Caballeros Cigar Archives - Fine Tobacco Club

February 9, 2011

Cigar Review: Caballeros Dominican Candycane Churchill

Matthias Cigar Reviews Caballeros Candycane, Caballeros Cigar, Caballeros cigar review 0

In my few years of smoking cigars, one fact I’ve become aware of is that there are a lot of great cigars on the market. I always get get excited, however, when I get a chance to try a cigar produced by a local New York City brand. Based in Queens, Caballeros cigars are owned and operated by Richie Clemente and Jose Laboy. The Caballeros’ double-wrapped all Dominican candy cane is the first Caballeros cigar that I’ll be reviewing. It is one of many of Caballeros’ blends, and I found it to be a really unique and enjoyable cigar with great construction.

Blend specifics:

Wrapper: Double-wrapped Maduro and Natural leafs (Dominican)
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Appearance & Construction:

I know a bit about how Caballeros cigars are put together and have been generally pretty pleased with their construction. This particular blend is no exception. The cigar is very well constructed, though there are a few minor imperfections on the Maduro wrapper. The cigar is triple-capped and is springy to the touch. The wrappers are very smooth with minimal veins, providing for a pretty attractive look. This blend doesn’t currently have the normal Caballeros band – hopefully they start adding that in the future. The foot of the cigar smells of earth, natural tobacco, and a nut. The draw is perfect.

Taste & Smoking Characteristics:

Because of the double wrapper, this cigar provides a pretty interesting smoke. On one hand there is an earthy, sweet taste typical of some Maduros. These tastes are balanced out by a creamy nuttiness. It might sound like a bizarre combination, but I really enjoyed it. The cigar is mild-medium bodied and doesn’t change a whole lot throughout the course of the smoke, with the exception of nutiness being introduced around halfway through the cigar. The cigar produces large volumes of smoke and is generally a tasty cigar.

Conclusion:

Double wrapped cigars can tend to be a bit of a challenge. In the past I’ve had barber pole cigars that haven’t worked out so well. Thankfully, Caballeros got this blend right and as a result I recommend trying one if you get the chance.

Final Grade: B+

September 19, 2010

FTNYC Event Recap: “Summer Cigar Night: Take #2” at Caballeros Cigar Lounge

Matthias Event Recap Caballeros Cigar, Caballeros Cigar queens, Caballeros hand rolled cigars, cigar event New York City, Cigar new york city, Fine Tobacco NYC event, finetobacconyc, FTNYC, FTNYC event 0

On Friday, September 17th, FineTobaccoNYC hosted its second Summer Cigar Night with Caballeros Cigars in Queens. Caballeros are very new to New York City – the lounge has only been around since may. The lounge is still under construction, and the walk in humidor is in the stocking process, but that won’t stop Caballeros from making a name for themselves in the New York City area in the years to come. In their first few months open, Caballeros has begun to develop a reputation among locals for incredibly friendly service, flexible hours, and a relaxed environment.

Friday’s event started at 7:30pm and ran until about 1:00am. A range of cigar smokers from around the city were in attendance smoking all kinds of premium cigars – a few I remember were the Rocky Patel OWR, Camacho Triple Maduro, Quintero Maduro, and of course Caballeros wide ranging boutique blend. The event featured 25% off all cigar packages and accessories, live professional cigar rolling, and an 11:00pm raffle with $100 in cigars and a champagne toast. Caballeros also provided a variety of wines and other drinks including Merlot, Pinot Noir, Moscato, and a few beers. Everyone who showed up had a great time, lots to eat and drink, and plenty of good conversation.

Come to think of it, I’d have to say the quote of the night came from a good friend of mine who is living in Harlem. We were engaged in a conversation about our fine tobacco preferences, and I told him that to me a pipe just can’t compete with a cigar. To that he replied, “You know, to me a pipe is like a wife: constant, faithful, always by your side. A cigar is more like a passionate lover that completely overwhelms your senses.”

I thought it was an apt observation.

FineTobaccoNYC group picture — Group shot outside the lounge!

A few minutes later, the height of the night came at 11pm when Caballeros handed out pieces of paper for a raffle for more than $100 in Caballero boutique blend cigars. Needless to say, the winner (Andrew) was very happy – although it should be noted that Mike Lopez (our gracious host) encouraged him to share.

Overall, the event was a massive success – first because of the great guys who showed up, and second because of the tremendous generosity and hospitality of Caballeros!

As always, if you are interested in RSVPing for free for a FineTobaccoNYC event, then shoot me an email at matthias.ftnyc@gmail.com, and you will be updated on social cigar events in the city! If you’re on twitter – so are we! You can follow us here.

The next event is coming up in just a few weeks, so shoot me an email and come smoke some quality tobacco, meet new people, and make new friends!