The Tobacco Depot

Stories and Events - Places in Blairsville, Blue Ridge, and Northeast Georgia

The Tobacco Depot with train logo

Congratulations to the Tobacco Depot in Blairsville , Georgia!

The Tobacco Depot celebrates its 20th Anniversary in 2022! Congratulations to owner Judy Bailey for 20 years of retail excellence at her shop on Young Harris Street (next to the US Post Office).

Judy opened at her current location on 02/02/2002, after being in a smaller space on Blue Ridge Highway since 2000.

She says, “The people in Blairsville are very special and I am proud to be a part of the community. Thank you to the folks that have supported us through the years. I appreciate every one of you.”

Judy adds, “I also want to thank Georgia . Without her help, I don't know how I could have done it. I've had several good employees over the past twenty years but Georgia is number one.”

Where can I get good tobacco products in north Georgia?

If you have ever visited The Tobacco Depot, then both Judy and Georgia are familiar faces. They greet every customer with a smile, answer questions, and keep the store filled with everything a tobacco connoisseur could want.

The Tobacco Depot carries rolling tobacco, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, lighters, accessories, cigarettes, and premium cigars. The store has tobacco that comes in packs, bags, pouches, canisters, cans, and wrappers. From sweet to robust, the different tobacco products are fresh, moist, and fragrant. You won't find dried out old products at The Tobacco Depot. Judy makes sure of that.

Did I mention cigars?

Well, if you like premium cigars, The Tobacco Depot sells the best ones around. They have many top brands including Henry Clay War Hawks, Deadwood Fat Bottom Betty's, Rocky Patel Disciples, and Royal Challenge's Gurkhas.

The Tobacco Depot - a small town treasure

Click on the web-story above to see more about premium cigars at The Tobacco Depot.

What exactly is a cigar?

Cigars are dried and fermented tobacco leaves that are rolled up for smoking. They come in an array of sizes and shapes. Cigars have three basic parts including the filler tobacco, the binder, and the wrapper leaf. Even though all the parts of a premium cigar are made from tobacco leaves, the filler may come from Honduras, the binder from Nicaragua , and the wrapper from The United States.

Is there something special about cigar tobacco?

Yes. Cigar tobacco is the cream of the crop. Leaves intended for premium cigars are harvested, dried, cured, put through a slow fermenting process, and aged. Premium cigar tobacco may be aged up to forty years before being hand-rolled into a cigar. During the aging period, the leaves are regularly turned, moistened, and inspected.

Machine-rolled cigars are made from cheaper tobacco that is not slow fermented or aged for lengthy periods. Lower grade cigars use a type of paper made from tobacco leaf pulp as wrappers instead of whole tobacco leaves. The resulting product does not have the fine aroma and taste that a smoker gets from a fine cigar.

No part of these aged tobacco leaves is wasted. Even the sweepings from a cigar room floor are used to make filler for cigarettes!

Why are cigars kept in special cabinets and boxes?

Humidors at The Tobacco Depot

Humidors at The Tobacco Depot keep cigars in a controlled environment.

Cigars should always be stored in an environment with 70% humidity and a temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows the cigars to age properly instead of drying out or molding!

Special cabinets called humidors are especially designed for cigar storage. Wooden boxes are also used for short term packing and shipping. The best humidors and cigar boxes are lined with cedar. This fragrant wood lends a slight aroma to the finished product that is greatly admired by cigar aficionados.

The Tobacco Depot stores all of their cigars in one of three humidors. You can be sure of getting a good smoke that has been kept in a perfectly controlled environment when you buy a premium cigar from Judy or Georgia.

Does color matter when choosing a premium cigar?

Usually the darker colored cigars have been fermented and aged the longest. The seven cigar colors are listed below:

Candela (Double Claro) is very light and slightly green.
Claro is light yellow or tan.
Colorado Claro is medium brown.
Colorado Rosado is reddish brown.
Colorado Maduro is darker brown.
Maduro is very dark brown.
Oscuro (Double Maduro) is black.

What is the average size of a cigar?

Cigars range in size from three to ten inches in length. The average cigar is around six inches long. In diameter, cigars range from a third of an inch (Cigarillo) to an inch or more (Double Toro/Gordo).

Cigars shapes - drawing by Janice Boling

Cigars also come in different shapes.

Cigar shapes can range from a straight tube to more of a torpedo shape. They can be fat or thin.

Do cigars come in different flavors?

No, not exactly. Cigar flavors are described a lot like fine wines or perfumes with a hint of this and a top-note of that. Fruity, spicy, peppery, earthy, woodsy, nutty, and creamy are some adjectives used to describe cigars. They can also taste like vanilla, cherry, orange, cedar, chocolate, dirt, and hot pepper!

