盡管傳統(tǒng)文化觀念較強(qiáng)，洛杉磯仍然有大把地點(diǎn)可以供公眾享用雪茄。并且分布廣泛、形式各異。在比利佛山莊（Beverly Hills）有一家古巴人經(jīng)營(yíng)的酒吧，在韓國(guó)城（Koreatown）有一家現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂(lè)的舞蹈場(chǎng)地。還有幾家雪茄店的室內(nèi)外座位都比較多。還有一家新開業(yè)的雪茄休息室定位成一個(gè)允許抽雪茄的共享工作室。甚至還有一家最低消費(fèi)僅為50美元的豪華酒店的雪茄俱樂(lè)部，但是座位較少，更多是強(qiáng)化雪茄普及教育。這就是大陸雪茄俱樂(lè)部（Continental Cigar Club）。

大陸雪茄俱樂(lè)部是火種盒煙草連鎖店（Tinder Box tobacco shop）聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人的孫子帕特里克·波特 (Patrick Potter)的創(chuàng)意，他熱衷于雪茄事業(yè)，享受這個(gè)工作帶來(lái)的樂(lè)趣。這個(gè)雪茄俱樂(lè)部位于西洛杉磯的塞普爾韋達(dá) (Sepulveda)，和其他三個(gè)商店共用一個(gè)停車場(chǎng)，還配了一名停車服務(wù)員，這可是洛杉磯才有的福利。

談到俱樂(lè)部的風(fēng)格，波特說(shuō)你可以感受到“一種東海岸的氛圍”，很容易讓人想起美國(guó)東北部很多城市中的任何一個(gè)社交俱樂(lè)部。會(huì)所里布置了28把非常舒適的座位，前廳有八個(gè)座位可供公眾使用。有一面墻裝飾了很多相框，上面有當(dāng)?shù)亓⒎ê蛨?zhí)法部門人員的照片，證明了波特和他們的交情。雪茄紀(jì)念品和海報(bào)把房間裝飾的非常完美。

前廳有一個(gè)較小的雪茄保濕柜，存放著富恩特的巨著X（Fuente OpusX ）以及超級(jí)稀有的每支售價(jià)35美元的多米尼加之花的安德烈斯公牛（Andalusian Bull ）。波特的自有品牌Hoy Vivo是EPC雪茄公司代工的，有一款金字塔造型的，售價(jià)是32美元一支，波特說(shuō)這是他自己親自卷制的，一次大概卷制20支。

柜臺(tái)后面的雪茄房比較大，在里面你可以發(fā)現(xiàn)波特自有品牌的其他產(chǎn)品線，牛奶&蜂蜜（Milk & Honey），每支售價(jià)13美元，有三款不同調(diào)配的尼加拉瓜煙葉。波特通過(guò)旗下的貿(mào)易公司定制了七款不同的雪茄，放在大陸雪茄俱樂(lè)部銷售。

這里還有塔圖阿赫（ Tatuaje），考德威爾（Caldwell），羅馬工藝（RomaCraft）、大衛(wèi)杜夫、帕德龍、蒙特，還有一些納特·謝爾曼（ Nat Sherman）的存品，還有老爹雪茄、奧利瓦、巴爾莫勒爾（Balmoral）、CAO、多米尼加之花等品牌。波特說(shuō)每個(gè)檔次的雪茄都有一些備貨。比較稀罕的是富恩特的巨著X天使的分享（Angel’s Share）羅布圖，每支售價(jià)55美元，還有每支售價(jià)65美元的帕德龍80周年。

波特要求店里的員工接受雪茄方面的培訓(xùn)，學(xué)會(huì)辨別和雪茄相關(guān)的不同口味和香氣，有助于培訓(xùn)雪茄愛(ài)好者。大陸雪茄俱樂(lè)部還有煙葉卷制方面的培訓(xùn)，每月還會(huì)舉辦一次早餐聚會(huì)，介紹門店來(lái)的新品雪茄。

2022年開始，俱樂(lè)部的會(huì)員費(fèi)為每個(gè)人1980美元，會(huì)員享有每周7天24小時(shí)隨時(shí)入店消費(fèi)的權(quán)利。每個(gè)人都有進(jìn)入雪茄俱樂(lè)部休息區(qū)的鑰匙，可以獲得一個(gè)儲(chǔ)物柜的使用權(quán)，這樣的儲(chǔ)物柜一共有58個(gè)，每個(gè)儲(chǔ)物柜可以放下四到六個(gè)雪茄盒。

休息區(qū)有一張餐桌，你可以自帶食物過(guò)來(lái)用餐，有一個(gè)裝軟飲料的小冰箱，一個(gè)單杯濃縮咖啡機(jī)，墻上有三臺(tái)大電視。休息區(qū)播放著拉丁音樂(lè)。大陸雪茄俱樂(lè)部還提供每個(gè)月135美元的單月賽事會(huì)員資格，你可以在體育賽事季選擇去雪茄俱樂(lè)部看球。如果你有會(huì)員資格，在俱樂(lè)部消費(fèi)可以打折。

