Rich’s Cigar Store

This tobacco store is legit! It’s both a magazine & tobacco shop that serves a great amount in both. If you’re looking for a great looking pipe or even for a variety of sticky tobacco, I highly suggest coming here. They carry just about any of those in large sums.
Their cigar collection is pretty nice too! It’s affordable and they carry top of the line cigars such as Romeo & Julieta, Davidoff, Oliva, etc. They also carry lighters and cutters of all sorts. The service here is friendly and helpful. If it’s your first time smoking, they’ll help you with cigar tasting! can’t find this option anywhere else.
You can smoke while you’re inside the shop but there is no lounging. The minimum of amount you need to spend is $ 6 and that’s actually good.

This place is a local institution. Rich’s Cigar Store nears various neighborhoods, lots of food carts and plenty of public transportation, all at the same time. They have smoking products themed after a big chunk of life. Their magazines are plentiful. At the front, there is plenty of candy, with some pieces selling at less than twenty cents. Your grandfather would feel at home here.
I went to this place after reading about it. Do note that individuals under eighteen are not allowed inside, though you do not have to be of legal drinking age to enter. There is shelf after shelf of magazines. Prices for those were not low, but there’s less window-​dressing than with Powell’s Books. I did get some British candy for only $ 1.25, a bar version of Cadbury’s famous chocolate carmel gooey stuff that folks often eat around Easter. Multiple gentlemen staff this place, and they responded to my presence at the cash register with one of them going there even though none of them were at the specific register when I arrived.
Tobacco’s dominance in the store adds some exciting time travel to the area.

Not a whole lot of selection and some are overpriced. They do however, have a ton of magazines not sold in many stores nor the disappearing bookstores.

I love cigars and cigar shops. The smell of tobacco. Kid in a candy store. They try to steer you to a cigar you’ll like, if you aren’t an aficionado yet. They introduced me to Hoyo de Monterey and Partagas Cienfuentes. About $ 5 each. I loved both. I went in without a clue as to what I wanted — and ended up with a perfect smoke. I used to go in here when I was a teenager and buy a foreign newspaper. They still have the same amazing selection, but I don’t think many people buy them now because they’re all online. Sad in a way.

I am not a smoker, never have been. This little spot is tobacco-​cigar central. Whatever.
But hey, are also Portland central for printed magazines. On paper. Paper printing is at higher resolution and color fidelity than on your phone, laptop or tablet by far. We respect the Apple Retina as a marketing concept, but it is weak for dynamic range and color management. Print magazines understand color and dynamic range.
So if you are a creative professional, they are a visual goldmine!

Absolutely despicable service. I bought cigars recently to ship to my dad for Father’s Day. I told the man helping me that they were going to be shipped, and not once did he tell me it might be an issue. After being rejected by 2 different post offices (you can’t ship tobacco) I went back to the store to ask what my options were and if I could possibly get a refund or at least store credit. The man working (presumably the owner) gave me a bewildered look and basically told me I was stupid for trying to ship through the post office and that I should have just «put em in the envelope myself» then proceeded to talk down to me for my lack of «cigar shipping knowledge.» His tone, demeanor, and word choice were not only degrading and belittling, they were executed with pure misogynistic overtones.
Do NOT give these people your money.

Wow! Awesome experience in an awesome store.
Thank you Bill for your expert guidance and patience with the many questions I tossed your way.
Rich’s Cigar store (820 AlderSt.) is a gem. I have frequented many Cigar and pipes stores on the east and west coast. And I have to say that this one is the top. Tremendous selection of pipes and pipe tobacco, I didn’t even make it to the humidor… will save that for the next trip to Portland.
Looking forward to trying the in-​house blends in my new Peterson.
I highly recommend Rich’s Cigar Store and I know I’ll be Portland bound again soon and this will be my first stop.

