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I thought I'd post a thread after my trip to D?sseldorf and Cologne last month to let everyone know about the cigar shops over there. I visited three in all over there - all three were La Casa del Habanos but all three also had an alternative name (which they seem to be better known by).
Selected Cigars (Dusseldorf)
The first one I visited was 'Selected Cigars' in Dusseldorf, which ended up being really difficult to find even though it is just off the main shopping street in Dusseldorf. They had a huge walk-in Humidor (although the smallest of the three shops) with a wide selection of cigars and there is a also a very nice area to sit and enjoy a smoke. I picked out my first Cohiba Behike there (a BHK52). The people in the shop were very friendly and they have a very nice selection of drink to enjoy with your smoke with (you do need to pay for the drinks, including water, which was the case at all of the lounges apart from the Cigar World in Dusseldorf). Although I was slightly disappointed by the cigar considering the cost, I really enjoyed sitting in there and having a smoke. The only complaint I had about this place was that they couldn't tell the age of the cigar. On another note, this was also the first time I used scissors to cut the cigar - although this was a new experience, I think I will be sticking to guillotine and v-cutters!
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Peter Heinrichs (Cologne)
This shop is just outside of the main shopping street in Cologne and felt the biggest of all the shops. The shop seems to have a couple of different names, such as the House of 10,000 Pipes (Das Haus der 10.000 Pfeifen). This was by far the busiest shop of the three, and seems to focus much more on pipes and pipe tobacco that the other two, however, that does not mean cigars are neglected and the shop has the nicest looking humidor of the three - you walk up some stairs from the main shop and then there is a walk-in room rather than a humidor. It a shelves and shelves of boxes and lots to look through (I still feel a bit awkward doing this still - I am gradually getting better but it hard to kick the habit of a lifetime of spending as little time in a shop as possible!). I was hoping to get one of the German REs I hadn't tried before but the only one they had was the Punch Sir John. I tried one of these in Berlin earlier in the year, but was not impressed, mainly due to construction issues. I decided to give it another go and this time the construction was faultless. I still wouldn't consider buying a box but it was a better cigar than I initially gave it credit for.
The smoking lounge was underground, which I'm not sure I liked very much as I like a bit of natural light, but they have set it up very nicely, and again there was a wide selected of alcoholic and other drinks. It was quite busy down there but still very relaxed.
I found the staff in there were not very helpful, but that was probably more to do with the fact it was so busy (I think we must have visited Cologne on the busiest day of the year!). I wouldn't say don't go though, the humidor there is really nice, and I suspect the staff would have been much more helpful if it hadn't been so busy
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Cigar World (Dusseldorf)
A minor miracle took place in this shop - my wife actually agreed to sit in the lounge with me while I smoked a cigar. I tried the new HdM Grand Epicure LE here - I suspect I will be getting myself one to two boxes of these. The shop is out of the town and is in a slightly strange location - it looks like it is in some sort of depot. But it is still very easy to get to (it is a couple of stops out of the centre by tram).
The humidor here is again very impressive - it is at the back of the shop and again has a huge selection of cigars. This is where I picked up my boxes of RASS and H. Upmann Half Coronas and a couple of the Sanco Panza German REs from 2011. When you buy a box in this shop they also give you the bonus of two extra cigars so I also got an extra Half Corona and RASS. I wanted to pick up a box of Bolivar Royal Corona but they didn't have any boxes of the tubed cigars left.
The staff here were incredibly helpful and patient - they went out of their way to help and were clearly passionate about cigars.
The lounge here was huge and there well ventilated (which is probably why my wife could stand sitting in there for more that two minutes). You get free tap water in there and there is also a self service Nespresso machine and a room full of beers (I didn't seem any other alcohol, but I am sure it is there - I didn't go out of my way to look for any). Again the staff really make you feel welcome there, and I think this is probably the most I have enjoyed myself in a cigar lounge - it really is a relaxed atmosphere. The only complaint I had was the choice of music and the fact that they started to rearrange furniture before it closed (but I was warned that this would happen when I first arrived so don't let that put you off if you're ever in the area!)
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To be honest I would recommend a visit to any of these cigar shops - personally I enjoyed Cigar World most, but all three shops have their good points!
