While cigarettes are dragged through the ash tray, cigar sales in Ames are on the rise. Within the past year and a half, three stores in Ames, Santa Fe Espresso, Kum & Go and Campustown Cigar Co., have begun to sell cigars.

Andrew Timko, junior in community and regional planning and president of Iowa State’s Cigar and Pipe Smoking Society, said although some may say enjoying a cigar is a trend, it is also an appreciation.

“Some look at art and say it’s nice but don’t understand what goes into it, the process. Well, it’s the same thing with cigars. [Cigar enthusiasts] look at it and know what’s going into it,” he said.

“You pay attention to how well it’s rolled, how it tastes, what drinks go well with it. I guess you could relate it to wine tasting,” Timko said. “The process of cigar making is very exact, it’s a long complex process, and is unique to each cigar.”

Santa Fe Espresso, 116 Welch Ave., is one of the newer locations that allows patrons to enjoy cigars. The coffee shop also has a special cigar smoking room, so that non-cigar enthusiasts are not offended by the cigar aromas.

Kum & Go, located on Welch Avenue, also has a selection of cigars, and just this semester, Lumpy’s, 2428 Lincoln Way, declared Thursday nights “cigar and martini night.”

The Campustown Cigar Co., located in The Keg Shop, 218 Welch Ave., is new to the Ames cigar scene.

Chuck Connors, manager of the store, said the increase in cigar smoking may partly be attributed to some celebrities’ actions.

“[Cigar smoking’s] been there but has gotten a lot more popular in the last few years,” he said. “More people in show business have let people know they smoke cigars and have for a while, and that helped [the increase in cigar sales].”

Connors said with cigars ranging from 89 cents to $24, the store’s business increases every week.

Not one specific cigar is preferred by customers over others, he said, and this could be because the store’s customers want to try many of Campustown Cigar Co.’s 150 or so types of cigars.

Connors, a self-described “up-and-coming cigar enthusiast,” said the majority of Campustown Cigar Co.’s customers are college-age and are “new” to the cigar smoking world.

“They don’t know exactly what to do with the cigars, what to drink with and what to eat,” he said. “The more complex a cigar, the more complex you want your drink to be.”

Timko said other college towns are experiencing this rising interest in cigars. When the Cigar and Pipe Smoking Society officially started more than a year ago, he put his name on a cigar Web page.

“Since then, many people e-mail me to get advice on starting a club at their college,” he said.

Timko said an article in Smoke Magazine featured a story on college cigar clubs and mentioned those at Harvard University, Columbia University and University of Illinois.

The Cigar and Pipe Smoking Society is more of a social group that does not have specific meeting times, he said, but throughout the year, about 60 people have been involved in the club.

However, Timko said he has no plans to head up the Cigar and Pipe Smoking Society next year and said the club is looking for a new president.