There is something special happening in Patchogue, Long Island. Yes, this bedroom village is set against the Great South Bay, and if you close your eyes.. it just might become the very next Miami. At the center of this turn around, or at lease partially at the center is Miguel Baez’s Village Cigar Headquarters. In the past few months, cigar heavyweights Nestor Miranda, Erik Espinosa and Danny Moya have trekked out from warm Miami to our little frigid town of Patchogue.
Last Friday, a packed VCH welcomed Espinosa and Moya with open arms. Who are these guys, exactly? Erik Espinosa is the owner of Espinosa Cigars, home of the Espinosa Habano and Maduro, La Zona (Habano and Connecticut), the 601 La Bomba and my personal favorite – Laranja Reserva. The full list is located at on Espinosa’s website.
Danny Moya produces the La Jugada Nunchuck. The Nunchuck is a limited edition cigar inspired by the martial arts tool. The Nunchuck features a linked cap that connects the two sticks – like a real nunchuck.
Jugada Nunchuck cigars
A Cigar Lover’s Musings
Now I am not going to rate the cigars with stars or some antiquated number system. I care about three things:
1) Did I like it?
2) Would I recommend it to a friend?
3) Would I smoke it again?
Every cigar I reviewed came up a resounding YES! I split the Nunchuck (remember, you’re buying two cigars) with a friend of mine. I thought it was well constructed (did not fall apart and burned evenly) and has a fantastic draw (draw refers to how hard it is to take in the smoke). The light wrapper is flavorful and pairs well a cup of strong coffee.
As for Espinosa line, I enjoyed the Maduro more than the Habano. The dark Maduro leaf is just more my speed. My palette tends more to the darker wrapped stogies. The best stick of the bunch was the Laranja. Laranja, the Spanish word for orange refers to the band – not the flavor. The Laranja is Brazilian wrapped, with a Nicaraguan binder and fillers. This cigar is 6 inches of premium pleasure. All these cigars are constructed at La Zona in Esteli, Nicaragua. The Laranja Reserva is one of the five best sticks sold at Village Cigar HQ. All these sticks can be found at VCH.
I have mentioned the Village Cigar Headquarters a few times because in my humble opinion, they are the best on Long Island. I love that VCH is not a “man cave.” There is a large contingency of female who smoke here. I also like that the median age is late 30s. It’s rare that you find in cigar shops discussions about how things were instead of how things are. I have no interest in rehashing the Mickey, Mays and Duke conversation.
I want to extend a special thank you to New Jersey’s Chapter of the BOTL (Brothers of the Leaf) for spending the night with us. I also want to thank Miguel, Josephine, Judy, and Ambassador Paul for always making the LIB crew feel welcome at Village Cigar Headquarters!
For updated events (VCH is one of the best event locales on Long Island), follow and like Village Cigar’s Twitter and Facebook Pages.
John Milovcic is a writer and photographer with LIB Magazine. He received his B.S. from Long Island University, C.W. Post, in Management and Finance. John has been a weekly contributor for LIB Magazine since February of 2013. His “man on the street” approach to covering events does bring the reader backstage with him. Under John’s belt is a completed screenplay and novel along with a range of poetry. He is the founder of Drunk Philosopher Photography and can be reached at 1drunkphilosopher@gmail.com.
