Lighting up the Big Apple

Friday and Saturday, 19 and 20 March saw Nestor Miranda on Long Island, in Manhattan and in Princeton, NJ for launches of the Nestor Miranda Collection Dominicano. I had the pleasure being at all three events and I can tell you everyone was delighted with the newest addition to the NMC.

At noon on Friday, the first release took place at Matador Cigars (38 Lincoln Avenue, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 – 516.626.4966 – www.matadorcigars.com) a beautiful eighteen month old tobacconist and lounge created and owned by Boris Grossman.

Inasmuch as cigarmedia.tv will shortly have a video up that is a brief ‘walk through’ of the shop with Boris, I will refrain from a detailed description. Suffice to say it is a very warm, inviting, comfortable shop with excellent service.

The event from noon to five o’clock, on a Friday, brought a surprising large number of Nestor Miranda fans to the shop. I remarked to Boris, that seeing all those people really brought home to me the reality of the unemployment statistics! No…actually, Boris’ clientele is pretty upmarket and many were business owners, professionals, road warriors and other types who control their own time.

Those in the shop throughout the period immediately sought out both Nestor and the Dominicano cigar he was there to talk about. The response to both the cigar and Nestor himself was enthusiastic. While many cigar makers draw a crowd at in-store events; for signing boxes and photos – aficionados seem to really enjoy talking with Nestor Miranda about cigars and everything else. I have seen that response to him all over the country. But, then, a cigar magazine did dub him, “The most interesting man in the cigar industry,” and they were spot on!

Our next stop was the Grand Havana Room, a private cigar club, dining room and lounge, atop 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, for a dinner commencing at 7:00 PM.

Boris had arranged the dinner with the Club Manager and he had sold some forty tickets in four days. Likewise the Club had sold the same number.

So, eighty people gathered for a terrific evening, toasting each other and toasting the Nestor Miranda Collection Dominicano. And, let me tell you these guys and a couple of women thoroughly  enjoyed the cigars and the ‘Nestor Miranda Experience.’

To top off a fabulous dinner created by the chef, Boris had assembled some exciting items to be raffled off. Dominicanos that were available for sale by the box were purchased enthusiastically by those who then gained entrée to the raffle tickets.

It was an amazing evening with an amazing, short speech by Nestor. Around 11 the crowd dispersed, some heading home, some heading for Cigar Inn and Club Macanudo.

Saturday, Nestor, Jorge Valdes and I boarded a train at Penn Station for the short trip to Princeton Junction and a Dominicano event at Jorge Armentiros’ A Little Taste of Cuba (70 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 – 609.683.8988 – www.cubacigar.com). As regular readers of this column already know, Jorge is also the founder of Tobacconist University www.tobacconistuniversity.com) as well as two Little Taste of Havana shops.

The small shop with, what I call the walk-in Humidor of Excellence, because Jorge doesn’t have any crap in it, is managed by John Richardson, CMT. For a shop of its size, it has nothing but a wide range of excellent cigars, high quality lights, pens, cutters, punches and beautiful humidors all served up with style befitting a crew of Tobacconist University Certified Master Tobacconists.

A group of about fifty to sixty people enjoyed Nestor’s company and conversation as they savoured the Dominicano on a warm, sunny afternoon in the center of Princeton, NJ – home of Princeton University.

Chalking up another positive response to the cigars and an enjoyable afternoon, we returned to the train station and rode comfortably back to NYC.

After returning from Princeton, Nestor headed for his apartment and an evening with his charming wife, Marianna. Valdes and I went directly to Sofia’s Cucina (143 Mulberry Street, NYC, NY 10013 – 212.219.9797 – www.sofianyc.com), a restaurant in Little Italy owned by my good friend, Nelson Schaked. Nelson was waiting and the three of us sat down to an excellent meal and passed several hours eating, talking and laughing.

