the bar, and right where the hallway started. A barrel with an astray on it served as my table, and I had to make sure my crossed legs were not in the way of the heavy traffic of patrons walking back and forth through that hallway. Here I lit my Undercrown Shade and took a sip of coffee, and the flavor was as stimulating as the lounge was.
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| Barrel for a table! |
The dominant crowd was made up of mature men, some playing cards at a big table, while others chatted in seats. Soft music pervaded the calm atmosphere here. Even when the Milwaukee Buck's game on the TV went down to the wire in a nail-biter, the cheering and happiness when the Buck's finally won was sincere but not crazy. It was a calm celebratory energy.
Getting back to my Churchill cigar, the Undercrown Shade was a great smoke, packing a subtle, solid punch, and a nutty flavor that went really well with my coffee. And I like to give two ratings, with my modest experience: the cigar by itself, and the entire smoking experience. So the cigar was easily a 92, but the rustic setting and coffee pairing bumps it up a little. And I have to say, I have rarely seen a place so busy, that was still so unbelievably calming. The cigar stop was a 96!
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| Most every seat was taken! |
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