MUNICH – A HINT OF - Park-Hotel Egerner Höfe

TRAVEL CORNER: BAVARIA
Over 150 years of tradition
in an convenient downtown
location: Habanos specialist
Helmut Diehl draws customers
from as far away as the US
Über 150 Jahre Tradition in
bester City-Lage: Habanos-
Spezialist Helmut Diehl hat
auch amerikanische
Stammkunden
a look to his humidor next to the bar, he laughs, “A cigar is
almost as complicated as a woman.” During precious quiet
hours, Winkler enjoys small Cohibas; he gives us an impromptu
tip as to the perfect amuse bouche for aficionados:
“In the cooler seasons it might be fresh wild boar with cranberries
and a very special sauce. It must taste powerfully of
finely chopped pine needles and their wonderfully deep aroma.”
Or how about a Bavarian bison steak, seasoned with
smoked salt? “I bring the prairie to the plate”, says Winkler,
who at age 31 is the world’s youngest three-starred Michelin
chef.
HERE, EVERY AFICIONADO HAS A PARTICULAR
PLACE ON A PARTICULAR PATIO
“If there are no cigars in heaven, I shall not go.” We discover
this tobacco-themed postcard inscribed with Mark
Twain’s immortal motto the immortal motto at the counter
of specialty retailer Pfeifen Diehl. Based in the Isar city for
over 150 years, the shop today resides in a choice location
in the “Funf Höfe”, a luxury shopping corridor in
downtown Munich. Habanos specialist Helmut Diehl is
confident of one thing: “Here in Munich, every one of my
customers has his particular place to smoke on a particular
patio.“ He’s referring to the neighboring, elegant Schumanns
café as well as the countless Italian bistros and restaurants
that color street life in and around Munich. Diehl
completed part of his training at Dunhill in London and is
enthusiastic about his American regulars: “A computer specialist
from Colorado always buys a Hoyo de Monterrey
Epicure II Robusto ($13).” Aificonados from around the
world enjoy the “Diehl Jubilee Blend” in the Churchill format
($6.89). “And Habanos lovers will be excited to learn
that I stock the Trinidad Ingenios Edición Limitada 2007
($28.53) in the Laguito format”, emphasizes the friendly
shopkeeper, who’s not worried about his successor in the
sixth generation of the family line. Daughter Caroline plans
to take over the shop, while his son, who has a PhD in phy-
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sics – just like the cigar-smoking Albert Einstein – and aspires
in scientific circles.
If you then visit Dallmayr Tabacladen next to the delicatessen
paradise of the same name, then continue to amble
through the city, you’ll be enjoying Munich’s historic center
at its best. Young Harald Sommer offers a counterpoint to
the traditional cigar store with his megastore on Landsbergerstrasse
– this becomes immediately apparent with one
glance at the window displays. As the junior manager in his
small cigar lounge describes a tasting tour with stretch limousines
for the firm’s 75th anniversary, a team of horses
laden with Oktoberfest beer kegs happens to trot by: this is
Munich, in all her glory!
In Sommer’s 753-square-foot humidor you’ll find a wide
range of cigars from all provenances, and at good prices:
“The Oliva Cain Daytona (around $7) in every format sells
best. Thanks to bold tobaccos that manage not to overwhelm,
this cigar appeals to the mainstream.” Sought-after
new Habanos from the Edición Regional Alemania 2011,
the Sancho Panza Escuderos, are available for $20.40. Harald
Sommer is also thrilled by the premium longfiller from
Carlos Toraño, produced in Nicaragua and Honduras. He
recommends the new Toraño 50 Years Robusto as well.
DAVIDOFF LOUNGES TAKE OVER HOTELS
If you’re hoping to enjoy an intimate fine smoke at a later
hour, find a seat in the classic, elegant Davidoff Lounge in
the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons). The first of its
kind in Germany, it opened in 2007 at the first-class address
on the Maximilianstrasse. We were impressed by the imposing
wall humidor equipped with exclusive accessories.
Any visit to the Olympic city must include a trip to Munich’s
Olympic campus with its giant recreational area. Car
buffs won’t want to miss BMW World and its avant-garde
architecture, just across the park. Thankfully, the Davidoff
Lounge in the Hotel Leonardo Royal is also strategically located
on this tour. The good old Munich Friedensengel (peace