Jorge Valdes, co-owner, with Aquiles Legra, of South Florida’s esteemed tobacconists – Sabor Havana, and I were the last to depart the city on Sunday the 21^st. But first, we had a delightful brunch at Rue 57 (60 West 57^th Street at Sixth Avenue, NYC, NY 100019 – 212.307.5656 – www.rue57.com). It was a beautiful day, and we sat outside, albeit, you can’t smoke at a restaurant, in NYC, even when seated outdoors.

After our meal, we stopped in to De La Concha (1390 Avenue of the Americas, NYC, NY 10019 – 212.757.3167 – www.delaconcha.com), and after introducing Jorge to George Vasquez, who has been a fixture at De La Concha for 40 years, spent some time talking shop with him. Talk about a man who knows his cigars!

J. Fuego has completed the Origens line of cigars and they should be available at select tobacconists by the time you read this column. Origens, which started with a quarterly release to 100 of Fuego’s best merchants, was most recently available in a toro and a belicoso. Now there are three additional vitolas. As well as the most inventive thing I’ve seen in a while is the five –pack of Origen Originals. Five small cigars, of the type rolled in factories to test blends. A great short smoke and you get five of them for $13.95.

I first saw the balance of the line’s vitolas at Sabor Havana in Doral, FL. Jesus views Sabor Havana as his good luck charm.

Sabor Havana’s Aquiles Legra gave Jesus his first order for the J. Fuego cigars, even though Jesus had no samples, because Aquiles liked Fuego and liked what he had to say about tobacco, cigar making and the cigars he was making.

Ever since that time…in 2007, I calculate, every new cigar J. Fuego produces appears first at Sabor Havana!

He’s back! Yes…Gene Arganese has decided to re-blend, make and distribute BRAVO…the 100% Columbian cigar that no one smokes. The only question is, will Gene sell it to tobacconists or sell it through the MLM programme that he denies he has any connection with.

In addition to that, Gene has put together a package that he is selling, or endeavouring to sell, to people attending the Big Smoke at Foxwoods or to people who want to skip the Big Smoke!

I have not bothered to check if the Sandy Shore Motel is the location where the URL for the Arganese MLM scheme, that Gene Arganese has nothing to do with, is registered…but, I’m thinking it is.

This one I don’t have to explain, here it is, beyond denying, from the horse’s mouth (the yellow highlighting is by me):

This reminds me of the parties in Miami before the Super Bowl…none of which had any connection with Super Bowl. Would you say Arganese is trying to ride on Cigar Aficionado’s coat tails?

Marvin Shanken must be thrilled.

I had occasion to go to Hector Paz’s shop, Havana Cuba Cigar Lounge (15348 NW 79^th Court, Miami Lakes, FL 33016 – 305.557.6147) for a “Taste of Excellence,” hosted by Rex Snyder of Ashton. This one was about the Aroma de Cuba cigar, Johnny Walker Black and, of course, fine organic chocolate. My purpose was to catch up with Rex for our dinner appointment. I invited John Brooke to join us so I could get up to date on John’s work at Drew Estate.

We dined at Bodegon El Pimiento (16403 NW 67^th Avenue, Miami Lakes, FL 33014 – 305.826.8181), a Spanish restaurant owned by its talented chef, Milo and his wife.

Getting to the restaurant was an interesting experience.

I knew where it was, but managed  to misdirect Rex, and John Brooke was following us in his car. So, when we saw a motorcycle PO in a shopping center, we pulled in to seek directions. Rex got out of the car; walked over to the officer and got directions from him.

As Rex was returning to the car, I saw him do what I have seen him do on innumerable occasions; he turned back and asked the officer if he smoked. When the policeman responded, “Yes,” Rex proceeded to hand him three excellent Holt’s products – a San Cristobal Sun Grown and two Ashton Cabinets.

At that point, the officer fired up his motorcycle and said, “I’m going that way, follow me.”

With his full array of lights flashing, he led a small convoy of very hungry cigar enthusiasts  to the restaurant!

Once we were seated, outside so we could smoke, Milo appeared to greet us and he proceeded to present us with some very exciting Spanish fare.

