Best B&M Cigar Shop?

[BrightonCorgi]

15 hours ago, Nino said:

Absolutely with you. Give me Portmann any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Best cigar merchant !

Agreed as the best I have been to.  The chocolate and magazine selection is on par with the cigars!  Great 24 hour lounge next door and 200 yards away is Germany.

[Nino]

12 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

  and 200 yards away is Germany.

You must have taken a detour ... Germany is only 25 meters/yards away, maybe you went to the customs office and back to collect the Swiss VAT a few times ... 🙂

[BrightonCorgi]

43 minutes ago, Nino said:

You must have taken a detour ... Germany is only 25 meters/yards away, maybe you went to the customs office and back to collect the Swiss VAT a few times ... 🙂

lol.  I was guessing.  I knew it was super close.  Went to that Asian restaurant just over the border.  For all the friends and family I have in CH; no one lives remotely close to his store.  Everyone is at least an hour or more away 😞

How's his son's store compare?

[Nino]

1 hour ago, BrightonCorgi said:

lol.  I was guessing.  I knew it was super close.  Went to that Asian restaurant just over the border.  For all the friends and family I have in CH; no one lives remotely close to his store.  Everyone is at least an hour or more away 😞

How's his son's store compare?

It is basically the first building on the Swiss right hand side, no more than 25 meters from the border control.
You can see the customs house, borderline and Portmann in the screenshot below.

I have a Viet/Thai little hole in the wall place 150 meters from Portmann on the German side that I like a lot 🙂

I've been to Portmann St Gallen a few times and it looks good though small, Thomas is a good manager and Marc mostly helps out in Kreuzlingen.

[BrightonCorgi]

6 minutes ago, Nino said:

It is basically the first building on the Swiss right hand side, no more than 25 meters from the border control.
You can see the customs house, borderline and Portmann in the screenshot below.

I have a Viet/Thai little hole in the wall place 150 meters from Portmann on the German side that I like a lot 🙂

I've been to Portmann St Gallen a few times and it looks good though small, Thomas is a good manager and Marc mostly helps out in Kreuzlingen.

 

St Gallen is closer for me.  Worth going or just go the extra drive to Kreuzlingen?  I would expect all the boxes in St. Gallen are opened and inspected before being stored like the main store. 

[Nino]

2 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

St Gallen is closer for me.  Worth going or just go the extra drive to Kreuzlingen?  I would expect all the boxes in St. Gallen are opened and inspected before being stored like the main store. 

I would only go to Kreuzlingen as it is unique - same care and attention in both stores of course but Kreuzlingen to me personally is emotionally more attached and I'm more familiar there - the town and the whole area, just my first big love 🙂

But that's just me.

[Troels]

Outside of havanna lcdh Berlin has been a favourite. Better selection some years back though. Lounge as well as tables out in front. Drinks and meals

[ha_banos]

On 5/18/2021 at 1:39 AM, mprach024 said:

Davidoff’s London.  Easy peasy.  Hands down.  

Errrrrrrm I think he meant good prices. So UK shops are excluded.

[Huckleberry]

On 5/17/2021 at 11:02 PM, KavalanWhisky said:

I've seen the videos, looks amazing.

There is also this place a guy on IG i follow goes to, it looks stunning but I bet its super expensive:

https://www.thechediandermatt.com/en/Restaurants/The-Cigar-Library/

https://www.instagram.com/mr.danzag/ - He is currently visiting the place, should see his stories!!

It says the hotel does this....

Special feature
The hotel offers almost all cigars at normal retail prices.

[ha_banos]

25 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

It says the hotel does this....

Special feature
The hotel offers almost all cigars at normal retail prices.

Blimey! Saying and doing are two different things! 🤣 Well you can get something for less than 20€ you can also get something for thousands... Looks nice.

[BubbaLew]

I had a wonderful experience at the LCDH store in Vancouver, BC some years ago. I was working in town and every afternoon I’d go in there. One day, they had a roller from the Cohiba factory rolling fresh Cohiba Robustos, right in the window! He brought a big stock of leaf in burlap bags.  I bought one and smoked it in back in their little lounge/locker area. Great experience. 

[vhampl03]

Fincato in Rome is great.

 JJ Fox in London outstanding - like those guys a lot....although very expensive.

The Ritz in London has a nice smoking lounge, although smallish selection (and annoying dress code).

[griller]

2 hours ago, vhampl03 said:

Fincato in Rome is great.

 JJ Fox in London outstanding - like those guys a lot....although very expensive.

The Ritz in London has a nice smoking lounge, although smallish selection (and annoying dress code).

I'll second JJ Fox in London. Very cool cigar museum on site too. 

Can't remember if it's JJ Fox or Sautter's, but there is an area in the basement they call "The Keep". My wife & I got a tour of it while we were honeymooning in London in 2002. Simply unbelievable collection of vintage, rare, and otherwise obscure cigars. Most were part of private collections, but it was very cool. The area stays pretty much the same temp & humidity year round and isn't climate controlled. 

[mprach024]

9 hours ago, ha_banos said:

Errrrrrrm I think he meant good prices. So UK shops are excluded.

Read it again then