Sidling up to the bar in Jake's Cigars and Spirits, 114 N. 14th St., is like walking into the past. There's something in the air — something that, until recently, was a permanent fixture of bars and restaurants: the smell of smoke.
On Oct. 16, Jake's newly acquired status as a cigar bar went into effect, making it the only bar in Lincoln to allow indoor smoking. A cigar bar allows patrons to smoke any form of cigar or pipe tobacco, which are stocked inside in a humidor next to the bar.
"I think people are enjoying it so far," said Tripp Green, a bartender at Jake's, "although very few have said they weren't already big cigar smokers."
Application to operate a cigar bar requires full disclosure of annual gross revenue and proof that cigars constitute 10-15 percent of all sales. Cigarette-smoking is also prohibited, though customers can roll their own small cigars using tobacco leaves. Cigarettes are officially defined by their paper wrappers, as opposed to the tobacco leaf wrappers of cigars.
Because the customers and staff are "generally all smokers," Green was concerned that other customers may be turned away.
"What I worry about is, after being conditioned to not smoking or being around smoke for so long, people may not want to come here because it's so smoky," he said.
To accommodate nonsmoking customers and ventilate the smells of tobacco smoke, two smoke eaters — industrial air filters — have been installed near the bar.
Still, few customers appeared to be bothered.
"If people want to smoke, they can come here. If not, they can easily go somewhere else," said Nick Brand, a law student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as he held his cigar in one hand and drink in another.
To his left, Brandon Weiss, a clinical psychology graduate student, said they were "absolutely" excited to see Jake's get the license and that they'd "always been looking for a place" to be able to smoke.
While Jake's receives the distinction of being Lincoln's first cigar bar, it is unclear if other establishments will ever follow suit.
"To my knowledge, Jake's is the only (bar considering it). You have to be able to prove that 10-15 percent of sales come from cigars, which would be difficult for other bars. The only thing I could think would be if Cliff's wanted to install a bar or something, but that's not likely," Green said.
Even if it remains an isolated haven for smokers, some liked the distinction.
"I hope it stays (the only cigar bar). It's nice to have it all in one place," Brand said.
iansacks@dailynebraskan.com
Ryan Boetel contributed to this report.
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