Two jugs of Sangria later, sated by a variety of Spanish tapas, Rex and I parted company with John, and headed for my home on Miami Beach.

Talk about a “Taste of Excellence!”

My friend, Charlie of NiceTightAsh…well, he’s not really my friend, and I suppose I am being influenced by the Facebook experience – where perfect strangers want to be my “friend!” In any event, this guy, Charlie, wrote a very succinct piece on Smoking Bans. I think you all should see it:

Smoking Bans Are a Capital Joke 

Posted by Charlie

March 16, 2010

Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital, has a smoking ban like many of the states in the union have to one degree or another. In 2007, the District banned smoking in bars, restaurants, and other public places. But it seems that if you are a member of the City Council, you can get a one-day waiver for your organization. The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick holds an annual boxing event to raise money for charity, and one of the traditions for the event is cigar smoking. So Jack Evans, a city councilman representing Ward 2 and a member of the Friendly Sons, asked his colleagues for a one-day waiver for their event.

Now, there are a couple of ways to look at it. First, there is the optimistic outlook. Any kind of reprieve in the smoking ban is a small victory, and should be counted as such. People want to smoke, they get the opportunity.

The second way is that it just shows what a farce smoking bans are to begin with. They are put in place, supposedly, to protect non-smokers from the dangers of second-hand smoke, and to potentially keep smokers from consuming quite so many cigars, cigarettes, and pipes. All they do is keep adults from exercising their choice to use a legal product, and in the process financially harm the owners of small bars and restaurants. Just look at all the exemptions across the nation for large businesses, primarily casinos. You can sit at a slot machine or a blackjack table, and smoke all you want, because you’re filling state tax coffers and the pockets of businesses that donate heavily to politicians. But if you want to have a cigar while you sip on a drink at your local watering hole, you’re out of luck.

Smoking bans are but a simple fraud perpetrated upon the public. They are enacted to ease the minds of non-smokers, and are filled with enough loopholes to make a fishing net seem solid by comparison. The ability to allow or disallow smoking should be the decision of the business or organization. Plenty of them would keep the bans in place, but an almost equal number would lift them I feel. Consumers would have a choice of where to go, as would potential employees who don’t want to be exposed to second hand smoke. My wife and her friends, for example, would rather go to a non-smoking bar because they don’t like coming home and having their hair and clothes smelling like smoke. Plenty of bars and restaurants would happily keep bans in place for people like this. And plenty of others would lift it to get smokers in their doors.

But if all else fails, just join an organization with a Supreme Court Justice, governors, or congressmen and get them to make a phone call. You’ll be lighting up in no time. (If you don’t have that kind of cache, joining Cigar Rights of America is a good alternative.)

I disagree with Charlie on only one count, to wit: Even if you “…have that kind of cache…” you should join Cigar Rights of America and do it now. We need you; we need your bucks to make ourselves heard in the halls of Congress and the state capitals.

This and that…Once again, there seems to be widespread misinterpretation of a transparent situation. The announcement by Swedish Match and Nestor Plasencia was not an announcement of a SMC investment in Plasencia and his cigar manufacturing operations. It was about a joint venture created by the two companies concerning tobacco and tobacco only (for now, perhaps).

Alejandro Alcorta, who had minimal, or should I say short lived, success running a cigar shop in Miami, Fl is, at last report, selling Swisher products to convenience stores and gas stations. They are, after all, not to be found at real cigar emporiums. I had no idea he spoke Urdu!

The only thing this has to do with cigars is the fact that Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel, of Drew Estate, once owned a very successful cigar kiosk in the lobby of one of the World Trade Center towers. The point is, I read a piece in The Wall Street Journal, the other day, about the ongoing saga of the site’s future. I am so damned angry that after all this time the towers have not been rebuilt or replaced! The bickering between The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, the City of New York, New York State and Larry Silverstein is shameful.

Next year we will observe the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the replacement buildings will not be standing! Ten years and hardly anything has been accomplished.

"Women are jealous of cigars... they regard them as a strong rival.” William Makepeace Thackeray, English Author