Name of Shop: Olde World Tobacco
Date Visited: 09/11/09
Street Address: 2213 Lincoln Highway East
City: Lancaster
State: PA
Zip: 17602
Phone Number: (717) 392-7830
Hours of Operation:

• Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
• Friday 8:00 AM through 9:00 PM
• Saturday 10:00 AM through 9:00 PM
• Sunday 11:00 AM through 5:00 PM

Website: http://www.oldeworldtobacco.com

Location: Above Average
Olde World Tobacco is located on the westbound side of Rt. 30 in Lancaster, PA. Using the Tangers Outlets as a landmark, finding the cigar shop on the opposite side of the street is a breeze. With my wife and I in the area once or twice a year for shopping, the location is very convenient for me to disappear for an hour or so while she moves from one store to the next in the outlets.

Parking seems like it could be tight during busy days. The cigar shop shares a parking area with a couple of other businesses that are grouped together. There are a couple of spaces out directly in-front of the store with a few more alongside the building. Out back there is a gravel covered area with additional parking. During a really busy event, if need be, you could probably park across the street at the outlets and cross Rt. 30 at a traffic light further down the block. I wouldn’t suggest it, but it seemed like an option if the need ever arose.

Staff: Above Average
Because I was visiting the shop for an Oliva event featuring the Cain, the shop was pretty busy. In the whole time I was there (roughly 5 hours), the shop wasn’t really slow enough to take the staff away from business to talk cigars. Outside of cigars, each of the three staff members on hand that night were friendly and prompt to ring you up or get you a beverage.

While seated in the front section of the store, a staff member routinely walked through making sure everyone was comfortable and made sure that anyone in need of a beverage (non-alcoholic) was taken care of.

Stock: Exceptional
This shop, much like Top Shelf Cigars, is very deceiving. From the street is doesn’t look like much, but when you get inside you learn that they take full advantage of the limited space they have. Rather than a walk-in humidor, one lone wall and the rear wall are lined with a number of cabinet humidors. These humidors are packed full or product and show no signs of dead space. Like brands are grouped together for organizations sake and prices are competitive to what I am familiar with in Reading (if not a little better in some areas).

While you will not find Tatuaje, Illusione, or the Miami made Padilla product, you will find lesser known brands like Avalon and Panacea. The store also carries both Padron Anniversarios and Diamond Crown Maximus among other well known super premiums. More common lines such as Oliva (including Nub and Cain), Perdomo, Padron, Rocky Patel, CAO, etc… are all available as well.

Lounge: Exceptional
This store, as I’m told, has three lounges. In the front of the store, along with all of the merchandise, is the first lounge. There are a few tables set up in the center of the room. Each table seats four people and contains an ashtray that is routinely emptied. The ventilation / filtration system works very well and makes virtually no noise to interfere with conversation.

The second lounge is a private Diamond Crown Lounge which was open to the public for the event. This area contains leather furniture in front of a large flat screen tv. There are a couple of tables setup as well as a breakfast bar style area with a few stools. A variety of magazines are available for reading if nothing of interest in on tv.

Back beyond the private lounge is yet another lounge. I did not venture that far and am unsure if it is public or private. I’m also told that there is a patio out back which is used during cook-outs and when the weather is nice.

Overall Opinion: Exceptional
What edges this shop up from Above Average to Exceptional is that in addition to cigars, fresh roasted coffee is readily available. After lighting my cigar I ordered a cup of black coffee to give it a shot. The brew of the day was from Kenya, I believe, and it was excellent. Pricing on this in-house roasted coffee was excellent as was the pricing on Espressos Americanos, etc…

It is very apparent that the staff at Olde World Tobacco takes pride in keeping the shelves stocked, the store clean, and their customers happy. Prices are fair and the staff treated the customers well regardless if they were a regular or a first timer such as myself. During my entire visit both the staff and the customers all appeared to be having a good time, which in turn, makes the environment all the more pleasing.

If this store were a bit closer there is no doubt in my mind that I would visit more frequently. Rather than thinking of my occasional trip to the Lancaster Outlets as a boring shopping day, I’ll be looking forward to any chance of slipping away to the cigar shop just across the street.