The Deliberate Detour | Alpharetta, Georgia
This little detour happened back in May, on one of those gray Saturdays that didn’t seem to have much of a plan.
The weather was drizzly. There wasn’t a single movie playing that felt worth leaving the house for. And Tom and I found ourselves asking that very familiar weekend question:
What should we do today?
Instead of forcing a plan that didn’t excite us, we did what we’re learning to do more and more.
We took the detour.
Tom loves cigars. I love sitting beside him with a glass of wine or a mimosa, relaxing into the atmosphere, talking, people-watching a little, and letting the afternoon slow down around us.
It’s one of those simple shared rituals that works for us.
He enjoys the cigar. I enjoy the mood.
And together, we enjoy the pause.
That Saturday, the road took us to Alpharetta to try Cutters Cigar & Spirits, a place we hadn’t visited before. Tom had heard about it from some of the guys at Maxwell’s Cigar Bar in Woodstock, and that was enough to put it on our list.
A damp Saturday afternoon seemed like exactly the right time to finally try it.
First Impressions
The moment we walked through the door, Cutters felt like the kind of place a rainy Saturday needed.
Warm lighting. Dark leather. Rich wood tones. A polished bar. Big, comfortable chairs.
Upscale without being stiff. Stylish without feeling cold. Comfortable without being boring.
We arrived around lunchtime and had a chance to take in the room before the afternoon crowd grew — the seating, the bar, the cigar displays, the music and the overall feel of the place.
Tom chose a cigar.
I chose a mimosa.
And we settled into two wonderfully oversized leather chairs.
There is something about a good chair, a slow drink and nowhere urgent to be that can change the entire mood of a day.
As the afternoon went on, the room filled in a bit more, but it never lost that relaxed feeling. There was enough energy to make the place feel alive without making it difficult to sit, talk and enjoy ourselves.
That matters to us.
Some places look beautiful but feel chaotic. Others are comfortable but don’t feel particularly special.
Cutters landed nicely in the middle — polished enough to feel like an outing and comfortable enough to actually relax.
For The Deliberate Detour, that’s a pretty wonderful sweet spot.
The Two-Person Test
One of the things I love about experiencing these places with Tom is that we notice completely different things.
I notice the lighting. The seating. The atmosphere. The way a place makes an afternoon feel.
Tom notices the cigar selection. The humidor. The lounge setup. The service. And whether it’s someplace he’d intentionally choose over another cigar lounge.
Which actually makes us a rather good reviewing team.
And for me, there’s another question that matters:
If I’m not the one smoking the cigar, would I still want to spend a few hours here?
At Cutters, the answer was easy.
Yes.
I was perfectly content with my mimosa, my ridiculously comfortable chair and my husband sitting beside me enjoying something he loves.
That’s a date in my book.
What Worked
For me, atmosphere was the biggest win.
Cutters felt warm, moody and comfortable — exactly what we wanted on that particular Saturday. The leather seating invited you to settle in. The bar gave the room a polished feel. And nothing about it made us feel as though we needed to dress up or make an occasion out of being there.
We could simply stay awhile.
For Tom, naturally, the cigar experience carries more weight. And I suspect Cutters may eventually find its way onto a little Tom’s Cigar Lounge Ranking around here.
We’re going to need more research.
Purely in the interest of journalism, of course.
The Deliberate Detour Verdict
Would we go back? Absolutely.
Cutters took a gray Saturday with no real plan and turned it into a genuinely enjoyable afternoon.
Nothing extravagant.
Nothing overly planned.
Just a good little escape that reminded us why we started The Deliberate Detour in the first place.
We’re especially curious to return one evening when there’s live music — low lighting, those leather chairs, a glass of wine for me, a cigar for Tom and music in the room sounds like a detour worth repeating.
And perhaps that will be the visit that determines exactly where Cutters lands on Tom’s future cigar-lounge list.
Know Before You Go
Cutters Cigar & Spirits
4915 Windward Parkway, Suite 100
Alpharetta, Georgia 30004
770-640-0550
Best for: A rainy afternoon, a grown-up date-day detour, cigar lovers, lounge lovers and couples who enjoy simply sitting and talking awhile.
Good to know: You do not have to be the cigar enthusiast in the relationship to enjoy the experience — but it is a cigar lounge, so smoke is naturally part of the environment. Cutters also hosts live music and other events, so checking their current calendar before heading over is worthwhile. Their website currently lists live music programming on weekends.
Sometimes the best afternoons aren’t the ones you scheduled weeks in advance.
Sometimes they begin with,
“What should we do today?”
…and end with you tucked into a leather chair, sipping a mimosa, watching your husband enjoy a cigar and realizing the day found its way after all.
Design a life you love ~ deliberately.
And sometimes, take the detour.
Deliberate Desires 