F.K. Kirsten Tobacconist

Seattle, United States

4.5

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 206-264-2966
Website:
www.kirstenpipe.com
Address:
2200 Westlake Ave Ste 156, Seattle, WA, 98121
b/t 9th Ave & Blanchard St
Denny Triangle
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
250 ftWestlake Ave & 9th Ave
270 ftWestlake & 9th
470 ftDenny Way & Westlake Ave
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes

Today

Today 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Seattle) 17:50 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

We offer a brilliant selection of fine cigars in our climate-​controlled walk-​in humidor as well as accessories, loose tobacco, lighters, and many other gifts.

History

Established in 1936.

Kirsten dates back to 1936. Fredrick K. Kirsten, the creator of the Kirsten Pipe dreamed up a way to trap moisture, tars and tongue– bitting acids in a pipe. Rightly called the coolest pipe in the world. He revolutionized pipe smoking by creating the Radiator system. Kirsten Radiator stems are precision machined from a single piece of featherlight areospace quality aluminum alloy. You can clean a Kirsten in seconds by pushing tissue through the bore of the stem, exactly as you would clean a gun barrel.

As a Pipe company it was only natural to add on to the business and create F.K. Kirsten Tobacconist. A high end cigar, tobacco, pipe, and accessories shop. Many will know us by having our Fisherman’s Terminal location in Ballard for over 30 years. We are proud to have our downtown store with helpful employees to find the perfect tobacco product for you. F.K. Kirsten Tobacconist has been at our downtown location for over 5 years now. Come on in and say «Hi»!

Thank you, F.K. Kirsten

Meet the Business Owner

Stacy K.

Business Owner

Born a Granddaughter of a the world famous inventor and being placed on this earth in the middle of generations of Kirstens, Stacy Kirsten landed into what one would say «the coolest family around». Stacy has had a major impact on the cigar world. From the age of six she has memories of running around the machine shop and tobacco shop helping customers and being educated by the most knowledgeable people in the industry. Stacy has been featured in many noteable reads as well as a huge part of the Cigar Association of Washington. She is dedicated to the preservation of the retail tobacco industry and the free enjoyment of the products she sells. Not only is she an expert in fine tobacco products and well traveled receiving experience in notable tobacco fields, Stacy is often the most charitable person you will ever meet.

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20 reviews of F.K. Kirsten Tobacconist

