Discover Benelux | Best Boutiques | Magical Maastricht
Finding the finest blend of flavours TEXT: MYRIAM GWYNNED DIJCK | PHOTOS: DAVIDOFF
“Cigar smokers enjoy the good things in life,” begins Mick Felix, manager of Maastricht’s specialty tobacco shop. “They are very conscious people and quality is important to them and we want to be able to offer them the perfect cigar.” Mick has been working in the shop since it opened almost 15 years ago. She knows their collection of cigars, cigarettes and accessories inside out and is keen to make recommendations. “We will often tell our customers about new cigars that just came in or make suggestions based on their personal tastes. Entering our walk-in humidor is like going on an adventure.” 26 | Issue 24 | December 2015
Their range includes Cubans, but more importantly the complete range of Davidoff luxury cigars. Mick: “Davidoff is well known for producing top-quality cigars. They closely monitor the entire production cycle, from their tobacco growers in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua,and Brazil to sampling every harvest and rolling the cigars. This way they can guarantee that their cigars have an excellent blend of flavours, ranging from very mild to heavier ones.” A typical cigar has three or four different types of tobacco. Leaves from the top of the plant are always stronger than those from lower down the plant. Mick says: “Currently, tobacco from Brazil and Nic-
aragua are increasingly popular as they have different flavours from tobacco grown in the Caribbean.” Differences in flavours are created by the origin of the tobacco and the soil they were grown in. She adds: “This means there is always something new in the world of cigars, which keeps my job interesting!” The shop can be found on the corner of the Rechtstraat and the Wycker Brugstraat, on the way between the train station and Maastricht’s city centre. “It is the perfect location and we get all kinds of people visiting us, from first time cigar buyers to experts,” she concludes. www.davidoff.com