NYC Cigar Lounge

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BREAKING: Merchants Cigar Bar to Reopen in December 2020

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In the midst of a global pandemic that has shuttered businesses everywhere and seen the end of NYC cigar industry heavyweights like Nat Sherman, there is a rare piece of good news for NYC cigar smokers. Merchants NY Cigar Bar , which closed in December of 2016, has announced plans to reopen on December 2nd, 2020. The website is back up, complete with a new logo, new design, and much more.

One of the few in NYC to serve cigars, drinks and food in one place, Merchants Cigar Bar will return with an all-new menu of premium cigars, cocktails, and food service. The lounge will have a new look and feel too. When the cigar bar was shuttered in 2016, management redesigned the interior space to a Mad Men-esque mid-century modern vibe and relaunched as Sugar East, a bar where patrons could smoke cigarettes but not cigars. The new Merchants Cigar Bar will keep the same bones, but with updated leather furniture and new visual features.

Fernando Rodriguez, Director of Operations at Merchants Hospitality, describes the new space having a “chill, modern feel” in contrast to the older, more traditional lounge. When asked about how the venue plans to open during COVID, Rodriguez described the rigorous health and safety measures being undertaken. “We have spared no expense creating a venue that New Yorkers can feel safe and comfortable in,” Rodriguez said. “From basics like heightened sanitation and mandatory masks for staff to plexiglass separators for tables and a world class filtration system that kills airborn bacteria and viruses, we are ready to open and welcome patrons in to our new experience.”

To start, the lounge will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm to 10pm. Currently, the lounge has a maximum capacity of 30 people, less than a quarter of its total capacity.

Merchants Cigar Bar is located at 1125 1st Avenue on the southwest corner of 1st ave and 62nd st on the Upper East Side.

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Wall St. Humidor—Hidden Tribeca Gem—Quietly Closes Doors

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Wall St. Humidor, first floor – photo courtesy Andy Oh

In April, Wall St. Humidor joined the ranks of other uniquely New York lounges consigned to memory like Velvet Cigar Lounge in the East Village, Beekman Bar & Books in Midtown East, JR Cigars in Midtown, and Merchants NY Cigar Bar on the Upper East Side.  If you didn’t hear about the closure, that’s because the only evidence of its closing is its sudden absence. The website is down, phone disconnected, and a ‘for sale’ sign hangs above the entrance.

In fact, if you’re a NYC cigar smoker and haven’t heard of Wall St. Humidor at all before, don’t beat yourself up. For most of the last ten years the two-story lounge was only known by a smaller inner-circle of cigar enthusiasts and FiDi workers, and one can only guess this was one of the factors that led to its closing.

The demise of Wall St Humidor is sad for a few reasons. First, the main floor, though a bit on the shabby side, was very large and had plenty of seating. And although the staff had a well-earned reputation of being inexplicably rude to newcomers (a reputation I had proved to me on two occasions), it was still a quiet refuge where cigar smokers could pick out a good smoke and take a quiet break.

For those that spent time at the place, what may be missed most of all is the downstairs lounge, which was, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful private lounges in the city, with a baby-grand piano, modern interior, private member lockers, and much more. Losing that room is sad for the entire city, because it marks the end of one of the few remaining rooms where everyday citizens can sit down, light up, and talk about issues that really matter.

Wall St Humidor downstairs – photo courtesy Andy Oh

We can hope that this is where the sad trend of cigar lounge closings ends, but with ever more stifling city ordinances around anything tobacco, and new federal laws (current and future), the list of closings will likely only grow in the next decade.

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Barclay Rex Pearl Street: A New Form, Same Substance

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Barclay Rex Pearl Street

Picture, if you can, a traditional four-story building with a brick-red and beige facade packed against an enormous modern white office building-turned residential space. If you can picture this, then you have just visualized the brand new Barclay Rex lounge at 126 Pearl Street in the City’s Financial District.

After a year-and- a-half of anticipation and deprivation of a much-needed lounge in the area, I was just one of the countless Barclay fans who anxiously rushed downtown to see if the wait was worth it.

Inside,  the tasteful brick wall is mostly fronted by large, dark wood cabinets sporting the finest cufflinks, butane lighters, hats, hand-made pipes, and pipe tobacco. Longtime Barclay hostess Joanna, whom I’ve known since the Broad Street days, approaches from the brand new wood-and- stone counter with a genuine smile and welcomes me to the new location.