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Place rating: 5
Newport Beach, CA
Cool little place for pipe tobacco and cigars. Pretty decent selection and very knowledgeable staff.
Place rating: 5
Bend, OR
Really nice proprietor with great stories! I felt like a regular as soon as I walked in. Plus her prices are competitive with a great selection. Lots of boutique cigars as well as everyday sticks. Highly recommended!
Place rating: 4
Pleasanton, CA
FK Kirsten is a very nice tobacco store right next to the Pan Pacific Hotel in Seattle. Paul was working and let me take my time browsing through their well stocked walk in humidor. The selection was very good and prices were very fair. I ended up picking up a couple excellently maintained Ashton ESG 20 Year Salutes for about $ 20 each.
I am not a pipe smoker however it appeared that FK Kirsten has a great selection of pipes, pipe tobacco and pipe accessories. The only negative was that they sell cigarettes. Overall a very good little tobacconist.
Place rating: 1
Olympia, WA
Looked at the new web site they have, looked good. Said you can order them.(Kirsten pipes) Showed all the different models, finishes, etc, etc. So it was only about 65 miles away to downtown Seattle. Had their hours, days open and directions. So went up there, paid for parking, and walked to the store. Very nice. BUT, THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY KIRSTEN PIPES LIKE THEY ADVERTIZED ON THERE NEW WEB SITE. NONE, NOTHING, NOTTA. I asked them what was going on, they said they were thinking about making the pipes again, but nothing in the works. I asked why in the hell their website has a place to order, place to give them your credit card info, all the styles, finish, the whole thing, plus a way to order on line. I got a shrugged shoulder and a” «I don’t know, ask the manager» (who was not there of course). SO, $ 10 bucks for parking, 130 miles round trip from West side of Olympia, Gas was about $ 20 bucks, and 5 hours of wasted time. What the hell is going on. I know, I know, I should have called first. But who in the hell would think a place like that would make up all this shit, website and all? So there you go. They have a great product, but I don’t know if I would ever buy another one again, IF THEY EVERY STARTED MAKING THEM. The whole thing just pissed me off.
Place rating: 5
Sammamish, WA
Came in for some cigars for our groomsmen and found this place on Unilocal.The owner was so nice she instantly started chatting with us. We didn’t know much about cigars and she told us ones we would like (why and why not) and then let us pick out the ones we wanted. They have a buy 12 get the 13th free which was super great.
The prices are all great. The cigars were mostly around $ 6-​$ 12 with some higher priced ones as well. The shop owner said they try every cigar before it goes into the shop so you really can’t go wrong with any choice.
We ended up getting 12 and told her it was for our wedding and the 13th free one she threw in was one of their higher prices single cigars which was awesome. Such a great customer experience that we will be back anytime there is a need for a celebratory cigar… Or just because!
Place rating: 5
Corona, CA
I thought the Pleasure Police were bad where I iive in CA but the State of Washington wrote the book on how to take away our freedom. Last week my niece got married in the beautiful city of Seattle. My daughters boyfriend and I planned to locate a cool place to go and light up a cigar. After calling the few shops in the area we determined smoking a cigar was going to be more difficult than watching Peyton Manning collapse in the Super Bowl. We decided to take a taxi over to FK Kirsten as they had quite an interesting story about their pipes and the shop looked pretty decent online. Maybe, just maybe, they would know where we could sit down, light up and enjoy a couple sticks for a few hours. The two gentlemen caring for cigar store were quite compassionate on the inability to smoke anywhere in this state except 25 feet away from a building or business establishment. They felt our pain. After looking through their humidor we knew we were in a serious cigar establishment with their wide selection of brands most notably a great selection of rare and hard to finds. Paul and Lee were very helpful and spent lots of time with us out of towners talking about their nanny government and new laws preventing adults from enjoying an occasional pleasure. I knew I was in the right place when I met Paul who was wearing a Patriots sweatshirt in the Super Bowl city. What’s the chance two Boston Boys meeting up in Seattle? We bought a couple 1926 Padrons and Paul and Lee joined us in the parking lot for the next hour. We enjoyed the occasional Seattle sunshine and talked cigars for the next hour. Great store, great selection, and great hospitality in a difficult situation. Thank you Paul and Lee for making our visit to Seattle tolerable.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
I came up to Seattle for a wedding, so of course I needed some good cigars. I had done a little research on Unilocal for cigar stores in Seattle and F.K. Kirsten seemed to be the best bet. F.K. Kirsten had a great selection and even had some rare and hard to find sticks.
The employees, Paul and Lee, were helpful and friendly, they gave us tips on places to smoke cigars in Seattle (not so easy to find) and provided some history on smoking establishments in the area.
