Summer is fast approaching, and that means new FineTobaccoNYC events around the city. We’ll be kicking off this summer season at Refugio Cigar House, hosted by owner and manager Mike Lopez. Below is the official invite that went out to FTNYC advance-notice event mailing list subscribers. If you want advance notice on FTNYC events, just submit your email address on the right side (——->) and you’ll receive invites to our social cigar events in the future.
~~~
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Leaf,
In the next few weeks, New York will finally be waking up from its winter hibernation to welcome the summer and all that it brings. I for one can’t wait for the sunlight, warmth, and of course, cigars with other like-minded brothers and sisters of the leaf. That’s why I am inviting you and your friends to come enjoy cigars, networking, and friends at Refugio Cigar House on the evening of Thursday, June 2nd for a truly unique summer smoke. Refugio is New York City’s newest lounge, with Cuban revolution decor and a great line-up of house cigars (Yankee, Commandante, Brazileiro), as well as a great selection of one of my all-time favorite brands, Perdomo.
Throw the event on your calendar, and shoot me an email if you are interested in coming! I’ll send out a reminder email as we get closer to the event. If you can’t make this event, don’t worry! We’ll have a great line up of cigar hang outs this summer. Next venue up is my FiDi apartment rooftop (check out theview!)
Looking forward to seeing you all again at the event. Until then, I remain
This Saturday, FineTobaccoNYC members joined my good friend Mike Lopez and the rest of Brooklyn in welcoming Refugio Cigar House to the New York City cigar scene. The night was full of cigars, wine, liquor, music, new friends, old friends, and a great raffle. Business partners Mike Lopez, Carlos Velasquez, and Angel Lugo built Refugio to be, you guessed it, a refuge for the New York City cigar lover. The lounge is styled around Cuban revolution of the 50’s, with military green walls, red trim, and black upholstery all around. There are still a few adjustments to be made in the new lounge, but the space was more than sufficient for the event and everyone had a great time.
The event started at 6pm and ran until roughly midnight. Drinks were on the house, and the owners of Refugio collaborated to bring in food from local shops all over the neighborhood including some great Brooklyn pizza (the best!), fresh fruit, and other snack items.
The special Refugio Cigar House line was debuted at the event, and cigars were complimentary to all guests of the grand opening. I was able to taste three, and really enjoyed the Dominican/Honduran double-wrapped robusto that they had in stock. During the first hour, the guests started arriving, including a few from SocialCigar that happened to see the event invite online. There were also plenty of curious locals of the Williamsburg area that stopped in, grabbed a smoke and sat down to enjoy the festivities.
By 8:00pm, the party was in full effect. There were too many people to count, which was ok because that just meant more people to meet. At around 10:30pm, champagne was passed around and Mike proposed a toast to officially launch the lounge. There were cheers all around. Then, the owners held a massive raffle where first place took home the beautiful humidor pictured below. Second and third place raffle winners took home a sampler pack of Refugio cigars. As luck would have it, both FTNYC contributing writer Guy and I won, so we’ll have plenty of cigars to smoke and sample for the next few weeks!
I was having so much fun I didn’t get a head count, but you can get an idea for just how big the crowd was – at least 60, probably more at one moment, with well over a hundred overall. I was sad a few fellow FTNYCers that RSVP’d weren’t able to make it, but Mike Lopez brought the family so there were plenty of people to meet. FineTobaccoNYC will definitely be holding more events at Refugio Cigar House in the future, so if you are interested head over to our events page and sign up for the event mailing list! I would also recommend dropping by the lounge in the near future to meet the owners and kick it back with a cigar.
On behalf of FTNYC and its subscribers, I’d like to thank the owners of Refugio Cigar House for the great event. Refugio Cigar House is located at 635 Lorimer St Brooklyn, NY 11211, right by the Lorimer St. subway stop (L and G trains). Refugio will also be launching their website soon, which can be bookmarked here.
The past few years have seen a wave of new lounges opening (Caballeros, Maraya, and Diamante’s to name a few), each lounge adding its own unique touch to the New York cigar scene. Still, options are few when it comes to finding a good place to smoke during the cold winter months, so the addition of a new establishment is always exciting.
That said, I am pleased to announce that New York City cigar enthusiasts are gaining another shop to buy and smoke cigars. The newest addition to the New York City smoking lounge family is Refugio Cigar House, located in Brooklyn just off of the L, or G train at the Lorimer St. stop. The lounge boasts plenty of space, member humidors, and its own line of cigars (which I have yet to taste). Mike Lopez, a good friend of mine, is the owner of the establishment. In early January, I was able to take a look at the shop before it was renovated. There wasn’t much set up, but I did notice that the shop is at a great location, and that the high ceilings should make for a really great atmosphere.
Refugio Cigar House will be officially open for business next week. However, this Saturday (the 22nd) at 6:00pm – 11:00pm, Refugio Cigar House and FineTobaccoNYC are throwing a grand opening party. All FineTobaccoNYC readers are welcome to attend.
There will be great attractions at this event! You can find all of the details by clicking on the link below: