This last Wednesday, the FTNYC community came together for another great smoke-session. And what a night it was! We were on the penthouse level of the Ravel Rooftop in Queens. We had live salsa music, some of the guys took a beginner salsa lesson, a cigar roller rolling fresh stogies, bar service, and about 25 BOTL/SOTL there to hang out with.
Thanks to everyone who came out to make the event a success, and for BOTL Kelvin Batista for setting it up. What a great venue!
This email went out to all FTNYC event subscribers – sign up for the mailing list to make sure you get word of exclusive events first!
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Ladies and gentlemen of the leaf,
After a long summer of awesome events, it is my pleasure to announce two upcoming fall FineTobaccoNYC events. But first, two quick updates. The first is that FineTobaccoNYC is now officially sponsored by Astoria Imperial Cigars – we’re proud to be supported by such a great lounge and look forward to developing a business relationship. Second is that FineTobaccoNYC, courtesy of Kelvin Batista, is now maintaining the largest and most comprehensive cigar event calendar in the New York City area. Click the link and bookmark it!
Now for the events! If you plan on coming to either, email me at matthias.ftnyc@gmail.com and RSVP yourself plus however many guests you’ll be bringing!
Diamante’s 2nd Anniversary Party – Saturday, 11/05/2011
We at FineTobaccoNYC are proud to sponsor this special occasion of one of my favorite cigar lounges. The event runs almost all day, so stop by and say hi to David Diamante himself, and come smoke out with the FineTobaccoNYC squad. I’ll be there along with Kelvin, James, Tim (the most recent addition to the FTNYC team), and plenty of friends. There will be a DJ, a raffle, big prize giveaways and no BYO charge! Come support a local shop and have a good time doing it!
The FineTobaccoNYC “Lazy Sunday Pipe Smoke” at Velvet Cigar Lounge – Sunday, 11/13/2011:
For all of you I’ve heard say you want to learn more about pipes (tobacco, packing, lighting, etc), FTNYC is hosting its first everpipe-smoking event! We will be spending a relaxing Sunday afternoon experiencing the new and exclusive pipe tobacco blends at Velvet Cigar Lounge, and I’ll be giving a brief pipe 101 class. Dan Bsharat, owner of Velvet, has also offered to waive the BYO fee and open the lounge early exclusively for the FineTobaccoNYC event. The shop will be selling pipes, tobacco, and their premium blend cigar, the (fantastic) Velvet Bowery.
The FineTobaccoNYC team is happy to announce that the largest, most comprehensive NYC area cigar event calendar is now online.
The calendar will be updated constantly as event announcements come in from around the internet, cigar shop mailing lists, and word of mouth. You can find the calendar here, or by clicking the link on the navigation bar above. We will also be posting our own special events on this calendar, so be sure to stay tuned. Daily event announcements are also made on the FineTobaccoNYC Facebook page. Click here and “Like” our page to get instantaneous updates.
To submit an event to the FineTobaccoNYC calendar, email Kelvin Batista using the email address linked here.
A few months ago FineTobaccoNYC hosted a rooftop HERF with Maraya Cigars. We had the pleasure of having John Nubian and Dan-ell Morales from CigarFilms.com drop by and film the event. They interviewed founder of FTNYC Matthias Clock as well as Senor Cigar Kevin Bristow from New York Grown & Sexy in the City cigar group. Check out that sunset!
If you’d like to come to a FTNYC, they are open to all cigar smokers! Simply drop by our home page and submit your name and email address!
It’s a beautiful day out in Astoria, Queens – not a cloud in the sky, 85 degree weather, and a beautiful back yard to smoke in. I haven’t reviewed in a while, so I figured I’d give this La Floridita Fuerta sitting in my box a try. I didn’t pair any drinks with this cigar besides a glass of water.
On first glance, this stick seems to be very well constructed, has a good weightiness in hand, and has a great oily sheen. Unfortunately, after closer inspection, it also seems that it is packed a bit unevenly. I’m not a huge fan of the black, white and gold band from an aesthetic standpoint. “La Floridita” is displayed in large Times New Roman font, which makes it appear as if whoever created the label didn’t put a lot of thought into it. The aroma off the foot of the stick, however, is pretty good: hints of leather, a bit of spice, and dark chocolate.
Taste & Smoking Characteristics
I was a bit surprised with how this stick kicked off. From what I smelled off of the foot pre-light, I was expecting a bigger kick than I got. The flavor introduced itself as an earthy, bitter cocoa, lacking any of the spice I imagined would be there. The smoke has a certain heavy thickness to it that seems to mask some of the flavor. About a half-inch in, the taste opens up a bit, the earthy sweetness pulls way back to reveal what I’d describe as a sort of savory, meaty flavor with a bit of woodiness and spice on the retrohale. Unfortunately, there’s also a slightly fermented finish, which is probably indicative of a lack of time spent in the humidor – my fault!
At 2/3, I’m a bit torn. I’m tempted to say that I’m a bit bored with the flavor profile, but it is possible that this Ligero blend just isn’t my cup of tea. I would like a spice that’s a bit more discernable – at levels this low it just seems like the cigar can’t make up its mind! By about halfway through, I haven’t noticed a lot of change, except for a brief, maybe 2 minute transition into an earthy, sweet, dark chocolate that is very enjoyable. I can also say that the construction is excellent. At halfway, I still haven’t ashed the cigar and the burn is straight.
The final third is where this stick really picks up. The spice on the tongue increases, and the flavor profile becomes a mix of earth, leather, and pepper. Enjoyable, but a little too late in the game for me.
Conclusion
This is not a bad medium to full bodied cigar, and for $5 a piece, it won’t break the bank. There are, however, better sticks for the price. I’d say it is worth a shot if you want to try something new because it is unique, but I probably won’t be picking up any more with so many other great sticks out there that I know I can rely on.
