Old Virginia Tobacco Co.

A decent place to get a stick in Pentagon city but there are better prices elsewhere. One of its advantages is being a place to smoke a cigar inside the mall but during the Christmas holidays they put up a sign saying they wouldn’t allow smoking in the store during that period because they expected to be too busy.
A lot of staff turnover recently. A couple of their best salesmen have left. The service isn’t as attentive and knowledgeable as it used to be.

This place is awesome I purchased my first pipe here and they even let you try it out in the store. This have a nice selection of tobacco and is located inside the Pentagon City Mall. If you need pipe tobacco or nice cigars, check this place out.

Skip and Mike were fantastic hosts! I found another great haunt when I am in the Washington DC Metro area!

I went in for the first time a few weeks ago and I really enjoyed my time there. The staff was very kind and eager to help everyone that came through the door. They don’t have much space, but they have some chairs for people to sit down and have a cigar. They do the best they can with the space they have. I will definitely be going back soon.

Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. I’ve been here three times and taken suggestions each time. I haven’t yet had a cigar I wasn’t happy with. Others complained about prices in their reviews but their prices seemed fair Macanuados and Ashton cigars. You’re in Washington DC; nothing is cheap.

greaaat place, i used to visit the shop everyday, great staff and good service, maan they need to put a camera inside the store and start recording everything cause u feel like u r in a reality show, u meet different people, u talk about different stuff (nfl, politics, girls.) if u wanna spend a real men time this the place u really need, they cut my cigars everytime they give lighter to use inside the store, they got a really good service, keep it up guys am i gonna see u this week again: D

I’m not a regular cigar smoker, so I did some research online, and found out that I wanted a cigar with a rating higher than 90, with a medium flavor, and a punch cigar cutter. Patrick was the person who helped me at Old Virginia Tobacco, and he was great. He helped me pick out two cigars, a Davidoff Millennium Blend Robusto, and a Davidoff Nicaragua Robusto Dominican Republic. I haven’t smoked them yet, but they smell great! I explained in the beginning that I had only smoked two cigars ever, and that I wanted something special for the weekend. There were other gentlemen in there, and the vibe was friendly and relaxed. Patrick was quite knowledgeable, and helpful, and showed me how to use the cigar punch cutter on a cigar he was going to smoke later on. He suggested matches made with no sulfur, that were long enough to help toast the cigar during the lighting process. He also recommended that I keep the cigars in the plastic zip lock back he provided for my purchases, and I mentioned that I was going to keep them in my car until the weekend. I’m glad I mentioned it, because he further recommended that I keep the cigars in my home due to the vast fluctuations in temperature, which would affect the cigars. We also discussed past Unilocal reviews, and the current shop is under new management. So, if you had a bad experience, it might be time to give Old Virginia Tobacco Co. another try. They looked like they had a lot of cigars in stock, and it was a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere.

I recently visited this cigar store, and had a great experience. My husband likes cigars, so I normally try to pick some up for him whenever I pass a store that sells them. As a woman who knows nothing about cigars I always feel nervous when entering the «man-​cave» that a cigar shop can be, but the staff that I encountered at Old Virginia was incredibly friendly.
The staff member who assisted me in the cigar room (he gave his name as Bryan) was very educational. Though I made it clear I knew nothing about cigars, he tried to walk me through certain recommendations so that I could relay the descriptions to my husband later on. I told him I wanted to spend around $ 40 total, and he was able to get me a good mix of cigars for that price.
To cut the story short — my husband loved the cigars and I look forward to going back to the store again. Only giving 4 stars as the place was a little overcrowded with so many people in the store smoking.

I normally patronize the Seven Corners OVTC location, but I stop by this one if I’m already at Pentagon City Mall for some reason. Unfortunately the level of customer service here doesn’t match the Seven Corners store. I’ve repeatedly been steered towards super premium, Davidoff cigars when asking for recommendations, and the regular staff (younger heavyset guy who always wears a dark suit jacket; butch woman) is either standoffish, or (in the case of the guy) friendly in a weird, oily way (he once felt the need to tell a borderline racist joke about people from DC when we were in the humidor room). I would take the old men at the Seven Corners store anytime (plus, the selection there is better because they have more space).

nice set up, the lounge is more of a warehouse set up, price are good, selection is good. people are nice and overall its a chill set up. will be back.

