Racine & Laramie. Old Town San Diego

[BROBS]

A lot of times shops will have certain cigars out of the humidor and on a counter if they're looking to promote them or call attention to them for some reason. Depending on the environmental rH outside of the 'dor, cigars will do fine for a while outside of the 'dor. They're pretty resilient, and I think it takes a fairly long time of being exposed to dryer than ideal conditions for them to suffer irreversible damage. Most of the time, those boxes on the counter will get put back into the humidor at night. One would hope, anyway.

Some of us even intentionally leave cigars in a dryer place for a day or three to "dry box" a cigar and improve its smoking characteristics. Certain Cubans and brands like La For Dominicans really benefit from it, in my experience.

I do drybox my cigars a bit usually

I guess you’re right they could be put back at night etc.
just around here I’ve never seen cigars out of a humidor in a shop.

 

[mso489]

On my business trip to SD, I only saw Old Town during the day and didn't really get to explore. Long sessions on the job, and i was solo for the organization, so didn't get the experience. Up early for work. I don't think OT was even there yet when I saw it on liberty as a sailor. SD is a pleasant town, nice walking city, clean and basking in the California sun with onshore breezes. Different than standing in the chill pre-dawn in ranks waiting for a boot camp breakfast, advancing in unison on command. Whew.

 

[BROBS]

On my business trip to SD, I only saw Old Town during the day and didn't really get to explore. Long sessions on the job, and i was solo for the organization, so didn't get the experience. Up early for work. I don't think OT was even there yet when I saw it on liberty as a sailor. SD is a pleasant town, nice walking city, clean and basking in the California sun with onshore breezes. Different than standing in the chill pre-dawn in ranks waiting for a boot camp breakfast, advancing in unison on command. Whew.

It was just called “town” at that time

 

[ofafeather]

It was just called “town” at that time

And before that it was called New Town

 

[eljimmy]

Dropped in during our family trip in 2019. To be honest the whole setup as part of that old-town museum makes it feel a bit like... a museum. The guy behind the counter gets 1 real customer out of 100 people coming in. This of cause shows in the attitude. So somehow impressive and full of propps.. but at the same time not fully authentic.
On the other hand: it was a hot day in July, my bood sugar low and two whiney girls plus wife in tow so what know I...

Hahaha! Yeah man, I know what you mean. The workers dressed in era correct clothing makes it feel a bit amusing but I get it, it goes with the shop and the Old Town vibe.

 

[eljimmy]

Looks like they’ve got tat skinny monsters just sitting on a counter

I'll be honest, I paid very little attention to the cigars. What I did see is that the wrappers are in good condition and the cigars I picked up felt fine. Something is working for them.

 

[STP]

Pretty cool looking place...

 

[Zack Miller]

There used to be a great restaurant called Casa Bandini, but I think they turned it into an inn.

 

[ofafeather]

There used to be a great restaurant called Casa Bandini, but I think they turned it into an inn.

That was a great place!

 

[ofafeather]

There used to be a great restaurant called Casa Bandini, but I think they turned it into an inn.

Looks like they’re in Carlsbad now.

 

[Zack Miller]

Looks like they’re in Carlsbad now.

Interesting, but the restaurant in Old Town was the actual Bandini House An old Spanish family.

 

[ofafeather]

Interesting, but the restaurant in Old Town was the actual Bandini House An old Spanish family.

Interesting. Didn’t know that.

 

[Zack Miller]

Richard Henry Dana spoke of him in Two Years Before the Mast Which in itself is an interesting book not only about the days of iron men and wooden ships (now it the other way around), but of early California.

 

[markus]

I usually try to visit R&L and buy a few things, when I go there on travel a couple times every year.
It's a pretty cool place for sure!

 

[Racine]

Are they keeping cigars outside of a humidor?

or is that room a humidor?

Owner's daughter popping on to say hi. We monitor humidity for our cigars and have several humidification units...of course, having THICK adobe walls helps too!

 

[NomadOrb]

The place looks very nice, I'll have to stop by next time I'm in SD.

 

[craig61a]

Owner's daughter popping on to say hi. We monitor humidity for our cigars and have several humidification units...of course, having THICK adobe walls helps too!

Of course you do. Looks like a nice shop.

 

[jonasclark]

Racine & Laramie is my favorite West Coast pipe shop. The antique pipe museum is cool. The original pueblo had a tobacconist that was open for something like five years, before the entire pueblo burned down. These guys opened in the seventies as "Golden Bull" and tried to build it so it felt authentic, not like a recreation or replica, and I think they did it. I think they dress loosely period just because it's fun. Yes, the cigars are in a room that has humidification going on. I buy their "Zorros," which are like the Avanti (hot-cured, soaked in anisette liqueur). I don't know if theirs are just bought in bulk from Parodi, but the Zorros always seem to taste richer than Avanti.

I know of only two other such shops in San Diego. Captain Hunt is out on the point facing the water, it's tiny, and it's 99% cigars. There's a cigar shop in the Gaslamp that used to have pipes in the early '00s, but is now just cigars and a bar.

 

[Zack Miller]

Captain Hunt passed away a couple of years ago. The shop is gone.