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Cigar Inn Wins 2013 Cigar Lounge of the Year

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cigar inn house blend

Tonight, I’m smoking a Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial paired with a glass of Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch bourbon. It’s a great combination, but this smoke is special for another reason entirely: I’m enjoying the pairing at Cigar Inn, the winner of the 2013 New York City Cigar Lounge of the Year.

That’s right, for the second time in as many years, Manhattan’s Cigar Inn has won the FineTobaccoNYC Cigar Lounge of the Year award. The award is given to the cigar lounge or bar that receives the most votes in a city-wide survey of cigar enthusiasts. The Cigar Inn won the vote with a commanding lead, with Nat Sherman coming in at a distant but respectable second place.

We announced the survey in late November, allowing responses for nearly two weeks, with votes coming in through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and email. All New York City boroughs were represented in the vote, though the majority of survey voters reported living in Manhattan.

Cigar Inn won for many reasons. First, the lounge has become a regular hangout for members of multiple enthusiast cigar groups in NYC: New York’s Grown & Sexy in the City Cigar Group, BOTL (Brothers of the Leaf) NY Chapter, and of course FineTobaccoNYC. Cigar Inn’s advantages, however, go further than general popularity. Partners Gus, Billy, and Bass seem to have done the impossible: create a world-class cigar experience in New York’s over-regulated environment, make a profit, and expand. Cigar Inn already had two locations (one on 70th and 1st ave, the other where I sit now, 53rd and 2nd ave), and has now opened its third location on 73rd between 1st and 2nd ave. Other advantages include:

  • Status as the only Cigar Aficionado humidor and lounge
  • Massive selection of popular and boutique cigars
  • No corking fee
  • Spacious, comfortable, aesthetically delightful environments

Cigar Inn FineTobaccoNYC

For offering a world-class experience for the average Joe to Manhattan’s elite and expanding almost effortlessly, we are proud to name Cigar Inn the 2013 Cigar Lounge of the Year.

Cigar Inn Announces “New York Borough Series” House Blends

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cigar-inn-logo

The Cigar Inn recently announced that it is making significant changes to its popular line of house blends sold at Cigar Inn locations. The new presentation includes new cigar boxes and banded cigars. Each vitola will represent a different borough of the city. Below is the Facebook post by Cigar Inn:

cigar inn house blend

Dear Cigar Inn Members :
The Cigar Inn House Blend which you have enjoyed for so long has a new look and a new name : ” New York Borough Series”.
Each size will represent one of the 5 boroughs.
Brooklyn: 6X60 Gran Toro
Bronx: 5X60. Gran Robusto
Manhattan: 6X56. Toro
Queens: 5.5X50. Robusto
Staten Island: 6.25X52. Torpedo
Same Blend, same flavor, different look.

Cigar Inn Wins Best House Blend in Longfillers Lounge Tournament

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Fullscreen capture 4182013 84913 AM

Our friends over at LongFillersLounge cigar blog announced just last week that Cigar Inn took home the 1st place prize in New York City’s (or probably anywhere) first ever house blend tasting tournament. The contest featured house blends from cigar shops like Velvet Cigar Lounge (Manhattan), Refugio Cigar House (Brooklyn), Ash Cigars (Hoboken), Cigar Inn (Manhattan), and Excalibur Lounge.

Here’s how the guys at LongFillersLounge concluded:

“In what was the toughest decision of the tournament by far, Cigar Inn’s great bold flavors just edged out the Exlcusivo enough to take the win, but man was it close. In each of the match-ups previous to this, Longfillers was unanimous in our decision of what deserved to win. In this match-up we were not able to come to a unanimous decision, and Cigar Inn won by a 2-1 vote, it was literally that close all the way to the end. These are both great cigars, not only in terms of house blends, but against all cigars. If you walked into either of these shops, and did not pick up at least one house blend, you would be doing yourself a disservice.”

So here’s a shout out from one NYC blog to another: great job on this contest. What a great way to encourage local business at B&Ms and have a kickass time doing it. And next time, hopefully you won’t have to pay for the cigars!

You can read the full story on LongFillersLounge.com.

Cigar Inn Announces Gary Sheffield Cigar Launch Event

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cigar inn logoManagement at the Cigar Inn announced yesterday evening the launch of a new event to celebrate the launch of Gary Sheffield’s new cigar, the HR (Home Run) 500 cigar. As we reported earlier this week, the cigar was blended by Rocky Patel.

Event details are below:

————–

Dear Cigar Inn Members

Come meet and greet baseball great Gary Sheffield at Cigar Inn
on Thursday, April 18th 2013 from 6 pm to 10 pm.
when you purchase one box of Gary’s HR500 cigars, he will sign the box, a basball and you will
receive a 16 piece Rocky Patel grilling set.