I was at Pentagon City Mall to go get my Mac which broke and needed repairs. I had a friend with me and she was going to Victoria’s Secret to go return some stuff she didn’t want. For some reason that day I was in a really grumpy mood, like wanting to punch the mannequins at Nordstrom when I was walking to the Apple store.
I went to the store and got my Mac, left and then on my way out I spotted this tiny Tobacco Shop. As a cigarette smoker, I went in to merely browse and see what they had. I rarely smoke cigars, and I typically will only get or smoke them when I’m at a social function where a celebration is going on. Anyways, I didn’t want a cigar so I can’t comment on the humidor room, except a lot of people went in and out while I was contemplating buying some tobacco for RYO (roll-​your-​own) cigarettes. The woman and man behind the counter were nice enough, but they seemed clueless as to CIGARETTE smoking, but were all about cigar smoking; so they weren’t much help.
However, the gentleman working over at the pipe tobacco area said that his father smoked pipe tobacco in RYO cigarettes and I immediately was interested (considering that factory cigarettes are taxed to death now). This was going to be an experiment, so I had NO intention on buying by the pound. So, he got me a rolling machine they had, as well as some papers. He let me smell some of the pipe tobaccos available which smelt great. I just was clueless though, so I let him choose for me. The Checkmate and Mystic, 28g each. My friend walked in cause I told her where I was, and I was checking out, while checking out the man helping me out said that on Thursdays, people who had sunglasses on get free cigar boxes. We both got cigar boxes and were satisfied. I was in a happy mood, as opposed to my pissed off mood. The gentleman that helped me made my day
As for prices, they are a bit high, but you have to remember that the place is in Arlington, VA. Arlington is not exactly populated largely by those in poverty. So location is definitely a factor. The Richmond branch would probably have lower prices. However, after going here on impulse it really made my day. It is a small store, so there is going to be limited selection

I went in here for some advice and recommendations and I did get a little… very little.
I explained to the gentleman working that I had smoked a cigar when on vacation and I was looking for something comparable. He said that there’s nothing that compares, and I accepted that and asked for some recommendations so I can narrow down what i like.
He pointed me to 2 companies that were quite expensive and left it at that. He went back to the counter and chatted with his friend about a recent sale he made ($ 1,000 on a humidor) and just kept smoking his cigar while I looked at the 2 brands perpendicular to the counter.
A work friend dropped by and asked if he showed me the walk in humidor and some selections from there and I said no, and we went in and he recommended some other brands I try. I wasn’t even sure I could go in there without permission and without him I wouldn’t have even tried.
I actually got more help from the work friend then the store employee.
I work close by and I will return, but they lost a huge chance in an easy repeat customer. I have to say that Sean S.‘s review is pretty much spot on, there isn’t a huge amount of interest in helping a new customer that isn’t experienced in the cigar world.

Staff has always been very friendly and will help you decide if you’re considering what to buy or have any questions or want recommendations. Selection is okay but not too extensive and prices are a little high. Overall it’s a good place to shop and an even better place if you have questions or want recommendations on what to buy.

I just don’t make it into this particular OVTC location very often as it is EXTREMELY hard to get into or out of the mall they’re situated in. Unlike other mall stores (at Fair Oaks, Tyson’s Corner, Manassas Mall, etc) the garage at Pentagon not only charges for parking but is a bit of a mess. This doesn’t affect how the store is operated of course, but it does limit the shop’s ability to be considered a «destination store» in my mind. Why go here when I can shop somewhere else and park for free? That aside…
The store isn’t particular large, no surprise there. The selection has appeared reasonable for the overall footprint of the store and the fact that they do offer some pipes (including a few high grades) and bulk pipe tobaccos. These things do take up some space which many other shops devote to nothing but more cigars, but it does mean that a store such as this attracts a more diverse clientele than places that only sell just cigars. This is a good thing.
The humidor has always been in a minimum of decent shape so far as humidity goes without a trace of mold (if anything, it has been a wee bit dry once or twice) as well as being kept clean otherwise. The staff I’ve dealt with there has been anywhere between cordial to helpful with no poor experiences that I can recall. If this store was nearby or even the least little bit on my way to or from anywhere that I normally go then I would consider a place to stop if I found myself sans cigar or tobacco for some reason. Other than that… no complaints.

Well, it’s a tobacco shop alright. I guess that’s the most neutral thing I can say about the place — Mom always said «if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all».
Sorry, Mom. I gotta vent about «Old Virginia Tobacco Company»…
1. The three guys working in the store at the time my wife and I went in were, at best, completely disinterested in assisting us, and at best, actively condescending
2. Their selection is just OK. Not great by any means.
3. Their prices are bad. You can do much better at other area tobacco shops.
4. Their walk-​in humidor smells. It smells not in a nice, tobacco shop walk-​in humidor kind of way, but in a combo of old socks and mold kind of way. Blech.
5. They didn’t sell any plug-​style cigar cutters under $ 40. WTF?
Anyway, I won’t be going back. It was a fairly bad experience for us.