Nestled in the East Village, on E 7th St between 1st and 2nd Ave is tiny shop that is, by design, exclusively for the local cigar smokers who can literally step from their apartment doors and into this man haven. With less than 20 seats, including a leather bench, Velvet Cigar inspires intimacy and comaradie. The men there not only knew each other, but it was very clear that they had spent a lot of time in that space together. No liquor is served, however, snacks, a sandwich or a soda were just steps away at the local corner store. There are no formal cigar lockers, rather there are individual cherry humidors on a shelf displaying the names of the owners on a gold plate. Very limited cigar selection of well known brands because Velvet carries it's own full, medium, and mild bodied cigars in a variety of sizes in each, with a Corona starting it off at $5. There is a $10 cut fee for bringing your own cigars in, but is waived if you purchase in-house.
I purchased a Velvet House Cigar, a Robusto Maduro, to smoke right there and then purchased a few in the other categories to try later. It was a typical maduro but a bit soft and a little hard to light at first. But it was decent. The other cigars I purchased were very soft as well and at the suggestion of a friend, I'm going to let them "dry" out a then try it again. I'll reserve review on the cigar until then.
I enjoyed my time there but I just stayed long enough to smoke my cigar. I wasn't uncomfortable, however, I felt like I was intruding. Like I was listening in on a private conversation.
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