What are the best selling premium cigar brands?

Some brands sell better than others. The Tobacco Depot customers seem to prefer War Hawks, Fat Bottom Betty's, Rocky Patel's, and anything by Gurkha.

A little information about Henry Clay War Hawks

Henry Clay is a brand of cigars named after the early American politician Henry Clay (1777–1852). The brand was created in the 1840's by a Cuban tobacco magnate, the Spanish emigrant Julián Álvarez Granda.

Henry Clay was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He also served as United States Secretary of State and was the top foreign policy official in the John Quincy Adams administration. Considered a War Hawk by his peers, Henry Clay and a bunch of other congressmen demanded war against the British, resulting in The War of 1812.

The Henry Clay cigar brand is owned by the Spanish company Altadis, a subsidiary of Imperial Brands. These premium cigars, currently manufactured in the Dominican Republic , are some of the finest smokes on today's market and are available at The Tobacco Depot in Blairsville , Georgia .

Deadwood Tobacco Company's Fat Bottom Betty cigars

Since 1875, Deadwood, South Dakota has welcomed cowboys and weary travelers to town. The locals also welcome anyone that enjoys a good cigar.

With cobblestone streets and a relaxed atmosphere, the town has lots to offer. If you are ever in the area, be sure to visit The Deadwood Tobacco Company for a smoke and crafted beer or glass of wine. If you enjoy live music, then this might be a good destination for you.

While there, don't forget to stock up on Fat Bottom Betty cigars. They are robust, yet mild and sweet tasting. Who would expect less from Deadwood, South Dakota ?

Dressed with a Maduro style wrapper, Fat Bottom Betty cigars originate from the famous Drew Estate's facility in Nicaragua . If you live closer to Blairsville , Georgia than to Deadwood, South Dakota , or Nicaragua , Central America , you can purchase Fat Bottom Betty cigars at The Tobacco Depot!

Rocky Patel Disciples

Rocky Patel Disciple cigar

The Rocky Patel Disciple cigar is a robust, flavorful smoke with a hint of peppery spice. Rocky Patel has some of the highest standards in the industry so when you purchase one (or a box), you can be sure they are quality products.

The company is involved throughout the whole process of producing the perfect cigar. This includes sprouting the tobacco seeds, growing the plants, overseeing the curing barns, sorting, fermentation, and rolling. That's not all. Quality control, the aging room, aesthetics, banding, boxing, and shipping come next.

When a box full of Rocky Patel Disciples arrives at The Tobacco Depot, Judy adds them to her amazing inventory of premium cigars. Check them out next time you want a good smoke.

Gurkha's Royal Challenge cigar

Kaizad Hansotia, owner of Gurkah Tobacco, is known for revolutionizing the cigar market in the late 1980's. Known for selling premium hand rolled cigars, Hansotia was the first to bring quality cigars to the United States and the world. Before Mr. Hansotia came along, most cigars sold in the USA were dried out and of poor quality.

Well not anymore! Did you know that Gurkha produces some of the most expensive cigars in world with a box going for around $250,000? These exclusive quarter million dollar cigars are not available in Blairsville, but you can get a Royal Challenge for less than $20 at The Tobacco Depot.

Smokers describe the medium strength Royal Challenge as velvety, relaxing, crisp, complex, sweet, clean, lightly spicy, rich, peppery, luxurious, buttery, creamy, smooth, citrusy, and woodsy with a hit of vanilla and cedar. That's a complicated flavor profile!

Gurkha Royal Challenge cigars are made in the Dominican Republic with shade-grown wrappers from Ecuador and Connecticut , binders from Honduras , and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua .

Is there anything I should know before smoking a cigar?

A cigar should be rotated while lighting to ensure an even burn. Cigar smoke is not usually inhaled. Instead, some cigar smokers swirl the smoke around inside their mouth to get a better sense of the taste. Cigars can be mild, medium, or full-bodied which is not an indication of quality or price.

All tobacco products, including cigars, can become addictive and may cause health problems like asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, COPD, and cancer especially if inhaled on a daily basis.

Why is cigar smoking gaining in popularity?

As cigarette smoking declines, projections show that cigar smoking is here to stay. People smoke cigars to celebrate grand moments in life like the birth of a baby or a wedding. Did you know women smoke cigars, too? Cigars are not just for the men. Even celebrities like Rhianna enjoy lighting up a premium cigar.

The Tobacco Depot sells premium tobacco products, pipes, rolling papers, and other smoking accessories to the folks of Union County and beyond. Be sure to stop in next time you are in Blairsville and say hello.

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