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The Cigar Inn: Two Fantastic NYC Locations

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The counter at the 1st Avenue Location

The Cigar Inn, with two locations in Manhattan, manages to have an atmosphere that is incredibly sophisticated and extremely friendly.

My first stop today was the 1st Ave. location of Cigar Inn, where I spoke with Bill Sakih, the owner.  This smaller store and lounge, which can hold about 15 customers at a time, has been around since the mid-90s.  Soft jazz was playing in the background, as two small groups of men seated on leather couches chatted about sports and current events-the regulars as Billy called them.  “This place is really friendly, a place where people create friendships.  The regulars go out to dinner, take trips, plan golf outings…”

The Cigar Aficionado Lounge

In addition to the large walk-in humidor with an impressive selection, the store sells all sorts of products for men: ties, cufflinks, shaving supplies, money clips and watches.  Additionally, Cigar Inn is a great place to shop for smoking accessories: pipes, ashtrays, lighters and cutters.

If you’re looking to buy a humidor though, your best bet is to head to Cigar Inn’s other location on 2nd Ave. near 54th St., which has been open for about 2 years. The humidor selection is top notch.  They also carry all of those various products for men, with the bonus of having a fully functioning barbershop.  You have to call ahead for an appointment.

Billy was quick to boast that the 2nd Ave location has the only lounge and humidor that is endorsed by Cigar Aficionado magazine.  The lounge is magnificent, with leather couches and armchairs, flat-screen televisions, great natural lighting, and plenty of space.   And the humidor is, or course, fully stocked with one of the best selections in New York.

After chatting for a while, I asked Billy what he was smoking these days, and he handed me a La Aurora, his current favorite.  “On the house,” he said.  I’ll definitely be back to let him know what I thought.

Long story short: both Cigar Inn locations are fantastic spots to smoke a cigar. As soon as you get a few hours free, drop by one of Cigar Inn’s two locations, kick back in a lounge chair, and enjoy a good cigar. You’ll be glad you did!

The Cigar Inn (2nd Ave) Humi

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Update:  I tried that La Aurora.  It was really complex.  It began really solid, and mild.  As I got further in, it became really spicy, with more of a medium flavor.  The last third was a little harsh.  (That might just be my tendency to smoke a cigar down too far.)  But, it was a really interesting smoke.  I’ll definitely try another La Aurora.

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Event Recap: FTNYC “Fall Smoke” #2 at Caballeros Cigar Lounge

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You’ve never met a friendlier bunch of guys than Jose, Mike, Richie and the rest of the crew at Caballeros Cigars, the sight of the most recent FTNYC event, on November 12th.  I’d never been to Caballeros, and I’m willing to admit I wasn’t too thrilled about the long train ride into Brooklyn.  Long story short: I’d make the ride over and over.  This place is great.

The event began at 8pm.  I arrived a little early, and asked Richie where I could buy a bottle of wine.  He pointed me toward the liquor store a few blocks down and said, “Tell them Richie from the cigar store sent you.  They’ll give you a good price.”  It’s that kind of neighborhood.

I started the night off with a Santa Ana, one of Caballeros signature homemade cigars.  Jose and Mike both showed me around the humidor and helped me pick out the perfect smoke.  Its flavor was in the medium-to-full arena, and it had a rich taste that I loved.  And it was great to hear about the family’s history – that definitely made the experience of smoking my Santa Ana even more satisfying.

Throughout the next few hours, in addition to the FTNYCers who stopped by, it seemed that half the neighborhood showed up to say hello.  People brought booze, and snacks.  A few locals came by with coolers trying to sell us food.  (Sean, how was that empanada?)  Cigars, Rum, Salsa music, even a little dancing – what a fun atmosphere!

Some of the highlights of the evening include:

•Jose showing us his baseball bat cigars.  What a great idea for having the guys over for a game, or for welcoming a new baby boy.  What’s next?  Football cigars, hockey stick cigars?

•All sorts of strange liquor.  I wish I had been paying attention to the names of things because there were several drinks I’d never seen before.  There was a bottle of pink, carbonated something-or-other that got passed around.  Someone filled a vodka bottle up with special herbs from the Dominican Republic, and made this delicious special brew.  Another bottle had this thick, egg-noggy dessert beverage, with rum, I think.  And beer, wine and brandy.  Everyone was happy to share.

•FTNYer Sarah was mesmerized by Janise, Anthony’s wife, dancing around the store to the beat of the pumping Latin music.

•Mike showing off his brand new tattoo.  I wish I had gotten a picture.  He’d gotten it that day, and pulled down the bandage to show us the arch-angel Michael on his forearm.