The only downside was they didn’t have any of their patented tobacco pipes in stock, which I’m eager to purchase. Paul gave me the details on how to order a pipe when they’re back in stock, and I’m definitely looking forward to that.
Overall a great tobacco shop with a knowledgeable staff and an excellent selection.
Place rating: 5
Queen Anne, Seattle, WA
Great shop, great humidor, high quality.
The staff will also help you find what you are looking for. Super knowledgeable always bringing in new and interesting stuff. They also have an awesome selection of super rare cigars.
Place rating: 5
Queen Anne, Seattle, WA
I love them. Been in a few times and I’ve always enjoyed the trip. The staff take great care of you, they’re approachable, knowledgeable, and a riot to talk to.
I can’t understand why other reviewers complain about the service because I’ve had great experiences every time I’ve been in. Cash, credit, debit it’s all the same. Need to split a purchase into cash/​credit or between two people, no problem. Need your pipe tweaked so the stem fits just right, no problem.
I can’t say it enough: they’re great.
Place rating: 1
Seattle, WA
Decent array of cigars. However, horrific customer service. I gave them a pipe to repair. It took 3 months to hear anything about it. When I finally inquired about it, they could not find it. Another month passed and they called me to tell me they found it. I go there to pick it up and immediately realize it was not mine. They tried to convince that it was. (how odd) I left no less than three messages to the owner and I have yet to receive a return call. This was over a year ago. Avoid service from this place like the plague.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
From the premium $ 80 cigars to the $ 5 sticks. Great selection. Fair prices. Hard to find limited editions are open and sold as singles. Gives you a chance at trying one before spending $ 700 on a case of them. Thank you!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Great customer service and product knowledge! I love my Macanudos. My premier cigar shop in Seattle.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
First went to the Fisherman’s Terminal store. The young man working seemed very lacking in knowledge of tobacco’s and when asked a question about a blend just kind of game of the spiel off the website about how long they’ve had some of the blends and didn’t really answer the question (an «I don’t really know» would have been better). The store itself is very nice though. They unfortunately were out of some of their blends.
Decided to give their Belltown location a try. Small store but again, very nice and the staff there was very knowledgeable and picked a proper blend right off the bat. I’m not often in Seattle, but when I am I’ll definitely be stopping by the Belltown shop again.
I did not check out their cigar selection but they humidor looks well stocked and I’m sure they’ve got a very good selection.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I went in one day as an absolute newbie. The store was slow at the time, and the staff spent plenty of time with me, showing me a variety of cigars to try, and why I might like them — discussing the characteristics that make a cigar mild, yet different by brand, and she offered a few choices for me to take home. On each return trip, I can tell them what I liked and didn’t like about the cigars I bought last time, and they know others to suggest that are either close variations, or polar opposites — they know their product well, have always been friendly and helpful, and have a large enough selection that I’ll be able to keep coming back as I grow from medium bodied cigars and beyond. Before finding Kirsten, some of the other tobacco/​cigar shops simply had ‘cashiers’ that didn’t seem to know much about what they sold.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
There are two locations thus two experiences. First, the West Lake store was a great surprise even though I didn’t find what I was looking for. I went in looking for tinned pipe tobacco. I buy Dunhill online and was hoping to find a local store to get quality tobacco at to make my hobbie more tangible and less digital.
Although Kirsten’s doesn’t carry tinned tobacco they do have a decent selection of bulk tobacco and the young lady working there was generous enough to provide me with a sample and I felt compelled to write a review in return. Most tobacco stores are cigarrete and paraphanalia and don’t carry quality pipe tobacco or quality cigars. That makes Kirsten’s an anamole in Seattle. The young lady was very helpful and a nice surprise.
I tried the Ballard location today and was not as impressed with the service although the pipe selection was healthy and I think there was more selection of tobacco. I could definately see buying a pipe there. I needed pipe filters and the man behind the counter told me he didn’t know pipes have filters. They didn’t have filters of any kind. There wasn’t much point in asking any questions after that.
I’ll definately go back to get more tobacco and perhaps even a pipe. Kirsten’s isn’t the pipe store of my fantasies but it is the best pipe and tobacco store in Seattle and definately should be the store of choice for pipe smokers in the Seattle area.
Place rating: 5
Newport News, VA
