盡管傳統文化觀念較強，洛杉磯仍然有大把地點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）有一家古巴人經營的酒吧，在韓國城（Koreatown）有一家現場音樂的舞蹈場地。還有幾家雪茄店的室內外座位都比較多。還有一家新開業的雪茄休息室定位成一個允許抽雪茄的共享工作室。甚至還有一家最低消費僅為50美元的豪華酒店的雪茄俱樂部，但是座位較少，更多是強化雪茄普及教育。這就是大陸雪茄俱樂部（Continental Cigar Club）。

大陸雪茄俱樂部是火種盒煙草連鎖店（Tinder Box tobacco shop）聯合創始人的孫子帕特里克·波特 (Patrick Potter)的創意，他熱衷于雪茄事業，享受這個工作帶來的樂趣。這個雪茄俱樂部位于西洛杉磯的塞普爾韋達 (Sepulveda)，和其他三個商店共用一個停車場，還配了一名停車服務員，這可是洛杉磯才有的福利。

談到俱樂部的風格，波特說你可以感受到“一種東海岸的氛圍”，很容易讓人想起美國東北部很多城市中的任何一個社交俱樂部。會所里布置了28把非常舒適的座位，前廳有八個座位可供公眾使用。有一面墻裝飾了很多相框，上面有當地立法和執法部門人員的照片，證明了波特和他們的交情。雪茄紀念品和海報把房間裝飾的非常完美。

前廳有一個較小的雪茄保濕柜，存放著富恩特的巨著X（Fuente OpusX ）以及超級稀有的每支售價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，售價是32美元一支，波特說這是他自己親自卷制的，一次大概卷制20支。

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

這里還有塔圖阿赫（ Tatuaje），考德威爾（Caldwell），羅馬工藝（RomaCraft）、大衛杜夫、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。波特說每個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55美元，還有每支售價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，學會辨別和雪茄相關的不同口味和香氣，有助于培訓雪茄愛好者。大陸雪茄俱樂部還有煙葉卷制方面的培訓，每月還會舉辦一次早餐聚會，介紹門店來的新品雪茄。

2022年開始，俱樂部的會員費為每個人1980美元，會員享有每周7天24小時隨時入店消費的權利。每個人都有進入雪茄俱樂部休息區的鑰匙，可以獲得一個儲物柜的使用權，這樣的儲物柜一共有58個，每個儲物柜可以放下四到六個雪茄盒。

休息區有一張餐桌，你可以自帶食物過來用餐，有一個裝軟飲料的小冰箱，一個單杯濃縮咖啡機，墻上有三臺大電視。休息區播放著拉丁音樂。大陸雪茄俱樂部還提供每個月135美元的單月賽事會員資格，你可以在體育賽事季選擇去雪茄俱樂部看球。如果你有會員資格，在俱樂部消費可以打折。

波特是約翰·威克（John Wick）系列電影的忠實粉絲，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。大陸雪茄俱樂部也效仿電影里的大陸酒店一樣，波特給12位來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可能稱為俱樂部會員的客人。硬幣持有者可以在俱樂部獲得一支免費的雪茄，可以享用雪茄俱樂部的休息區。

波特希望可以擴張大陸雪茄俱樂部的開店數量，七年內在美國開到40家。然后走向國際。他從他祖父經營火種盒煙草店的經驗中學到很多關于多門店經營和特許經營的模式。

大陸雪茄俱樂部

塞普爾韋達大道1716號105座

洛杉磯，CA90025

每周開放七天，早11點到晚11點

電話：(424) 317-0905

官網：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/