By the time I left, 4 hours after arriving, I’d met some new friends, reconnected with a friend I hadn’t seen in a few years, smoked two cigars, and managed to sample about 5 new drinks.  It’s a pretty easy call to say that this 2nd event at Caballeros was a great success.

Check out the painting!

Caballeros Cigars is located at 1048 Wyckoff Avenue in Ridgewood, NY.  You can contact them at info@caballeroscigars.com

If you’re interested in joining the list, and attending an FTNYC event, drop Matthias an email at matthias.ftnyc@gmail.com

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Stuyvesant Park: A smoke in the park on a gorgeous Fall day

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If you’re a New Yorker who smokes cigars, you’ve probably heard about the proposed ban on smoking in public parks and beaches.  If not, you can read about it here.  Mayor Bloomberg is proposing a $250 fine for anyone smoking in these public areas.  I don’t know what you think, but that sounds pretty ridiculous to me; tough to enforce as well.  Can you imagine the police trying to fine a French tourist smoking a cigarette in Times Square, or an old man smoking his pipe in Central Park?

I may be risking a lot of fines if this law passes, because I love to smoke cigars in New York’s parks, particularly Stuyvesant Park (located between E. 15th St. and E. 17th St. on both sides of 2nd Avenue).

Like a lot of New Yorkers, I choose not to smoke in my apartment.  Maybe if I lived in a big house in the country, I could have a smoking room / man cave, or at least a porch on which to sit in a chair and enjoy a nice cigar from time to time.  That not being the case, I find myself looking for public areas to smoke.

I live near Union Square, but I don’t often smoke cigars there; it’s so full of people, and I know the smell pisses people off.  I don’t want to be a jerk.  I prefer my little Stuyvesant Park because there are far fewer people and much more space.

Stuyvesant Park consists of two smaller rectangular parks, bisected by 2nd Avenue.  Each has a fountain, and lots of trees, brick walkways and benches.  The Eastern side even has a dog run, though according to internet sources, it’s not a very good one.  It’s all enclosed by a gorgeous black, cast iron fence, the oldest in New York.

I love it because it’s quiet, it’s seemingly safe, and you have plenty of room.  I am often not the only man there smoking a cigar.  I’ll be sitting on a bench, smoking one of my Gurkha Grand Envoy Toros (I just bought a 10 pack of Gurkhas from CigarsInternational.com), and another cigar-smoking gentleman will saunter by and say hello.  We’ll smile, both thinking that we’re privy to one of New York’s best kept secrets.

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Vegas, baby!

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My life is a little crazy, crazy in a good way.  This week I found myself in Las Vegas for a job.  By some miracle of scheduling, I had a free evening – which never happens – and I decided to explore.

I was done with work at about 5pm, and I had to be ready for my ride to the airport at 9am the following day.  Sixteen hours!  Doable.

I had a couple of things I wanted to accomplish:  I wanted to see a show.  I wanted to see the fountain at the Bellagio.  I wanted a great meal.  I wanted to gamble a little.  And, I wanted to smoke at least one great cigar.

Unfortunately I was staying in North Las Vegas, and I have to take a $60 cab ride to The Strip. First order of business: tickets to a show.  I wanted a big, Vegas-style showgirls show, but I settled for a magic show with The Amazing Jonathan at Planet Hollywood.  No complaints though, it was hysterical.

The Amazing Jonathan

Next order of business: food.  I had heard the buffet at Harrah’s was amazing, and (why lie about it?) I really love an all-you-can-eat environment.  I got all the way to the restaurant, but the line was too long; I was going to miss the show.  So, I headed back toward Planet Hollywood, and it was getting so late, I had to grab burger at Wendy’s.  Fail.

After the show, I just wanted to explore.  I went to just about every casino.  I got to see the Bellagio fountain.  I saw the stupid, mini-Eiffel Tower at Paris and the stupid, mini-Empire State Building at New York, New York.
Lot’s of stupid stuff, but the sum of it all is really awesome and fun.  Clearly it’s not a place meant to be visited alone.  When I get a chance to come back with a group of friends, I’m sure it’s going to be a ton of fun.

I had the impression that Vegas was a cigar city.  I’m not sure where that came from, the movie Swingers maybe?  When I arrived and started looking around, I didn’t see anyone smoking cigars.  I saw a bunch of families, from all over the world, all having a great time.  I didn’t want to be rude by firing up a cigar in the middle of a crowd.

That was early in the evening.  After the show, I kept exploring, and the dynamic had completely changed.  It was now groups of friends, bachelor parties, and rich and gorgeous people.  Out came the cigars. (Of course there was still the gross element there: trashy people and sad slot machine addicts, but it’s easier to just look past them.)

