Central Cigars, St. Petersburg, Florida
Thirty years ago, when Central Cigars opened, downtown St. Petersburg was far from the hotspot it is today. There was one other bar on the street, lots of empty storefronts, and few tourists. The arrival of the downtown Major League ballpark changed that, and today the waterfront area is humming with activity day and night, a tourist epicenter of shops, cafes, hotels, outdoor dining and nightlife, and Central Cigars remains a key part of the neighborhood fabric. It sits on one of the busiest corners in the city, Central Avenue and Third Street, three blocks from the water and just one from the popular James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art. Today there are several cigar venues on Central Avenue, but none have a bigger selection than Central Cigars.
Because it does not serve food, Central Cigars can allow smoking inside and out. Outside, on the sidewalk patio, you are greeted by more than two dozen cushioned seats. Inside the front door there are a couple of floor-to-ceiling humidors on the right and a counter with cigar accessories and cash register. Beyond this is a single long, classic bar like you’d find in an Irish pub running the length of the deep but narrow space. It’s both a smoking bar and retail shop, and the left wall is lined all the way back with more humidors, about a dozen, containing more than 650 different bands from more than 60 producers.
Central’s size and long history gives it a lot of industry clout, and you will find dozens of rare cigars. That includes allocated offerings from Arturo Fuente, including the Fuente Fuente OpusX ForbiddenX, the Fuente Fuente OpusX 2020, better known as the “OpusX Dubai,” the Don Carlos Eye of the Shark (the 2017 Cigar of the Year), Añejos and Rare Pinks. You can also find the Padrón 60, an impressive lineup of Liga Privada by Drew Estate (Feral Flying Pig, Dirty Rat, Ratzilla, Velvet Rat and Unico UF 13), a huge Davidoff selection and a large amount of cigars from local cigarmaker J.C. Newman, among many other brands.
Prices range from the quite reasonable to the considerably expensive. A Zino Nicaragua Robusto can be had for $8, a Fuente 8-5-8 is $10, an Ashton ESG 22-Year runs $38, the Padrón 50th is $55, the Opus X Dubai Viento is $110 and the Davidoff Royal Robusto sells for $130.
If you visited the store some time ago, it’s bigger than you might remember: 15 years ago, when the storefront next door became available, Central took it over and doubled in size, turning it into live music venue Ruby’s Elixir, open from 6:30PM-3AM daily, with non-stop live music seven nights a week (reggae, jazz, blues and rock). It has become one of the region’s premier performance venues and has its own large outdoor patio for about 30, allowing guests to smoke and buy from the Central offerings (the two are also connected inside). Since it stays open later, some bar guests with a still lit cigar move over at closing. Both have very well stocked bars with a large whiskey list and craft cocktails. While the two are connected, Central attracts avid cigar lovers and the live music at Ruby’s draws many newcomers, cultivating another generation of fans.
“The music draws a different demographic, many of whom didn’t even know until they came that it was connected to a cigar bar,” says founder Greg Haddad. “So we sell a lot of people their very first cigar, help them choose, and then they become part of our community.”
Both spots have a feel-good, welcoming, neighborhood vibe, and it’s a great community to be part of. Central also has 60 locker members and hosts about one social event with cigar brand ambassadors monthly in Ruby’s before it opens for the evening. They also offer occasional curated whiskey events.
Central Cigars & Ruby’s Elixir
273 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 898-2442
https://www.centralcigarsdtsp.com/
Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Friday-Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Ruby’s Elixir 7 Nights, 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m.
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