Selected Cigars (Dusseldorf)
The first one I visited was 'Selected Cigars' in Dusseldorf, which ended up being really difficult to find even though it is just off the main shopping street in Dusseldorf. They had a huge walk-in Humidor (although the smallest of the three shops) with a wide selection of cigars and there is a also a very nice area to sit and enjoy a smoke. I picked out my first Cohiba Behike there (a BHK52). The people in the shop were very friendly and they have a very nice selection of drink to enjoy with your smoke with (you do need to pay for the drinks, including water, which was the case at all of the lounges apart from the Cigar World in Dusseldorf). Although I was slightly disappointed by the cigar considering the cost, I really enjoyed sitting in there and having a smoke. The only complaint I had about this place was that they couldn't tell the age of the cigar. On another note, this was also the first time I used scissors to cut the cigar - although this was a new experience, I think I will be sticking to guillotine and v-cutters!
IMG_0265.jpg
Peter Heinrichs (Cologne)
This shop is just outside of the main shopping street in Cologne and felt the biggest of all the shops. The shop seems to have a couple of different names, such as the House of 10,000 Pipes (Das Haus der 10.000 Pfeifen). This was by far the busiest shop of the three, and seems to focus much more on pipes and pipe tobacco that the other two, however, that does not mean cigars are neglected and the shop has the nicest looking humidor of the three - you walk up some stairs from the main shop and then there is a walk-in room rather than a humidor. It a shelves and shelves of boxes and lots to look through (I still feel a bit awkward doing this still - I am gradually getting better but it hard to kick the habit of a lifetime of spending as little time in a shop as possible!). I was hoping to get one of the German REs I hadn't tried before but the only one they had was the Punch Sir John. I tried one of these in Berlin earlier in the year, but was not impressed, mainly due to construction issues. I decided to give it another go and this time the construction was faultless. I still wouldn't consider buying a box but it was a better cigar than I initially gave it credit for.
The smoking lounge was underground, which I'm not sure I liked very much as I like a bit of natural light, but they have set it up very nicely, and again there was a wide selected of alcoholic and other drinks. It was quite busy down there but still very relaxed.
I found the staff in there were not very helpful, but that was probably more to do with the fact it was so busy (I think we must have visited Cologne on the busiest day of the year!). I wouldn't say don't go though, the humidor there is really nice, and I suspect the staff would have been much more helpful if it hadn't been so busy
IMG_0268.jpg
Cigar World (Dusseldorf)
A minor miracle took place in this shop - my wife actually agreed to sit in the lounge with me while I smoked a cigar. I tried the new HdM Grand Epicure LE here - I suspect I will be getting myself one to two boxes of these. The shop is out of the town and is in a slightly strange location - it looks like it is in some sort of depot. But it is still very easy to get to (it is a couple of stops out of the centre by tram).
The humidor here is again very impressive - it is at the back of the shop and again has a huge selection of cigars. This is where I picked up my boxes of RASS and H. Upmann Half Coronas and a couple of the Sanco Panza German REs from 2011. When you buy a box in this shop they also give you the bonus of two extra cigars so I also got an extra Half Corona and RASS. I wanted to pick up a box of Bolivar Royal Corona but they didn't have any boxes of the tubed cigars left.
The staff here were incredibly helpful and patient - they went out of their way to help and were clearly passionate about cigars.
The lounge here was huge and there well ventilated (which is probably why my wife could stand sitting in there for more that two minutes). You get free tap water in there and there is also a self service Nespresso machine and a room full of beers (I didn't seem any other alcohol, but I am sure it is there - I didn't go out of my way to look for any). Again the staff really make you feel welcome there, and I think this is probably the most I have enjoyed myself in a cigar lounge - it really is a relaxed atmosphere. The only complaint I had was the choice of music and the fact that they started to rearrange furniture before it closed (but I was warned that this would happen when I first arrived so don't let that put you off if you're ever in the area!)
IMG_0270.jpgIMG_0273.jpgIMG_0274.jpgIMG_0276.jpg
To be honest I would recommend a visit to any of these cigar shops - personally I enjoyed Cigar World most, but all three shops have their good points!
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