Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan / Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
Size: Numero 4 Robusto (5.25 x 50)
Strength: Medium → Medium-Plus (last inch)
Body: Medium-Plus → Full (last couple of inches)
Price: $6.40–$10.00 per cigar (United States, USD; varies by retailer)
Factory: Martinez Hand Rolled Cigars Factory, New York City, United States
Blender: Don Antonio Martinez
Release: Regular Production
Smoking Time: 1:35
Experience Rating: 96
I’ve always thought it was a shame that Martinez Cigars aren’t more popular. Then again, maybe that’s a good thing. Martinez still feels like a mom-and-pop cigar shop. It has that homey quality that could easily get lost if the operation ever became much bigger.
Though it’s a relatively small operation, make no mistake. They’ve made their bones. Established in 1974, they’ve got decades of experience behind them. They were a boutique brand decades before boutiques became a thing in cigar culture, having started out as a neighborhood cigar shop.
And with all the changes in the industry, they’ve shown the kind of longevity normally enjoyed by the big makers. That says a lot about the company, but it also illustrates that their blends have remained relevant five decades later.
The New York City blend was their very first and is still in regular production. I can’t think of any cigars other than Cubans that can claim that kind of staying power.
As a composer, that’s something I think about with music. You always hope to write a song that doesn’t belong to a particular moment. Something people can hear decades later and the melody still works. The NYC blend reminds me of that.
It’s a timeless melody.
Strength rises gradually across the smoke, reaching medium-plus late and then holding through the nub. Body starts at medium-plus, stays steady early, then builds more assertively after halfway until it reaches full and remains there through the finish. Activity climbs quickly through the first half, peaks around Progression and Halfway, then steadily declines through the second half, settling to its lowest level at the nub.
The Numero 4 has the same substantial feel I’ve always noticed with the NYC line. The cigar is densely packed and has a nice weight to it, but the cold draw is still easy with plenty of airflow.
The wrapper is rustic, with some visible veins and a little bumpiness from the binder underneath. It’s also beautifully toothy, with a sheen of oils and little flecks that catch the light across the surface.
The wrapper itself has the gorgeous floral character I associate with well-aged Cameroon leaf, along with cedar and teak. There’s no barnyard at all.
At the foot, roses and plums sit over a deep, rich tobacco aroma.
The cold draw brings dried prunes and cedar.
The first puff lands with an immediate one-two punch of coffee and cedar. Both are pronounced right from the start. The smoke production is excellent, giving the cigar a thick, lush body almost immediately.
Roasted peanut, pecan, and chestnut follow, along with oaky tannins, dark roasted cacao beans, and toasted bread.
It’s a nice, rich start.
The cigar settles in within the first half-inch, and the strength kicks up a bit with the arrival of some light nicotine.
Coffee and charred cedar settle into the core, surrounded by a complex mix of nuts, wood, cacao, sourdough bread, and cream. Savory notes of grilled meat, mushroom umami, and soy sauce work their way into the profile as well.
Around the inch mark, the classic Cameroon spice arrives. It’s light but brilliant, supplying a background energy that helps drive the profile.
Stone fruit attaches itself to the finish as teak wood, turmeric, and ginger add even more complexity. Floral notes sit along the edges of the profile, giving the space a little more depth, while the secondary flavors begin swirling around the coffee and charred cedar core.
Cream joins the core and provides a soft base, playing against the spice as it tugs in the other direction.
I’ve always loved this blend, but now that I understand tobacco a little better, I can see more clearly what Don Antonio put together. For me, it combines the structure I associate with Nicaraguan tobacco with the lightness and almost playful character of great Dominican tobacco. The Cameroon wrapper and Sumatran binder add their own exotic hardwood and spice character.
There’s a lot of movement now, especially in the secondary layer. It’s busy and slightly chaotic. Some flavors rush by in a blur while others remain sharply defined.
It feels a lot like Midtown Manhattan during the morning rush around Columbus Circle.
Even before I started tracking cigar behavior, this blend always reminded me of Manhattan at rush hour.
I hit the halfway point in just under 45 minutes.
The burn has been expectedly exceptional. I made one correction near the beginning to straighten out the burn line from my wonky lighting job, and that’s been it.
The cacophony of activity is still there, though the roasted nuts seem a little more visible now, almost like they’re taking a break from the hustle and bustle around them so they stand out.
The metaphor is getting pretty strong at this point. The core feels like the city streets, the floral notes are the skyscrapers outlining the skyline, and the secondary flavors are the crowds moving through it all.
As the cigar enters the home stretch, the profile takes a slightly darker turn and the spice asserts itself a little more. It’s a heavier spice now, the kind I normally associate with Nicaraguan tobacco, and it opens the door for a distinct black pepper flavor.
The strength edges up ever so slightly, but my perception of it really hasn’t changed. It’s still quite moderate. The cream, however, has thickened considerably and the body is pushing close to full.
A light retrohale brings out bread and lemon zest.
The profile has quieted down. The flavors are still there, but the motion has abated.
Maybe everyone’s in their office.
And me? I now find myself in the old Nat Sherman shop, sitting in the smoking bay at the front of the store. I’m just quietly smoking and watching the people go by.
With the creaminess and the now more expressive coffee, it feels like I’m drinking a latte with my cigar.
The spice is calming down.
In the last couple of inches, I finish the dregs of my latte and move to espresso as the coffee darkens significantly.
The spice has abated in intensity, but now it’s mouth-coating.
There’s very little movement left in the profile, but it remains highly articulate. Most of the flavors are still visible, just a little fainter than before.
This is a cigar that’s complex in both movement and flavor inventory. Body is now full, yet strength is still just under medium-plus. The moderate nature of this cigar is why I’ve always nubbed it.
In the last inch, I get a fresh serving of latte as the cream steps forward again. The spice comes back a little stronger and starts flashing through the profile.
There’s still a background sweetness along the periphery that reminds me I’m in Midtown Manhattan, but now it’s evening. I can hear the chaos of Times Square in the distance, but I’m a couple of blocks away, taking a quiet stroll through the relatively empty streets.
The profile compresses and drives strength to medium-plus. I find myself in quiet contemplation, just walking and taking occasional sips of my super-rich and thick latte. The nicotine has been steadily building throughout the smoke, and I’m feeling pretty mellow right now.
At the nub, I’m still on that quiet stroll, wandering aimlessly and lost in thought.
I don’t have a care in the world until the cherry singes my finger and pulls me out of my reverie.
I smoked the Queens petite corona for years. It’s been one of my favorite cigars and a regular part of my daily-driver rotation.
But after smoking the Numero 4, I may have to reconsider my next box purchase.
Irrespective of the size, though, there’s something magical about the NYC blend. Every time I smoke one, it transports me to Manhattan. Maybe it’s because of the fond memories I have of visiting the Martinez shop for the first time a few years ago, but the association is always there.
What amazes me is that Martinez has been around since 1974. They’re incredibly well-established, yet they still seem to have more of a cult following than widespread appeal.
They were a boutique brand decades before boutique cigars became a thing in cigar culture.
If you haven’t tried a Martinez cigar, as Katman put it, shame on you. The Numero 4 is $180/box or $7.20/stick. Or, at the very least, try the “Queens” petite corona vitola. A fiver is only $35. I’ve been buying boxes of 25 for $125 a pop for years now. At today’s cigar prices, these are steals!
Buy these directly from Martinez Hand Rolled Cigars. I recommend starting with the Queens, especially if you like Cameroon wrappers. The Numero 4 is a bit more balanced, but just as expressive.
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