Rich’s is my go-​to for pipe tobacco, cigars, and magazines.
I don’t smoke that frequently, but even when I’m not buying anything, I love to poke my head in here to smell the sweet aromas and browse among the magazines a bit. It’s a really welcoming place.
That said, when I do buy tobacco, I know that I can always count on the expertise of Rich’s workers. I’ve seen them pull boxes upon boxes of cigars out of the humidor, detailing the different sizes and origins of the sticks within them and have had long conversations with the clerks about the tobaccos used to make up their wonderful house pipe blends.
As for the pipe tobacco they blend, I’ve tried the following: Bill’s Blend, Sunday Morning, Highland Whisky, and African Queen. Bill’s Blend is my favorite. It’s a blend of Cavendish and Virginia tobacco, treated with armagnac and vanilla. Rich, yet light. Sweet, but not at all cloying. Sunday Morning is also a treat, with a mix of Burley and Virginia tobacco that burns cool and has a nice nuttiness to it. Highland Whisky is exactly what is sounds like, a nice whiskey cavendish (it’s treated with a single malt scotch!). Finally, the African Queen is complex and interesting, blended with Turkish and Virginia tobaccos. While the website doesn’t mention it, the clerk told me that it contains a bit of Cavendish and smoky Latakia, in addition to the Turkish, Mozambique, and Virginia tobacco listed there. As I mostly smoke aromatics, it was a good intro to a flavors in the English and Turkish realms. While each of these blends runs between $ 11 and $ 14, they’re all well worth buying, particularly if you go through a bag as slowly as I do.
The staff members are all very knowledgeable and friendly. They’re happy to share their expertise, but they’re never pushy about what to get or snobbish about customers’ own preferences.
Rich’s has been in business for 121 years. With their great service, friendly atmosphere, and superior products, it’s easy to see why.

I was amazed by the service and personable environment I experienced. Bill is not just knowledgeable, but commited to delivering quality in every transaction. I’m in Portland often, and while I’m not the biggest cigar enthusiast, I’ll be sure to stop by again!

It’s been about 20 years since I smoked a briar pipe and decided to go check out Rich’s. The staff was helpful and friendly. Even though they were busy and the gentleman helping me was doing double-​duty of sales and running the register, I wasn’t rushed and was well attended to while checking out many different pipes.
Read a negative review stating the staff is pretentious, but I didn’t get that at all. If that were to have come out, I would imagine it would have been in the conversation about cob pipes, but I just didn’t get that vibe. They did not try to push me into something exceeding my stated budget either.
Picked up a 2oz bag of Boars Head, which was just over $ 15. I wish their bulk tobacco prices were a bit more affordable, but you really do get what you pay for as this is the most wonderful blend I have tried to date.
I will definitely be going back.

Want your cigarettes with a side of misogyny? Then look no further!
The old white guy with the white hair, who I believe may be the owner, was the perpetrator in this case. While I was checking out, he noticed my Portland State University ID, and the following conversation ensued.
«So, what do you study at Portland State University?» he asked.
«Early Childhood Education,» I said.
He, with a bit of a swagger, asked, «And how early is that?»
«Infancy through age 8.»
He said, «Are you pretty sure you’re not just babysitting, then?»
«I’m pretty sure that was a very rude thing to say,» I said, and walked out.
Smug fool. Any business that disrespects preschool teachers and children will not be getting my money. Go «babysit» your cigarettes.

I went to Rich’s to get help choosing some pipe tobacco. I was sort of intimidated because I don’t actually know that much about pipes. All I know is that I like them :) A man named Bill ended up helping me and over the course of my visit he gave me a master class on packing pipes and choosing the right tobacco. He made my day. Seriously. He was able to guide me to the perfect blend after choosing some samples and letting me experience each one. He was knowledgable, helpful, and patient with my many questions. He even wrote down all the stuff we talked about with suggestions of what to try next based on what I liked! I wish every business had this kind of customer attention. I will definitely be back to buy some more pipe tobacco. Another bonus: they have UK chocolate bars. If you have never had an Aero Mint, go get one now.

I want to like this place. I really do. I go back because it’s the only place near by. Sometimes my stuff doesn’t get mailed in time and I find myself in there drooling over their selection of pipes.
So here is why the 2 star rating. I’ve been in this store a few times now. There is one guy who is pretty friendly and knows his stuff. The rest of the staff doesn’t seem to care. You ask questions and they respond with answers so general that I can tell they have no clue. I don’t fault them for not knowing, but if you don’t know, say so.
The old guy. I have never personally talked to him, but he does not seem like a friendly man. It seems like he is the owner cause he’s always telling people what to do and they don’t generally seem to like him.
Guy with long hair, I give you 5 stars. Rest of company 1.
Oh… And the main reason for my review, and now I’m knocking it down to a 1. The pipe tobacco at this place is over priced and just simply bad. I have smoked a lot of good and bad stuff in my days and I’ve never seen so much moisture come through my pipe as when I buy from this place. The do not sell and major brands, only their own blends. I just don’t dig it. I’ll only buy when I’m in a pinch and sometimes end up mixing their stuff with others I buy to make it more tolerable.

Extensive selection of magazines. Some I didn’t even know existed. Good cigar selection. Picked up a few for my dad. Good sale section.

