Drew Estate event by Chris Harris

Photo by Dan-ell Morales

On March 20, 2009, Sky Tobacco, in conjunction with Drew Estate, played host to its first ever cigar event of 2009. Tobacco purists indeed are familiar with (and enjoy) the brands Drew Estate has to offer. Drew Estate brands such as Java, Acid and Liga Privada are not uncommon smokes to cigar purists, but tonight, these purists were in attendence to acquaint themselves with the Joya de Nicaragua.

I was filled with anticipation for the event. Struggling to escape the madness of midtown Manhattan for a relaxing evening of cigar smoke across the Hudson in the more calm downtown Jersey City, it occurred to me that this night was a big deal. Not only is this evening an end-of-the-week Friday evening but it also marked the first day of Spring. And Spring was without a cloud in the sky, however it became apparent Sky Tobacco was filled with clouds of smoke as the aroma hit my nostrils while I was roughly 50 steps from the door.

Upon making my entrance, Drew Estate’s ownKevin McCormack was set up with only the finest selection of Joya de Nicaraguas with prices too hard resist. Kevin was certainly warm and engaged inquiring minds with product knowledge and plenty of conversation, which only complimented the evening. He certainly did not come in short supply as he provided boxes of churchills, consuls, gran consuls, belicosos, and rubustos, in both the Antano and the Celabracion series.

Sky was packed. There were many familiar faces as well as new faces inside, and outside, the establishment. Owners Gabriel and Markus Garcia, had their hands full tending to customers, many of whom were purchasing as many as five or six stogies at a time.

Overall, the vibe was a good one. The regulars welcomed the new faces. A few of the guys brought wine, cognac, scotch and whiskey for all to enjoy with their smokes. We all sat engaging in conversations that ranged from preferred cigars to March Madness.

As the evening winded down and herds headed towards the Holland Tunnel in hopes of starting their weekend off with some New York City nightlife, the anticipation of the hosts of this night’s event were exceeded. The day’s cigar event became a family affair with new friendships being made & new customers acquired.

The event ended at 8pm, but Marcus kept the shop opened much later for those who wanted to stay to enjoy a few more smokes and some NCAA hoop action. As the night came to a close, all were left with a euphoric feeling and one could not help but feel that this was definitely a step into Spring on the right foot.

Click here to view episode 1 of CigarFilms-“Drew Estate”