The Hardy Room, Nemacolin Resort, Farmington, Pennsylvania

Jan 22, 2024 | By Larry Olmsted

The late Joseph Hardy III was more than just a cigar lover—he was rarely photographed without one in his hand. This is how he’s portrayed in the portrait hanging over the wood burning fireplace in his namesake cigar lounge in The Chateau, one of three luxury hotels comprising the vast Nemacolin golf, spa and sporting resort.

Hardy was the billionaire founder of the 84 Lumber retail chain, and Nemacolin was his pet ion project, now run by his daughter. The Hardy Room was an original fixture of the luxurious Chateau when it was built—as an architectural homage to his favorite hotel, the Ritz Paris—in 1997. The Chateau recently closed for more than six months for a top-to-bottom reimagining as part of a quarter billion-dollar resort-wide upgrade. When it’s complete this summer, the Hardy Room may be the only thing left unchanged.

The cigar lounge has three parts, a retail cigar and accessory shop with separate entrance, connected to the well-stocked bar focused on cigar accompaniments, whiskies, rums, Tequilas and Cognacs. This in turn connects to the main part of Hardy Room, a living room style area expressly for relaxing and smoking. Even when the bar and shop are closed, this section of the Hardy Room remains open to resort guests 24/7 and is the only indoor spot on the 2,000-plus acre property where smoking is allowed. Likewise, security is available around the clock to unlock the shop and give guests access to its well-stocked humidors whenever the urge strikes, even in the dead of night.

The Hardy Room has an old gentleman’s club feel, with ornately crafted dark wood bookshelves full of 19th century volumes and memorabilia, including a humidor that was a gift to Hardy from comedian Milton Berle, and standing in one corner, a Mr. Punch statue from an old English tobacconist that was said to be previously owned by Andy Warhol. Hardy personally selected the furniture, deep leather chairs with nail-head trim and spotted cowhide cushions, which along with the hand-hammered copper ceilings, add a touch of Old West saloon flair. Tables around the fireplace are adorned with large, square, green glass ashtrays and boxes of Nemacolin wooden matches.

The shop has multiple humidor cabinets devoted to various kinds of cigars, including seasonal and vintage/hard to find, which include some high-priced Dunhill Cubans from years ago. There is also an extensive display of accessories, including cutters, lighters, cases and humidors.

“We have 55 different offerings from $14 to $5,000, and our team is here to help anyone find their perfect cigar,” says Ty Kinter, beverage manager. There really is something for everyone, and the large menu-style binder is broken up into Flavored, Full-Bodied, Medium-Bodied, Mild Bodied and Vintage & Hard-To-Find, with a recommended alcohol pairing for each. Standards such as Oliva Serie V and Rocky Patel 1990 run $26 and $28, the much less common Diamond Crown Julius Caesar is $52, while the high-end of the non-vintage list includes a contemporary Partagas 150 Series B Toro Vintage 1977 for $395 and Cohiba Spectre 2021 at $350.