Blend Bar with Davidoff Cigars opened Jan. 20 on Lake Robbins Drive in The Woodlands, combining luxury cigars, top-shelf spirits and a curated menu to create a new kind of experience for cigar aficionados and novices alike.

“We focus on a luxurious experience, so we do give five-star service, and we want to be up there with the Ritz Carlton in terms of environment service and overall experience,” Assistant Manager Jara Murphy said. “[With] the clientele here and what they’re used to, we thought that [The Woodlands] would be the perfect place. The people here are used to going to a restaurant and getting above-and-beyond service.”

Founded by co-owners Corey Johnston, Kim Arbuckle and Mark Holden in Indianapolis in 2013, the business has four locations in the U.S., although this is the first one in Texas, Murphy said. The company’s Indiana location was recently named the world’s best cigar lounge by Cigar Journal.

Murphy said the staff at Blend Bar works to curate a selection of flavors to create a unique dining experience.

For cigar novices, the bar has cigar sommeliers on staff to help customers choose a cigar based on what they like to eat and drink.

“I’ll ask them a few questions like, ‘What kind of wine do you like? Do you like spicy food?’ I get to know their palate just based on their food choices, and just with a few simple questions, I’ll curate a cigar and then make recommendations based on what you’re pairing,” she said.

Blend’s humidor includes a number of well-known and hard-to-find cigars, including Davidoff brands like Winston Churchill as well as other brands, such as Diamond Crown, Arturo Fuente and Padron. Murphy said cigars range from $10 to $500. For those who choose not to partake in cigars,

Murphy said the bar uses a state-of-the-art ventilation system to ensure customers will not be bothered by unwanted smoke. By pulling the smoke up into the system, the air in Blend Bar is recycled every six to eight minutes.

“So, if I’m smoking a cigar, the smoke is just going to go up and away. You won’t smell it. You won’t see it. So it’s very welcoming,” Murphy said.
Blend Bar also features food options, including steaks and shared plates, such as its signature deviled eggs, infused with bacon and bourbon, and candied bacon skewers.

“We have a small selection of main plates because most of our menu is designed to be shared,” Murphy said. “We do a lot of tapas-sized snacks, and they’re curated to pair with everything that we have, and we just want people to share and create friendships and try everything on the menu.”

At the bar, customers will find a selection of cocktails, wine by the glass or bottle and an extensive menu of bourbons, whiskeys and Scotch whiskeys.

Murphy said while many customers typically pair cigars with wines or cognacs, Blend Bar has more than 75 different bourbons ranging from more mainstream brands like Knob Creek and Maker’s Mark to harder-to-find bottles like Backbone Bourbon. She said the bar staff hopes to expand the menu to include 125 bourbon brands over the next few months.

For select customers, Blend Bar offers a unique program for invited members only. Within a hidden room in the lounge is The Boardroom, a private smoking lounge with leather furniture, personalized staff, free Wi-Fi and a flat-screen TV.

“We really hone in on what we call the Blend experience,” Murphy said. “We really focus on the overall experience. It’s not just the cigar here—it’s everything, and you don’t have to be a cigar smoker to come here.”