Buffalo Cigars, Orchard Park, New York
To outsiders, Buffalo, New York is mostly characterized by snowy weather, spicy wings, the Buffalo Bills and the heartbreak that’s reserved for their rowdy fans. There’s truth in all of those attributes, but there’s more to the story. Buffalo is also a town replete with tight-knit communities, blue-collar resilience, beef on weck sandwiches and passion that extends beyond the gridiron. Take cigars, for example. For the past decade, Western New York aficionados have been demonstrating their love for premium smokes at Buffalo Cigars. The flagship location is just down the road from the Bills’ stadium, and two more spots have opened up around the city.
Buffalo Cigars started in 2016 as a small retail shop and lounge, roughly 2,400 square feet, in Orchard Park—a small suburb of Buffalo. In 2018, it was expanded with a second location, similar in size to the first, in Amherst, just north of the city’s downtown area. A few years later, the triumvirate was complete, as a third Buffalo Cigars opened in downtown Buffalo.
Around the time the third location debuted, Buffalo Cigars was also in the midst of revamping the original Orchard Park spot. In 2021, a 3,000-square-foot addition was added to the back of the building. This refreshed, industrial-style space is equipped with plenty of flatscreen televisions, plush leather chairs, a fully-stocked, private bar and a large outdoor patio area. The newer space is an alluring juxtaposition to the more traditional, subdued air of the front retail and lounge area. There’s a modern brewery feel to the back, whereas the front lounge is reminiscent of an old school tobacco shop, with lockers available to rent, leather chairs, high tables and a coffee machine as you sit amongst the cigar inventory.
The back area—reserved for the Buffalo Cigar Club, a private, membership-based group—comes with special perks. Members get access to this space, most notably the bar and patio, as well as 15 percent off on all retail purchases, access to member-only events, discounts for Buffalo Cigar Fest, discounted drinks in the club space and the ability to use a second-floor space to host private events.
The cigar bar element is a game changer. If you ask most aficionados, access to such a space is worth a hefty price of admission, especially as cigar bars become less and less common. But these Western New Yorkers are getting a bargain deal, as the annual membership fees for the Buffalo Cigar Club are just $150.
The Amherst spot has a similar set-up to the flagship, with a separate, private space reserved for the Buffalo Cigar Club, something not found in the downtown Buffalo location. That shop, however, does have a BYOB permit that allows visitors to supply and indulge on their own accord. Non-members can still smoke at the Orchard Park and Amherst locations in the front retail space and lounge, although they cannot consume alcohol.
Buffalo Cigars earned its reputation among local aficionados not for its beverage policies, but for what you can find on the cigar side. It’s an impressive inventory, with more than 100,000 smokes between the three locations, according to the owners. They also claim to have the largest walk-in humidor in Western New York, via the The Orchard Park flagship store. There’s even more cigar facings outside of the walk-in, along the walls on the humidified shelves of the retail space. You can expect all of the big-name brands here, from Oliva, Padrón and Rocky Patel to others like Aladino, Ferio Tego and West Tampa.
Should you want a less standard smoke, consider the Buffalo Cigars in-house brand, Los Martinez. These smokes are rolled by their on-site cigar roller, Nicolas Martinez, who works at the Orchard Park location and has been in the industry for more than 40 years. (Martinez can also be hired for offsite events like weddings and golf tournaments.)
Buffalo Cigars hosts several events, some of them exclusive to members, but most of them open to the public, such as the Buffalo Cigars Smoke & Revolution series, with discussions about the American Revolution. They also host a pig roast every summer, holiday-themed parties, cigar vendor nights and bocce and cornhole spring leagues. The most popular is the annual Buffalo Cigar Fest, held offsite. “We started it as ‘lets get everyone together to smoke cigars, listen to music and drink beer,’” says Megan Gordon, director of marketing for Buffalo Cigars. “It has taken off from there.” This September will be the ninth rendition of the festival, a day-long event that features beer and cigar vendors, live music and food. Gordon says it’s attended by roughly 900 people every year.
If you’re in Buffalo, consider a stop at one of the three locations, but beware of the day. If the Bills are playing, you may be in for more than you bargained for, if that’s not your scene. Home games near the Orchard Park location offer a different kind of frenzy, being located so close to the Bills stadium. Even during away games, the Orchard Park and Amherst locations are packed full. However, if you do go on game day, you can expect free pizza, cigar discounts and more than enough die-hard Bills fans to go around. Just spare the tables.
Buffalo Cigars
buffalocigars.com
Orchard Park
2911 Southwestern Blvd
Orchard Park, NY 14127
Mon–Fri: 10–10
Sat: Noon–10pm
Sun: Noon–6pm
Amherst
7032 Transit Rd
Amherst, NY 14221
Mon–Wed: Noon–10pm
Thu: Noon–11pm
Fri–Sat: Noon–10pm
Sun: Noon–6pm
Downtown Buffalo
500 Main St
Buffalo, NY 14203
Mon–Fri: Noon–8pm
Sat: Noon–9pm
Sun: Closed
