HOH: When was Smoke Rings Cigar & Tobacco Co. established?

EB: My Father started the business twelve years ago. His name was Steve Wall, and he spent his entire career working in tobacco. Tobacco was his passion and he passed that passion down to me.

HOH: What part of Naniamo are you situated in and what’s the city like?

EB: Our store is located in downtown Nanaimo next to The Dorchester Hotel. Nanaimo is a type of city that attracts all different demographics. It’s a great place to retire, there’s lots of tourists. There’s also a University – Vancouver Island University.

HOH: What does Smoke Rings specialize in?

EB: We specialize in premium cigars, pipes and our own special blends of pipe tobacco. We carry everything a smoker would need.

HOH: Do you have any house blends?

EB: We do for pipe tobacco. Our pipe tobacco house blends are named after different areas in Nanaimo. In total, we have 24 different blends that we make in house. Customers can browse our menu in the store and can smell each blend to see what excites them. Our Mount De Cosmos for example, is black raspberry liqueur and mild French vanilla Burley tobacco.

HOH: What cigars do you personally enjoy?

EB: Personally, I am enjoying small cigars at the moment, namely the Partagas Chicos.

HOH: You’re attached to The Dorchester Hotel. You must receive a great deal of tourist traffic..

EB: We do receive quite a few tourists, and they typically comment on how fair our pricing is and how we have such a great selection of products from all over the world.