James Bollen

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Oscar Maya: Professional Barber

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This summer while searching for a good haircut, I ended up in the most unusual place for  such a thing, Cigar  Inn! For a limited time, a fashionable master barber named Oscar Maya offered  a not-to-be-missed summer deal:  haircut, neck shave, and massage for $30. The barbershop  chairs serve a dual purpose, extra chairs on busy Cigar Inn  evenings and chairs for a shave and  hair cut a la Oscar Maya. Oscar, who says he has been barbering for most of his  life, adds  additional “style” to Cigar Inn. Gentlemen now have no reason to leave the plush lounge of Cigar  Inn to be  styled. Rather, bring a bottle and enjoy a cigar all in the same place.

I felt confident and assured with Oscar once I sat down in the soft brown leather chair. He  asked me how I wanted to style my hair and he gave me the classic tapered haircut allowing me to  style it different ways. From then on, he did his art and conversed, and it was a treat.

While Maya began cutting my hair with large barber scissors, he changed to shorter scissors  for styling. He styled my hair quickly and precisely. While he was cutting my hair, I noticed there  was an ashtray, to enjoy a cigar, while having a haircut. Oscar trimmed my hair, we conversed about life, and he initiated small talk that is a necessary skill. Maya passed this part with high marks.

Next, he proceeded to shave my neck with a razor. Maya used all the angles of the straight razor for a closer shave. He shaved my neck at a nice pace then applied a little shaving cream to get a closer neck shave with the straight razor. I could feel him using all the parts of the blade on my neck for a clean shave.

After the neck shave, Maya gave me a neck and face massage. He put an electronic massage tool on his left hand and his right hand followed the movement. This was amazing; the massage relaxed my facial and neck muscles easing the tension from the past months.

I was now done with the summer deal I had purchased and I was very pleased with the result. Maya is enjoyable to talk with, a fine conversationalist, snazzy dresser, and a fantastic barber. I highly recommend Oscar Maya the next time you need a haircut. Schedule at Maya’s website hairdoneright.com and check out this video for an idea of his work, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVMEs89MULg&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1.

Oscar Maya recently began working at a hair salon located on 123 5th Avenue between 19th and 20th Street. You can still expect a great haircut but now instead of cigars, there are “pretty blonds and brunettes” in the store. I encourage you the next time you need a hair cut stop by Capelli D’oro, http://www.capellidoro.com/, to let Oscar style your hair and you can call Maya at (646) 789-2528.

Conclusion: A

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Cigar Review: La Gloria Cubana Series N

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While I was in Williamsburg Brooklyn, I stopped by Refugio Cigar House to have a stogie. I was curious to try the La Gloria Series N; people seem to love it or hate it. La Gloria’s Series N has a dark Nicaraguan oscuro wrapper making the Series N appear as a full-bodied powerhouse. However, there is controversy over whether La Gloria dyed the wrapper. Overall, the evening was excellent with Bob Marley and Latin music playing in the background.

Specifics

Size: Robusto 5 ½ x 54

Wrapper: Capa Oscura

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Appearance & Construction

The construction of the Series N was nice, with large veins on the wrapper. The Series N felt hard to the touch, which made me slightly worried about the draw, because the tobacco seemed tightly packed. The cigar smelled of leather, spice, and wood. I proceeded to cut the cigar with my v-cutter and tested the draw, which was slightly tight. The cold draw tasted of coffee, spice, and wood, and after toasting the foot, the aroma did not change.

Taste & Smoking Characteristics

The Series N began with a spicy charred meaty flavor. As the cigar progressed, flavors of black coffee with bittersweet chocolate appeared, with black pepper spice in the retrohale. Consistent flavors of bitter and sweet chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and spice remained throughout the hour-long smoke. During the smoke the cigar made my mouth and throat dry. This cigar is neither a power house nor a complex stick. The Series N went out once, when I rested it in the ashtray; it had an uneven burn that tunneled and a flaky salt-and pepper-ash on the two I tried. Despite the Series N’s flaws, I heard it compared to a German Chocolate cake, which is a fair comparison, and coffee would pair nicely with a cigar.

Conclusion

Overall, the Series N burned inconsistently with a flaky ash but the flavor profile is decent with a fair price from $6-$8. The price is reasonable but the cigar’s continual uneven burn and tunneling detracted from the experience.

Final Grade: B       

Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente Don Carlos

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Mine’s on the left.

On a warm New York day with temperatures in the mid-eighties, I walked from my apartment to Cigar Inn uptown, and I brought along only a bottle of water bottle with me. I entered the well-filled humidor, enjoying the sweet smell of tobacco, and I chose the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos to review. I had read excellent reviews online from the Stogie Guys, so I was curious if the stick could gain a spot in my humidor. Cigar Inn played soothing jazz that added depth to this medium bodied stogie as I sat in a comfortable leather couch at the back of the lounge.

Specifics

Size: Toro 6 1/2 x 50

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

                

                               Appearance and Construction

An imperfection on the cigar.

Once I took the cigar out of the cellophane wrapper, I beheld a beauty of a stogie although it had a minor imperfection. The cigar’s wrapper was a pale brown. I enjoyed that the Don Carlos was slightly firm to the touch without being too hard or soft. The cigar’s foot embodies tobacco, cherry, and a faint hint of leather.

Taste & Smoking Characteristics

After I toasted the foot, the cigar released an aroma of berry and tobacco. After I fully lit the cigar, smoke came out generously. This stogie had a nice tanginess yet maintained the creaminess of a fine espresso, a flavor that appeared in the cigar. The cigar’s flavors of wood, berry, tobacco, and leather contrast nicely to the continuing tanginess. As I reached the two-thirds mark, the tang subsides, and spice appears in the background. I was pleased with the salt and pepper ash, which held steadily at two inches. This cigar burned for an hour-and-a-half smoke with no major burn issues, and it never burned hot towards the nub. My only complaint with this cigar was that towards the last inch, it slowly became bitter, forcing me to put the cigar down to die with dignity in the ashtray. Despite the bitterness at the cigar’s end, it is a complex medium bodied cigar with full flavor.

Look at that great ash.

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos cigar. It had great depth with many complex flavors calling me to return to seek more flavors. At around $10 a stick, it will not be a common cigar in my rotation; however, give the cigar a chance and then seek deals online.

Final Grade: A 

                            

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