Enjoy a great night of festivilties, Free Food, Free Drinks, and Free Cigar.
Music by DJ SWANKY.

Cigar Inn
1016 2nd Ave between 54th and 53rd street.
212.750.0809. 212.717.7403.

Cigar Inn Wins 2012 NYC Cigar Lounge of the Year

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2012 NYC CIGAR LOUNGE OF THE YEAR

A few weeks back, we announced voting for the first annual NYC Cigar Lounge of the Year award. Well, about two weeks later and with votes coming in from Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, and email, we are ready to announce the lounge who took the most votes.

But first, a disclaimer: this was our first year running this survey, which means it was far from perfect. Some lounges that should have bene included in the official ballot were left out (we got some angry emails for that), and we heard a few comments that not enough time was given for an adequate vote. We will take measures next year to assure these problems don’t happen.

Still, even with the problems, we are confident in announcing a winner this year. Out of 24 New York City area cigar lounges, The Cigar Inn (53rd and 2nd Ave) took first place with a commanding 42.5% of NYC area cigar smokers. Refugio Cigar House came in runner-up with 21.3% of the vote. The remainder of the vote was split between 22 other lounges.

Since opening just a few years back, the only Cigar Aficionado lounge and humidor, better known as The Cigar Inn, has been a favorite for NYC area cigar smokers. They are known for their incredible selection of new and hard to find cigars, as well as their solid collection of more well known brands like Fuente, Romeo y Julieta, and more. They are also big community players – they host events for cigar groups like New York G&S, help cigar brands launch new products, and even help with charity events as well.

It has also been a personal favorite of mine and the rest of the FineTobaccoNYC team, especially for business meetings and birthday parties. Cigar Inn was the first lounge to be listed on our “New York’s Best Cigar Lounges” page, and there is a reason why: it a lounge for new and veteran cigar smokers alike. You can read our full review of The Cigar Inn here.

Haven’t been to the Cigar Inn yet? Here is the contact information:

cigar inn logo

Address: 1016 2nd Avenue

Phone: 212.750.0809

 

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Cigar Inn Announces Holiday Party – Dec. 20th, 7pm – Close

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cigar inn logo

The Cigar Inn announced today via email that it will be holding its annual Holiday Party on December 20th of this year. See the email below:

 

Dear Cigar Inn Members, friends and family.
On Thursday Dec 20th, Cigar Inn Invites you to an exclusive Holiday party at Cigar Aficionado Lounge. Mediterranean food and drinks will be served.
 Music by DJ. Tone.
 Location: Cigar Inn 1016 2nd Ave. (54th and 53rd St.)
 Telephone: (212) 750-7403
 Time: 7:00pm till close.
It’s Free 🙂
Please call (212) 750-0809 or (212) 717-7403 for reservations.
Happy holidays!

Cigar Inn Announces “Big Smoke After Party at Cigar Inn”

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Cigar Inn announced via email today plans for the “Big Smoke After Party at Cigar Inn.” Big smoke is coming up on Thursday the 29th (tomorrow). Don’t miss it.

Here is the text from the email:

Big Smoke After Party at Cigar aficionado’s Lounge

Dear Cigar Inn Members:
Come meet the stars of the Cigar Industry @ Cigar aficionado’s Lounge.
The party starts at 9:30p.m. Till close. Free Drinks. Music by D.J. Don Cerati Don_Cerati. Thursday 29th 2012
Cigar Inn 1016 2nd Ave NY. NY. 10022. Bet.54th and 53rd street.   212.750.0809.
Thank you
Cigar Inn

 

Room101 Extends OSOK Series with Exclusive NYC Edition

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PINELLAS PARK, Florida – November 12, 2012  – Room101 and Cigar Inn NYC are proud to announce the new Room101 OSOK (“One Shot, One Kill”) 212 Limited Edition. The new Room101 OSOK 212 is the brainchild of Billy Fakir of Cigar Inn and Room101 founder, Matt Booth. This latest extension is a four format series, which includes the famed “Chingon”, an eight-inch diadema that received a 94 rating by Cigar Aficionado magazine in early 2012. For this exclusive, there are two Diadema (Chingon – 60 x 44 x 8, Filero – 52 x 42 x 4.5) and two Parejo formats (Chingonazo – 60 x 6, Pedaso – 54 x 6.25), each with a total production of 100 boxes.

The packaging for this exclusive was custom designed and sports a new NYC themed look, which features a large screen-printed image of the Empire State Building, one of New York’s most iconic landmarks. The interior of the packaging for the OSOK 212 is the same as the first release with exception of a secondary band.