波特是約翰·威克（John Wick）系列電影的忠實(shí)粉絲，電影里為刺客們提供休息的中立酒店的名字就叫大陸酒店。大陸雪茄俱樂(lè)部也效仿電影里的大陸酒店一樣，波特給12位來(lái)自洛杉磯不同酒店的禮賓員每人10枚硬幣，他們可以將硬幣送給未來(lái)可能稱為俱樂(lè)部會(huì)員的客人。硬幣持有者可以在俱樂(lè)部獲得一支免費(fèi)的雪茄，可以享用雪茄俱樂(lè)部的休息區(qū)。

波特希望可以擴(kuò)張大陸雪茄俱樂(lè)部的開店數(shù)量，七年內(nèi)在美國(guó)開到40家。然后走向國(guó)際。他從他祖父經(jīng)營(yíng)火種盒煙草店的經(jīng)驗(yàn)中學(xué)到很多關(guān)于多門店經(jīng)營(yíng)和特許經(jīng)營(yíng)的模式。

大陸雪茄俱樂(lè)部

塞普爾韋達(dá)大道1716號(hào)105座

洛杉磯，CA90025

每周開放七天，早11點(diǎn)到晚11點(diǎn)

電話：(424) 317-0905

官網(wǎng)：http://www.thecontinentalcigarclub.com/

附參考原文：

espite conventional wisdom, greater Los Angeles has many places where a member of the public can enjoy a cigar. The diversity is considerable. There’s a Cuban-owned bar in Beverly Hills, a live-music and dance venue in Koreatown and several tobacco stores with abundant indoor and outdoor seating. A newer lounge is intended as a shared workspace that allows smoking. There’s even, not surprisingly, a luxury hotel cigar and whiskey haunt where the minimum spend is $50. And now, there’s a cigar club and store, with limited public seating, that emphasizes cigar education. Welcome to the Continental Cigar Club.

Continental is the brainchild of Patrick Potter, the grandson of the co-founder of the Tinder Box tobacco shop, who is as evangelical about the joys of cigars as anyone you’re likely to meet. The club, on Sepulveda in West Los Angeles, shares a parking lot with three other businesses and has a parking attendant, a bonus in LA. The style of the club, which Potter says “has an East Coast vibe,” reminds one of social clubs in any of a number of urban northeastern cities. There are 28 very comfortable seats inside the private club, and about eight available for the public in the front room. Plaques from law enforcement agencies adorn a wall, a testament to Potter’s consulting involvement and support with some of them. Cigar memorabilia and posters round out the decor.

A smaller cabinet humidor in front holds the highest-end offerings, such as Fuente Fuente OpusX sizes and the ultra-rare La Flor Dominicana? Andalusian Bull ($35). Potter’s own Hoy Vivo brand, made with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, is $32 for a Pyramid Plus. Potter said that he rolls these himself, about 20 at a time.

The humidor room behind the counter is large, with more than 600 facings. Inside you’ll find another of Potter’s lines, the Milk & Honey ($13), available in three different blends of Nicaraguan tobaccos. Potter has a total of seven different proprietary cigars made by his Tabac Trading Company for sale at Continental.? Tatuaje is well represented here. Also available are cigars by Caldwell, RomaCraft, Davidoff, Padrón, Montecristo, some of the last Nat Shermans, My Father, Oliva, Balmoral, CAO and more La Flor Dominicanas. Potter says there’s something for every budget. Among the more rare finds are the Fuente Fuente OpusX Angel’s Share Robusto ($55) and the Padrón 80th ($65).

Potter requires his staff to get training in matters of tobacco. Inside, there are round wheels charting different tastes and aromas related to cigars that help educate smokers. Continental also offers classes on blending, and every month there’s a breakfast that introduces a new brand or something the humidor doesn’t have.

Membership will cost $1,980 beginning in 2022. Members will have 24/7 access, each getting a fob to enter the lounge, and one of the 58 lockers, each of which can hold four to six boxes. There’s a table for dining (you’ll need to bring in your own food) a small refrigerator for soft drinks, a single-serve espresso machine, and three large televisions on the wall. Latin music plays in the lounge. Continental also offers a $135 a month sports membership that lets you visit the lounge when games are on. Discounts on products bought in the store come with the memberships.

Potter is a big fan of the John Wick movie franchise. Continental is the name of the neutral hotel in the films where assassins can relax. Continental Cigar Club also uses a coin, like in the movies, as currency. Potter has given out 10 coins each, he says, to 12 different LA hotel concierges so that they can pass them along to guests who might later become club members. The coin entitles the bearer to a free house cigar and a visit to the private lounge.

Potter is dedicating his efforts to expanding the Continental Cigar Club, looking to open 40 in the United States in seven years. Then he wants to go international. He says he learned the multi-unit and franchising models from his grandfather’s experience with Tinder Box.

Above all, Potter preaches cigars and civility. And a love of cigars. Both are available at the Continental Cigar Club.

Continental Cigar Club

1716 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #105

Los Angeles, CA 90025

Hours: Open 7 days a week to the general public, 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM?

Phone: (424) 317-0905

http://www.thecontinentalcigarclub.com/