Brendan D.
Yelp
Every time I go to New York City, I search for cigars lounges and usually come home with a box or two of sticks. On a recent business trip, I stayed in midtown Manhattan, so, I did a search of local cigar lounges and Martinez Handmade Cigars popped up in my search results. From the pictures I saw, there didn't seem to be sitting area, but I didn't care. What drew me in was that they made their own cigars and they had been doing it since 1974; plenty of time to establish themselves.
Excited, I took the subway two stops down and walked a short two blocks to their store. To be honest, the storefront was very small and I walked past it couple of times! But no matter. I found it and immediately stepped in. They call it a factory, and I suppose that it technically is a cigar factory. But the entire operation - at least in the front of the space - consists of a stack of shelves on the left and rear walls, an old display cabinet to the right, and two rolling stations at the back right, with a single, beat-up lounge chair right by the front door, across from the display case. The whole storefront space is probably no more than 25 X 15. But to me, that just added to the charm because it transported me to Latin America with its plethora of little family-owned shops.
When I stepped to the display case, the owner, Jesus, introduced himself and asked me what I to smoke. I told him that I don't have a favorite but I generally stay in the mild to medium range robusto vitola size. At that, he took out a few sticks, and then I asked if he had any small-gauge sticks in the 40-42 ring gauge size. He gave me a knowing smile and pulled out the NYC Blend Queens (5.25 X 40). I told him I'll consider the other sticks but wanted to smoke the Queens right then.
He cut it and I roasted the end. That first puff blew me away! It was a classic Dominican start to a cigar and I was hooked! About an inch into the stick which took a lot longer than I thought it would, Jesus asked me how I liked it and I replied, "I'm getting a box. These are freakin' fantastic! How much for a box?" Jesus replied that they were $120 for a box of 25. Taken aback, I said, "No shit? That inexpensive for a stick of this quality? Yeah, I'll be keeping these stocked up. Do you ship to California?" He told me they ship the same day they get the order and it usually takes just three days.
That day, I also purchased a fiver of the Don Antonio Escogido Maduro toros (6 X 50). Named after the founder, these present a Nicaraguan profile with lots of earthiness, a deep, luscious smoke, and a smooth, creamy finish. They call it their ultra-premium and it certainly lives up to its billing! The Queens came in a gorgeous, black-lacquered box. The sticks didn't have bands because they had been rolled so recently Jesus didn't have time to put bands on them. But I told him I knew what I was smoking and I was going to remove the bands when I smoked them anyway.
Both of the cigars I bought are worthy of smoking to the nub. There are very few cigars that I smoke down this low, but the flavors of these are so good throughout the smoke, I'm willing to get down to finger-burning levels with them!
If you're in or near downtown, check these guys out! Be forewarned that this is the epitome of a hole-in-the-wall shop. But as I mentioned above, at least to me, that just adds to its charm!
