I’m in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a work conference and arrived a few days early to explore the city. I visited this city approximately 25 years ago. I remember going to places like Tivoli Gardens, the famous amusement park, Christiania, the alternative community from the 1970s, and of course, seeing the Little Mermaid statue. I also recall that Denmark, like the UK, has a Royal Family.

While browsing for cigar spots to visit, I came across an article titled “Copenhagen: Insider Tips for Cigar Smokers” from 2022 on Quint Essentially, which I found via Google. It listed a few places but didn’t provide much detail. I also asked on my social media accounts on recommendations of places to visit. From what I gathered, there aren’t many places in Copenhagen for cigar enthusiasts. One of the main spots mentioned is Club Macanudo, known as Denmark’s leading cigar shop with a lounge on-site. There’s also The Danish Pipe Shop, which apparently sells cigars, and Musen & Elefanten, a bar where cigar smoking is allowed.

I also stumbled upon some information about Royal Danish Cigars, created by Jan Vistisen. However, in 2019 the Royal Palace, without due process, decided no longer to support tobacco smoking and stopped shops in Denmark from selling cigars under his legally registered trademark. So it seemed like I wouldn’t have the opportunity to try them. Still, it’s fascinating to learn about!

Anyways I digress, I arrived on a Sunday when all of these places were closed 😭. I had dinner at Nyhavn, a renowned harbour lined with vibrant, colorful houses and numerous restaurants offering outdoor dining – proper touristy – if you’re looking for Michelin-starred restaurants, you might want to try other places in the city.

At that point, I wished I had brought some cigars with me from the UK, as it would have been nice to relax with a cigar there. However, I’m sure I could wait until the next day to get hold of some cigars 😬.

On Monday, during my first full day, I went on a free (you pay in tips afterwards) walking tour around the city with Politically Incorrect Tours. It was a great way to start the day, but I was really looking forward to my visit to Club Macanudo, which was going to be my first cigar stop.

Club Macanudo – Copenhagen

Opened in 2012 at Silkegade 23, 1113 København, this cigar shop and lounge primarily offers a selection of non-Cuban cigars, including Macanudo, CAO, Oscar Valladares, Arturo Fuente, and Alec Bradley cigars.

They also carry a limited range of Cuban cigars, featuring Montecristo and Cohiba, all at prices significantly lower than in the UK.

Cigars are stored upstairs, while the downstairs lounge, accessible via a spiral staircase, offers a quiet escape where customers can relax with their cigar purchases.

The cozy office-like room in the downstairs lounge provides a laid-back setting, ideal for enjoying a cigar, with smooth jazz music playing in the background.

The space features eye-catching cigar-themed artwork on the walls, about 14 leather seats and tables equipped with cigar cutters, lighters, and ashtrays.

The ventilation is good, and smoking is permitted until closing time. Amenities include an unlimited coffee machine, tap water and toilets. There’s also an alcohol cabinet, though it’s unclear if alcohol consumption is allowed. The cabinet appears to have cigar keeps attached to it.

For twenty-five years, Club Macanudo has been a cigar oasis, providing food, drinks and premium cigars for connoisseurs worldwide. They have other shops and lounges in New York and at a resort called Bossier City in Louisana, Kuala Lumpar, Jakarta, Taipei and of course Copenhagen.

My first cigar here was the Macanudo Inspirado Red Gigante cigar with a fat 60-ring gauge and a red band.

The second cigar I smoked was the Macanudo Emissary Espana, a fairly new cigar. It is made up of a five-country blend, using Cuban seed grown in Riolobos, Spain, with tobaccos from Nicaragua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and the US. 🤯

I’m still a bit rubbish at understanding all the different cigar blends, but this one feels like a truly international cigar. It was better than the first cigar I smoked, a bit milder. I’m still fairly new to Macanudo, but I hear they are a well-established cigar brand in the US. I don’t think we have many of this brand in the UK but tbh I haven’t exclusively looked out for these.

And yep, I ended up spending the rest of my day there. My third cigar of the day was the Leaf by Oscar Maduro Sixty.