I have been a cigar aficionado for a number of years. I started smoking a cigar when I was 21. Granted it was Phillies Titans and they were crap. I learned about better ones eventually and everything that goes with them and their history. I also learned about pipes and all of the ritual that goes with them as well. I don’t smoke that often, if I have one every couple of months, that’s a lot for me.
So, one could say I know a thing or two about what a good smoke is. I do like going into a cigar store with the giant walk-​in humidor, jars of pipe tobacco, briar pipes, leaded glass ash trays and sometimes even the cigar lounges in places that let you smoke. When I am in this atmosphere, I know just what to recommend to a new smoker or even a seasoned vet. It’s an old and by todays standards, an outdated, but mostly enjoyable, experience.
Rich’s doesn’t really have much of that, and they have a large magazine section and they sell candy??? I will admit, I have never seen that in a cigar shop before. There was a humidor, but the it was tiny, and the only thing in there were «seconds» cigars and Phillies cigars??? In a humidor? All the good cigars were behind glass, so unless you had someone helping you, you weren’t getting at them. The pipe tobacco too, and the glass jars to take a whiff of them was also out of reach of ones hands, unless you had help. I will admit I did find a really nice smelling pipe tobacco that I will eventually purchase. The pipe tobacco was around $ 9 – 10 for two ounces.
As for the cigar selection, it was pretty small with very few familiar brands, I wasn’t impressed. I will go back for pipe tobacco but most likely, not cigars. Broadway Cigars and Cascade had far more selections and big humidors (or the whole room at Cascade) to wander around in with very helpful staff.
That is all.

Although I have had some experiences with Rich’s in the past that left a somewhat unwelcomed taste in my mouth, today’s experience has completely changed my opinion.
Until today I had found Rich’s to be a bit pretentious and unwelcoming. Back when I’d go there for cigars, I often felt looked down upon or treated like I was a rookie dilettante, despite the fact that, in reality, I’ve read countless books on cigars, pipes, and the history of tobacco, and have smoked the gamut in terms of variety and like to think I have a very good pallet for fine tobaccos.
Now I’ve turned to the art of pipe smoking. Although somewhat new to the hobby, I’ve read my fair share of books, could easily distinguish the different leaves and blends from one another, and have researched all the methods, from packing to cleaning.
And today I found nothing but welcoming, cheerful camaraderie in Rich’s staff, especially Matt, one of the store’s «pipe guys.» If you are new to pipe smoking or are interested in giving it a shot I very highly recommend coming downtown and talking to Matt. The guy knows pipes and tobaccos inside and out. I’ll be a future customer of Rich’s for sure. Best selection of pipes in town, vast variety of expertly blended tobaccos, and now a friendly, welcoming staff to boot!
Oh, and no exaggeration, Craven’s Claw is the best Virginia I’ve ever had. I think my unopened tins will age a lot longer than originally planned because I believe Rich’s bulk blends are going to be my go to from now on.

Besides cigars, which are a given here, when I’m feeling nostalgic for French language periodicals or magazines, I can get myself a French Vogue or Le Monde newspaper here to satisfy that unique craving. You can find other foreign languages represented here as well.
You’ll find unique gums, candies and mints as well. I’m partial to the Choward’s brand violet perfumed mints. They have a unique, old-​timey flavor and are sort of hard to find.
I pop in from time to time and sort through the piles of empty cigar boxes. They are inexpensive and some of them are really interesting looking. I use them as gift boxes instead of gift bags. It’s a unique way to present a gift inside a cigar box with a nice satin bow tied around it.
Sometimes I don’t need anything at all, I stop by just because it smells so nice in there. Try it sometime.

Rich’s has been in my life since high school. Probably since I was 18. They may (or may not) be a chain, but I do know that they a larger magazine selection than Powell’s Books, which is saying something.

Ah, Rich’s some things never change. I used to go there back in the days of my Portland living, for the occasional obscure magazine. Because despite the name with the word ‘cigar’ in it, Rich’s is one heck of a magazine shop. Back when I worked in PR and one of my clients got into a niche magazine, off to Rich’s I’d go.
Fast forward 10 years and I found myself there last weekend looking for a pack of Lucky Strikes to use as a Mad Men prop. Lucky Strikes haven’t been widely available since 2006 when British American Tobacco took over the distribution. But of course, Rich’s still sells them, for a whopping $ 9 a pack, I might add. Nonetheless, Rich’s delivers obscure magazines and cigs.

«Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar.» — Sigmund Freud
And just like an attractive woman with a cigar, this Rich’s exudes a intriguing combination of sex and power. And it doesn’t hurt that this location is located near Portland’s Living Room (Pioneer Square). Size does matter at this Rich’s, and you’ll find a huge selection of cigars, pipes, and other tobacco-​related accessories with the necessary stamina needed to go the distance. And even though I don’t enjoy this particular type of oral stimulation, I’ll be back for more… including another empty cigar box or magazine.