Cigarman in Norton Lives His 'Wildest Dream'

Tom Fresoni has owned the Cigarman Shop in Norton for over 13 years, and he said he’s amazed at his own success.

“I hoped it would turn into a neighborhood place, and to my wildest dreams it pretty much has,” he said.

Fresoni said he has always had a love of cigars, and he didn’t have anywhere to go in the area that was serious about cigar smoking.

“Around this area, Norton, Attleboro, etc., there wasn’t anybody around who knew what they were talking about,” he said. “I don’t like buying them online because you never know what you're getting and you can’t talk to someone about them. So, I decided, like everyone else, to take a chance in life.”

Fresoni’s shop invites patrons to come in and sit down.

There’s a space in the back filled with leather Laz-E-Boys to help create a laid back atmosphere.

“I always used to have a few cigars when we played cards and went out with the guys,” he said.

Fresoni said the greatest part of his job is educating fellow cigar smokers on the subtleties of cigars.

“In the beginning and even now I do promotions and have [cigar company] representatives come in and talk to people,” he said. “It’s just as important as anything else to educate people about cigars.”

The wrapping and production of a cigar can have a great impact on the taste, he said. Hand rolling is definitely preferable to a machine-rolled cigar, as it used the whole leaf of the plant.

“Hand-rolled cigars are rolled by professionals,” he said. “It’s all long-leaf tobacco. That means when they pick the leaves, the wrapper is seven inches long and the cigar is about six inches. Machine made cigars are sandwiched, and use small trimmings of tobacco. In my mind, you’re just getting a fresher cigar. All the tobacco is rolled together.”

On this point, Fresoni said each part of the plant is used differently for different types of cigars. The location, soil quality and climate of the tobacco matters a great deal. He said Cuban cigars are considered very high quality, not because of their rarity here in the states, but because of the soil in Cuba.

“The most fertile soil in the area is in Cuba,” he said.

Fresoni uses his humidor room to simulate the best conditions.

“I treat it almost every night for the last 13 years,” he said. “It’s a big reason of why people come in. Where the cigars are grown, like Nicaragua,  the Dominican Republic, the temperature and humidity is consistent year-round. I try to duplicate that in the humidor.”

Fresoni made no illusions on the dangers of smoking. He said as long as a person is of age, they should have the right to smoke.

“I feel this country is based on the freedom of choice,” he said. “Until something is illegal and you’re of age, you should be able to do it.”

Fresoni donates to area local charities, including the Norton Police and Fire Departments.

Cigarman is located on 181 W. Main St., and is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.