I had the pleasure of meeting Oscar Valladares at Intertabac recently, and he personally handed me one of these cigars – the experience of unwrapping the leaf to reveal the cigar is definitely an experience worth trying!

I’ve been really enjoying these larger 6×60 cigars lately, though I’m not quite ready for The Woody (21×100) just yet 😁.

Overall this was a great experience. This is a must-visit stop because it’s the main cigar shop and lounge in Copenhagen. It’s not as fancy as the cigar lounges in London, I think I’m totally spoiled by those – but it’s still a great place to stop by.

Interested in visiting Club Macanudo?

Address: Club Macanudo, Silkegade 23, 1113 København, Denmark

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Website

Phone: +45 33 14 09 22

The Danish Pipe Shop

The next day after visiting the Carlsberg Brewery and getting a little sloshed on the beer tasting I went straight into town to check out The Danish Pipe Shop.

They have a humidor of cigars mainly non Cuban, I wasnt overly impressed with their offering compared to that of Club Macanudo but still I picked up a couple of cigars including the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour and a cigar from AJ Fernandez.

After making my purchase, I inquired about sampling the products in their downstairs lounge. I was informed that the lounge was designated for pipe smoking only and not for cigar smoking. As I looked around, I noticed the extensive collection of pipes and at that moment, I decided to give pipe smoking a try!

It’s not the first time I’ve tried a pipe – I actually own a Peterson pipe. A few years ago, when I tried it, I couldn’t keep the pipe lit. This time around, I didn’t have the pipe with me, but I asked the guys in the store. I told them I’m a beginner at pipes and that I wanted to try one downstairs. They got me to buy a corn pipe and gave me some pipe tobacco to try.

After making my purchase they ushered me to the lounge downstairs in the shop and there they gave me a tutorial on how to pack my pipe, in three stages, pinching to a coo and tampering it – then lighting it – then tampering it again.

The lounge was great pipe related stuff all around me.

After the tutorial, I was a satisfied customer. I relaxed with my pipe, and it stayed lit the whole time! Its a bit different to smoking a cigar but it was incredibly relaxing.

Perhaps it’s time to start londonpipesmoker.com. 😆

After about an hour, it was time to leave the store. Despite my craving for a cigar, this turned out to be a pleasant experience overall.

Interested in visiting The Danish Pipe Shop?

Address: The Danish Pipe Shop, Vester Voldgade 92, 1552 København, Denmark

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Website

Phone: +45 33 12 36 51

Musen & Elefanten

The third and final stop for me is Museun & Elefanten, a little pub bar in the streets of the city cente.

If I’m totally honest this weren’t my favourite place in the world, proper moody bar tender – all dressed up making James Bond style cocktails – but not very welcoming at all.

There is a small tower humidor in the corner of the bar, not a huge selection – all non Cuban cigars. I went for a Drew Estate Herrera Esteli cigar – a Maduro.

A selection of cocktails on offer. I went for an old fashioned.

It was nice to smoke inside with a bar and probably somewhere worth popping too before or after dinner.

Irish style music playing in the background. The place about 20 or so seats. Be great to have a bite to eat here too – but jeez prob wont ask haha.

Still the cigar and drinks were alright.

Not sure I’d recommend if you were going solo, it definitely feels like the kind of place you’d be better off with a mate or a few mates at.

Interested in visiting Musen & Elefanten?

Address: Musen & Elefanten, Vestergade 21, 1456 København, Denmark

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Website

Overall experience

Whilst the cigars are much cheaper here than the UK the actual city is pretty expensive. There is a limited selection of places to visit out here for cigar smokers in Copenhagen, Denmark. Club Macanudo was definitely my favourite place, I went back twice and even picked up a pack of Oscar Valladares Sixty cigars a pack of 20 cigars to take back with me to the UK.

You could probably visit all these places in one day eg maybe start with The Danish Pipe Shop, then Club Macanudo which closes weekdays around 5:30pm – this is then place to pick up a couple of boxes of cigars, then head to Musen & Elefanten before or after dinner.

Right time to attend the conference!