Featured Cigar Lounge: Uptown Cigar

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed)
Feb 10th 2010 at 11:02AM

If you're heading up to Kingston, New York, around 90 miles up from the city, stop by Uptown Cigar to light up a stick and relax for a while. I had the opportunity to catch up with Israel Markevitz, the store's manager, on a trip to Esteli, Nicaragua to tour Pepin Garcia's cigar factory, as well as the Drew Estate factory, which makes Acid, T59 and others. Israel is clearly plugged into the cigar business, as everyone from Jonathan Drew to Eddie Ortega to Pepin Garcia greeted him as a familiar face.

Israel explains that his shop is home to a great group of around a dozen regulars who are more than happy to welcome new guests into the shop. You can relax in his spacious lounge while puffing away and sipping a coffee, or you can time your visits to coincide with the various events he holds, including tastings, rolling events and book signings. Chess and backgammon boards are kept on hand, and you can always kick back and watch the game on one of Uptown's big-screen televisions.

What differentiates Uptown Cigar from most ex-urban shops is a combination of the management style and the inventory. Israel really does a metro-style cigar shop, catering to sophisticated clientele – but not at the expense of novices. This is clearest in the inventory you'll find in the humidor, which includes cigars from Pepin Garcia, Jorge Padron and other up-market sticks that are favored by serious cigar smokers.

So, if you find yourself heading north, stop at Uptown and drop in on Israel and his customers. He has a great group up in Kingston, and I can tell you that he knows his way around a humidor – no question.

Tags: cigar, cigar lounge, CigarLounge, cigars, CigarShop, new york, NewYork, nicaragua, nicaraguan cigars, NicaraguanCigars, smoke, smokers, smoking