Best Of Tucson®

Best Place for Fire Eaters

Various cigar stores

Anthony's Cigar Emporium, 7866 N. Oracle Road and 4811 E. Grant Road, are tops in Tucson for premium cigar sales, lockers and accessories. Why? Pepe McCormick started with store founder Anthony Martino and remains to anchor operations for the new owners. He shuttles between stores when he isn't visiting growers and makers in Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and other locales. It helps to have someone who has visited with, say, the patriarch of the Padron cigar family. Whether you are "one of the boys" or a cigar aficionado professor, Pepe and his crew are at your service.

Then, head over to Head West Smoke Shop, 2750 N. Campbell Ave. Joe, Frank and the boys can always find time, despite the brisk business for smokes and pipes, to help with a good stock of cigars that are always marked down. We mean low. You'll find real bargains here.

For a chain feel, go to Tinder Box Internationale, 5350 E. Broadway Blvd. We miss that sweet red-haired grandmother who took care of Tinder Box customers at El Con, but the Williams Center digs are nice. Lockers, comfortable leather sofas and chairs, and TV may keep you lingering. The place has a top-notch selection, including the Fuente Fuente Opus X.

Finally, is money no object? The cigar bar at McMahon's Prime Steak House, 2959 N. Swan Road, is a real pleasure for high-end smokes and brandy.