“It’s a pleasure to be working with Billy and the folks at Cigar Inn. Their shop is one of the finest in the country and we wanted to do something special for New York. I think we’ve done just that with the OSOK 212 edition,” said Matt Booth, founder of Room101.

The Room101 OSOK 212 Edition is exclusively available through Cigar Inn NYC. For retail pricing and ordering information, please call: (212) 717-7403

About Room101:

Founded in 2003, Room101 is a comprehensive luxury lifestyle brand offering the finest in custom jewelry, bespoke leather goods, premium cigars and more. Members of the Room101 “Conspiracy”, as founder Matt Booth describes his clientele, are very diverse and cover a range that spans from the corporate boardroom to the rock and roll stage. Since its inception, Room101 and Matt Booth have been featured in top lifestyle, fashion, and specialty magazines worldwide, plus a number of appearances on major network television.www.room101brand.com

Press Release: Cigar Inn to Launch Fernando Leon

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August 31, 2012 (Miami, FL) — In 1997, Fernando León of La Aurora Cigars traveled to New York City with Nestor Miranda from Miami Cigar & Company. This was the first time the head of La Aurora traveled to the United States for a cigar event. The location was Cigar Inn and they were hosted by the Fakir Brothers.

Fifteen years later, La Aurora Cigars is set to release the Fernando León and what better then to have the official launch at Cigar Inn. This time joining Gus, Billy & Bas will be the son of Don Fernando, Guillermo León who heads La Aurora in the Dominican Republic.

This two-day marathon event starts on Tuesday, October 23rd with a sold-out sit down dinner for Cigar Inn members. The dinner which will feature the Fernando León will be catered by Rothmann’s Steak house.

According to Guillermo León, “My Father only shared the cigar with close friends and family, it is only fitting that we release the Fernando Leon at Cigar Inn. Ever since that event in 1997, Cigar Inn and its customers have always been an extended part of our family”.

At the request of Cigar Inn, the party will continue on Wednesday, October 24th, when Miami Cigar & Company and La Aurora Cigars invite you to stop by and experience this special cigar, the Fernando León for FREE, while supplies last.
“We are honored and privileged that La Aurora has chosen us for the release of this cigar.” adds Billy Fakir of Cigar Inn. “Fernando León was a great man, who knew a lot about tobacco. We are happy to call the Leon family our dearest friends and look forward to hosting this wonderful event in the Cigar Aficionado Lounge”.

Fernando León was the head of La Aurora Cigars from 1950s until his passing in 2009. The son of Eduardo León Jimenes was a Master Blender before taking on the role of President when his father passed. The cigar named after him was the only cigar he smoked on a daily basis. He was 89 years old when he passed. Today, his son Guillermo León heads La Aurora making him the third generation of the Leon family business to run the company.

Cigar Review: Casa Magna Domus Magnus Limitada

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Domus Magnus, outside of Cigar Inn

I’ve been excited to review the Domus Magnus for quite some time. As a cigar, I view it something like the Colorado’s younger brother – not as much strength, but still very enjoyable and it bears resemblance to its older sibling. I purchased and smoked this cigar at The Cigar Inn (53rd st. location). With the cigar I paired a cup of coffee from the bodega across the street on 52nd.

Blend Specifics

Wrapper: Nicaragua Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Top band
Foot band

Appearance & Construction

This cigar tends to be very springy to the touch. As a result, the draw tends to be a bit loose – which I really enjoy. The cigar delivers loads of smoke, and I can’t complain about that. Other than that, the box pressed cigar sports a rich brown Nicaraguan Sun Grown wrapper, and the pig tail wrap on the head ads a nice touch. Off the foot are scents of wood and bread.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Domus Magnus kicks off much milder than I would have expected right after smoking the Colorado. After the first few puffs though, the cigar really opens up with notes of wood, toasted bread, and chocolate. Very notable as well is just how smooth and cool the smoke is. As the reviewer at acigarsmoker.com rightly points out, there is also a discernable tartness in the profile as well.

The first half of the cigar was excellent – up until the point that I dropped a huge load of ash and put a big red burn on my hand. I can’t exactly blame Casa Magna for that though!

Right around the halfway point, the tartness (bordering now on bitterness) becomes a bit more prominent, which pairs nicely with the coffee notes. The strength of the cigar is also picking up.

The final third of this stick gets really interesting. The body of the smoke grows, and a really enjoyable spice is present on the tip of my tongue and in the retrohale. Smoke off the foot also has a nice savory note to it, confirming that this is a great complex cigar.

Conclusion

Casa Magna remains one of my all time favorite brands. This cigar is smooth, complex, and flavorful. At $12-$15, it is a bit pricey, but it is well worth it. I highly recommend picking up a five-pack.

Final Grade: A-

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