Every time I come to NYC, I always end up lugging home cigars and this trip has been no exception. But this time, I went directly to a producer. Who would’ve known there was an actual cigar manufacturer in NYC? But then, you can get anything in the city, so why not cigars direct from the manufacturer?
But make no bones about it. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill, buck-a-stick cheap cigars. These are – as their name says – hand-rolled, premium cigars and they’re out of this fuckin’ world!
Before I went there, I did a bit of research on what they had on offer on their website and watched a couple of review videos. So, I was excited to try them out. When I got there, Jesus, the owner asked me what I like to smoke and I rattled off Tatuaje Black and Havana VI, Alec Bradley Lineage, and even Torano Dominico. With that, he took out a few robustos and I asked him if he had something in a smaller ring gauge.
He then produced the NYC Blend “Queens” Corona, which is a 5.25 X 40. Ever since Troy gave me that Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu petite corona, I’ve been in search of some good small ring gauge cigars. I asked if I could smoke it there and that I was planning to buy some cigars, so he gave it a quick V-cut, handed me a torch and I sat down to enjoy it.
The first thing I noticed was how solidly it was constructed. In fact, all the cigars he showed me previously were rolled very tightly and the Queens was no exception. I could sense I was in for a treat, and I wasn’t mistaken. The draw was perfect; absolutely perfect. It was snug but not at all difficult. And the burn? Holy shit! It was razor straight as you can see from the pictures.
The construction was incredible. Look at the ash! I could’ve made it longer but didn’t want to chance it with me inadvertently knocking a huge ash on the floor. And I couldn’t get over just how straight the burn was; no re-touches or re-lights necessary. All in all, it took me about 45 minutes to smoke that stick down to about an inch. I enjoyed every second of it!
As for the taste, the Queens hits all the right notes for my palate. There’s a hint of white pepper up front, immediately followed by forest floor, a little leather, then some toasted almonds. The finish is incredible with a bit of black licorice and marzipan. This is an extraordinarily complex and sophisticated flavor profile. And to top all that off, while you get a nice nicotine hit, it doesn’t kick your ass. For me at least, I want a cigar that puts me in my happy place, not a cigar that puts me on the floor.
And the best thing is that this vitola is $7.00 for a single, but if you buy a box, it goes down to $4.80 per stick! And it’s worth every single fucking penny! I’m definitely going to be keeping these in my humidor. According to Jesus, they ship via USPS Priority Mail, so they only take 3 days to arrive. Yeah, these’ll be a go-to from now on!
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