Hidden Cigar Place

Delaware - Home of the Blue Hen and the golden heart.  This is the third installation of places I have found in the First State worth visiting.  This week takes us to a well kept walk-in cigar humidor in Dover, cleverly disguised as a Dot Discount tobacco outlet.


  Good cigars are tough to come by in Kent County, Delaware.  If you are looking for something more than cherry-flavored Phillies Blunts or Swisher Sweets, it is slim pickings.  The only tobacco outlets are the strip mall types that pepper Dupont Highway from Harrington to Smyrna.  I normally have boxes shipped to me from JR Cigars and stockpile them at the house, but I glanced in my humidor and found dust and cobwebs.   What was I to do?
Fortunately there is a fantastic walk-in humidor hidden in the heart of Dover.  I do not understand why, but the place is simply called Dot Discount Stores and looks like all of the other Dot Discount Stores you see around the county.  It is a plain-jane white, concrete building just south of the K-Mart.  I think its lackluster appearance may be some reverse-psychology business ploy.
I made the drive downtown, and entered the nondescript place.   I continued straight ten paces past the usual cigarette fare and entered the cedar-lined humidor, which is closed off from the rest of the business.
I closed the door behind me and immediately got that nice, humid feel as the smell of the tobacco leaf wafted over me.  The closet is around 13' X 12' (see attached photo) and it is kept in good shape.  When I visited on this day the owner was repairing one of the main humidifying vents.

There is a very large variety of cigars  here.  They carry the big names (Arturo Fuente, Partagas, Punch, Macanudo) as well as smaller brands and unknowns (Nub, Acid, Capone).  I picked up a lancero called Virtuoso by Carlos Torano on the owner's recommendation.  It was just the size I was looking for.  I thought the price was a little steep ($6.50) but that was to be expected when you are buying just one cigar.  Boxes are available for sale as well and my older brother has bought them here at comparable prices to JR and Thompson Cigars.  A free box of wooden matches came with my purchase  (you can never have too many)  and I walked out satisfied (good smoke, by the way).

My brother was gracious enough to introduce me to this place about ten years ago.  If he had not told me, I would have never guessed it was there.  It may be the only game in town, but I think this hidden walk-in humidor is a great find, definitely a hidden gem that is there for me in a pinch. 

Dot Discount Stores
720 Townsend Boulevard
Dover, DE 19901-2539
(302) 741-0422