I felt more than comfortable lighting up a cigar at this point.  I sat down in the sports betting area at Caesar’s Palace, in the big comfy chairs, and I pulled out a cigar I had brought with me, a Gurkha Park Avenue Series 44 Torpedo (6.25×52).  I was seated near three young guys smoking cigars.  I tried to make conversation, but their English was pretty terrible.  I think they were from Spain.  They tried though; it was actually kind of funny.

I don’t often get to smoke indoors, unless I’m at a cigar bar.  It was refreshing to be able to walk around, gamble a little and smoke.  I am not a huge gambler, but I love Roulette.  I played for a while, always better RED 33, and smoking this fantastic cigar.  Oh, I should mention that at midnight, it became my 33rd birthday, that’s why I was betting 33. I mentioned that to the couple next to me, and I had a birthday toast with them.  People were very friendly.

As a side note, I had never had a Gurkha before, and it was a fantastic smoke.  Great taste.  Very pure tasting.  Simple but not bland.  I will definitely give Gurkhas some thought next time I’m at the cigar store.

At that point in the night, it was just after midnight, and I still had a lot of exploring to do.  So I headed south, and I was determined to see as much as I could before I passed out from exhaustion.  Of course, the free drinks were taking their toll too.  (Yeah, I was drinking alone.  I believe in this rare scenario it is not a cry for help – it’s just what you do.  Don’t judge me.)

Around 2am, I decided I wanted another cigar and searched for a cigar store in some casino.  It seemed like most casinos has one if you looked hard enough.  I found a little store in The Excelsior, and bought a Macanudo Café Crystal in a glass tube for $16.  Maybe I was being cheap, but the cigars were so overpriced, that I wanted to save a little money with a Macanudo.  Also, you always know what to expect with a Macanudo: simple, woody, reliable.

Long story short, I got in a cab at 3:30am and flew out in the morning after 3 hours of sleep and a hot shower.

What a great trip!  I get the impression that you have to go to Vegas a few times to figure out how to do it right: Where to stay, where to gamble, where to eat, where to buy cigars.  But for a couple of hours, I think I did a good job.  And, I gambled for hours, and left only down $15.  Success.

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Smoking in Rhode Island & A Three Cigar Review

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Hey blogoshpere; it’s Guy again.

For the month of July, I’ve packed up and moved to Rhode Island for a job. True, I miss New York, but a month in a house 500 feet from the beach is not so bad.  I’ve been working my ass off, but I’ve managed to sneak off a few evenings to smoke a cigar on the beach.  Watching the waves, listening to the surf, and smoking a good cigar – how can I complain?

As I’ve mentioned, I’m still looking for new, great cigars.  I keep a little book with all of my cigar labels and notes on what I liked and didn’t like.  Perhaps when I’m back in my apartment, I can scan a few pages to show you all.

But while I’m here, I’m smoking my way through The 12 Angry Men Sampler I bought on CigarsInternational.com. The price was right, and I hadn’t smoked most of the brands in the sampler so I gave it a shot.

I’ve worked my way through three so far.  Here is a short review (note: I had to grab some of these pictures from the net due to a lack of a flash on my camera phone):

Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet Robusto (5″ x 50)

I can best describe this cigar as “simple.”  It’s easy, mild, and clean on the palate.  It reminds me of the Macanudos I smoked when I was just getting used to cigars.  While, I don’t think I’d try this brand again, I’d definitely suggest it newbies.  Admittedly my tasted tend toward the middle of the intensity spectrum, so this is too light and uncomplicated for me.  I gave this stick a “C”

Man O’ War Robusto (5.5″ x 50)

Now this had some flavor!  I’d say it’s a medium to full bodied smoke, but it didn’t even have a hint of that bitter taste you get with darker cigars.  Tons of flavor.  My biggest complaint is the stupid looking cigarband.  Hey, what can I say: I like the whole aesthetic of smoking, and the band is part of that.  I’m excited to try the other Man O’ War cigars in this sampler.  “B+”

La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte Robusto (5.5″ x 54)

I knew what I was getting with this stick.  It has a second band that announces that it’s “Oscuro” and “Fuerte” – dark and strong.  I just finished this one.  I was in the mood for dark and strong, so I gave it a shot.  Now, though I don’t usually go for the dark/maduro cigars I like one every now and then because they provide a complex set of tastes.  I think of the Casa Magna (Matthias’ favorite) which is a damn complicated cigar.  Lots of stuff going on.  This was lacking in the that complexity.  It was thick and heavy, without any interesting flavors, so I rated this cigar a “C”.

Now I’ve been told not to judge a brand just on one cigar, that sometimes there are inconsistencies within any given box of cigars.  Sure I get that.  But you have to start somewhere.

Has anyone else enjoyed the Man O’ War?  Am I missing something about the La Herencia or the Sol Cubano?  Anyone else keep notes the way I do?

I’d love to hear what you think.