There is nothing bad that can be said about FK Kirsten. I love their selection, their atmosphere, and their staff is friendly and knowledgable. They operate two shops in the Seattle area and the Westlake store (in the plaza above Whole Foods) carries the best selection of cigars in Seattle. If you’re looking for something hard to find, chances are that you will have luck here. There is nowhere else in the state that I have seen full boxes of Opus X, The Lost City, God Of Fire, etc… As a lover of fine cigars, I always find myself browsing for ten minutes or more while grabbing a cigar (or a full box).
To point something out, only ONE of the reviews here that isn’t high on the stars happens to be about cigars from someone who has actually shopped there. I don’t know what shop he walked into, because earlier today the back right corner of the walk-​in is entirely Padron and Ashton. The others are all cigarette buyers. If I had to guess, the shop carries them just because of the hotel across the plaza. It’s obvious that their focus is cigars, and the cigarettes are an afterthought.
It can’t be easy to run a tobacco business in Seattle, and it has to be a whole lot harder when you’re not relying on «smoking devices», hookah, and cigarettes. To stay profitable there are a ton of «cigar» shops in Seattle that couldn’t give a damn about a decent robusto. You walk in and you immediately feel like most of the clients spend $ 40 on something other than cigars to smoke. This is a shop that forgoes all of that nonsense and keeps things better for those of us that want to enjoy a good cigar. I am so grateful to have FK Kirsten just down the street… A shop with some class.
Place rating: 5
Murfreesboro, TN
been here about 6 or 7 times this place is great and the ladys who own it are great. The gal knows her stuff and even smokes cigars. If you spend a little time with her she will gluid you in the right direction of what you are looking for. They have some real good stuff!!! i recomend you take a empty credit card with you cause good cigars arent cheap baby. remember hand made products cost money dont be a cheap o.
ok moving on to there fisher mans terminal store avoid it at all cost just come to the one down in bell town if you dont know excatly what you are looking for. the old man makes you feel like you are wasting his time for walking in the door. i sent a nooby cigar buddy in there and he said the old man was rude to him as well and not helpfull. So dear old man you work in a retail store that your kids own please be nice to you customers and please be nice to people that want to lean about what some of us love. you are just hurting the dieing breed of cigar smokers…
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
One of very few full-​fledged cigar shops in Seattle. They are located at 2200 Westlake just above the Whole Foods in downtown Seattle. They are true cigar afficionados, unlike those so called «cigar» stores that are scattered all over the city.
They are extremely knowledgeable in cigars, so if your looking for recommendations or are just expanding your cigar tasting experience, this is definitely the place to go. The owners are really nice and are more than happy to lend their expertise.
They have a wide variety of cigars at reasonable prices. Their cigar selections range from Macanudos, Padron, Don Pepin, Rocky Patel, Padilla, and Oliva, just to name a few. Their walk-​in humidor is kept in pristine condition and at ideal temperature and humidity. They have a limited selection of humidors and other cigar accessories.
If you are a cigar connoisseur, a novice or just an occasional cigar smoker, then F.K. Kirsten is definitely the cigar shop for you.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
This place is fantastic. After visiting various tobacco shops around Seattle, this place is by far the best by a long shot. Their humidor is amazing, I didn’t want to leave.
The cigar selection is great, everything is well organized and the inventory is new. I was also impressed by the fact that much of the selection is marked up with ratings from various publications. Most vendors don’t bother to take the time to do this.
I talked with one of the owners and it was refreshing to talk to someone who’s genuinely passionate about their trade, and not interested in upselling you their more expensive expiring merchandise.
P. S. I almost forgot to mention that the prices are better than all of the other local shops. You can walk away with dozens of 90+ rated cigars for under $ 10.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
It’s hard to be a tobacconist in Seattle. Governor Gregoire seems hell bent on running them out of town with debilitating legislation, when she can’t make the simple distinction between a pack of Marlboro Reds and a Macanudo.
Luckily F.K. Kirsten caters almost exclusively to one of a man’s (or an adventurous woman’s) last simple pleasures — fine cigars and pipe tobaccos.
Unlike other less scrupulous cigar shops in the county (I won’t name names), Kirsten, run by two sisters, is a gorgeous little place in South Lake Union with one of the best kept humidors I’ve ever laid eyes on.
If that wasn’t cause enough to visit, one huge advantage this company has over its competitors is pricing. Where I’ve spent upwards of $ 15 for a 90+ rated stick at other stores, I get the same for half that at Kirsten.
Not only are they knowledgeable at Kirsten, but the siblings have been on trips to see the cigars rolled themselves to be sure of what they’re buying.
Almost singlehandedly, F.K. Kirsten is keeping pleasure smoking alive in a city that could really use the de-​stressing properties that accompany it.