She helps me pick my jaw back up off the floor and informs me that the lounge is actually still being worked on; hence the construction equipment outside; The shop’s “members only” lounge, which takes up the entire second floor of the building, is due to be finished in October.

Joanna escorts me beyond the pipe tobacco counter to the store’s brand new walk-in humidor. It’s a magnificent sight to behold; Barclay’s same diverse and fairly-priced selection is there, per the usual, but with fantastic new product displays gilded in beige, precision-cut wood. And, of course, there’s the old familiar sliding ladders that we all know and love. I pick up my smoke and pay for it. Sadly, City Hall no longer permits Barclay to sell coffee, nor does it allow Barclay a liquor license. However, they can still sell sodas and waters; and Joanna kindly hands me a Coke from a brand new high-tech fridge installed into the counter.

Barclay Rex Pearl Street

Joanna then directs me to the main lounge downstairs. It’s a fresh, stone tile-floored sanctuary, complete with outlets, matching orange and black comfy chairs, cityscape murals on the walls, and two big screen TV’s, with the Olympics on, hung up against a brick wall. I’m quickly joined by a group of regulars. To my relief, the lounge remains tranquil and quiet, with the regulars being unusually careful to maintain a calm atmosphere. Even during conversations, I can still clearly hear “I Can’t Tell You Why” and “You’re the Inspiration” over the speakers. This atmosphere of quiet consideration seals the deal for me; it picks up right where Broad Street left off.

I eventually make my way back up to the main floor to finish my Padrón Series Delicias 46 x 4 ⅞. Barclay owner Vinny Nastri is on location today, and he kindly extends his hand to shake, recognizing me from my previous visits. This new location represents a new chapter in Barclay Rex’s story, 106 years and counting; this is the first time the company has owned an entire building, and Vinny expresses his hopes that this new arrangement will last longer than the other locations did, which was decades at a time. Well, Vinny with a new abundance of smoking space and technology to supplement your family’s traditions of hospitality, affordability, and variety, I think the latest Barclay Rex location is here to stay. Keep up the good smoke!

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FTNYC Exclusive Review! Illusione “Pactum”.

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Illusione Pactum

Last night I had the pleasure of smoking the Illusione/Smoke Inn collaboration which marks the 9th edition of SI’s Microblend series. The Illusione “Pactum” which gets its name from the Latin verbiage “Agreement”, or at that time in ancient Rome it came to mean a “Gentleman’s Agreement”. I can say knowing Abe and Dion personally these are two true gentlemen who seek to provide the highest quality in a cigar for the connoisseur. Being a big Illusione fan I was very excited to try this smoke and here is the first exclusive review you will find. Enjoy!

Blend Specifics:

Vitola: Boxed Pressed Robusto

Wrapper: San Andres Capa Fina Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Dimensions: 5 1/2 x 56

Appearance & Construction

The Illusione Pactum has a gorgeous chocolate wrapper with a nice sheen and slight veins on the sides. The box press is perfect and there are no soft spots with a feel of well packed tobacco inside. The dry draw yielded raisinated flavors and a cocoa sweetness.

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Taste & Smoke Characteristics:

Lighting up the Pactum greeted me with earthy characteristics and a distinct sweetness from the wrapper. The first third of the cigar brought on some full tobacco flavor due to the higher priming from the Nicaraguan filler leaves. The ash was sliver and gray and fell off on its own. Midway the cigar brought out a bit of wood, hay and a slight gingerbread note. All the way the Pactum gave the sweetness from the San Andres ‘Capa Fina’ maduro cover leaf which really balances out the smoke. The final third gave a lot of the similar flavors as the last half which is not a bad thing at all. The combination of wood, sweet and rich tobacco hit all parts of the palate and gives you an excellent example of what a balanced smoke is all about.

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Conclusion:

I have been continuously impressed with Abe’s Microblend series not just as a concept but knowing the personal attention he gives to each blend and working with the brand owners. Dion of Illusione is a master craftsman and a perfectionist in what he puts out. When these two make a “Pactum” you can rest assured you are getting a smoke worthy of the Roman Empire. Pick these up before they sellout as other Microblends have.

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Avialble at Smoke Inn shops and their website if you are intrested:

http://www.smokeinn.com/eshop/Illusione-Pactum-SI-Exclusive-Product.html

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