Bar Review - Highland Cigar Co.

If our obesity rate isn’t enough proof that hedonism is alive and ... hell, booming in Atlanta, just look at the number of cigar bars that have opened in the past few years.

The thought of a cigar bar used to conjure up images of a dark and musty room that was anything but inviting. Hangouts such as Highland Cigar Co., however, are shattering that stereotype with spruced up decor and swank offerings such as private humidors ($385/year). The bar has an impressive selection of more than 40 scotches and the “state-of-the-art ventilation system” does an amazing job keeping the air clear and your hair smelling like your favorite shampoo, not like an ashtray. After selecting your cigar from the walk-in humidor stocked with choices from Romeo y Julieta to Gray Cliff (a boutique cigar from the Bahamas), you can puff away on a plush leather couch in front of the numerous high-definition flat screens that line the walls.

Do not be dissuaded, ladies. This is not a boys-only club. You’re bound to see the fairer sex sitting at the bar with a martini in one hand and a burning stogie in the other. Multitasking is what we do best, after all.

Highland Cigar Co., 245 N. Highland Avenue, Suite 140. 404-477-2415. Mon.-Thurs., noon--midnight; Fri.-Sat., noon-2 a.m.; Sun., noon-10 p.m. www.highlandcigar.com.