Category Archives: Review

While we never did see the Aurora Borealis in Iceland, we still got to see some cool stuff and had a good time. I made it back to Björk Tobacco shop and picked up a couple Macanudo Inspirados in a short torpedo size, their best selling cigar. They were reasonably priced at 9000 Icelandic Krona, or a bit over $8.00. I couldn’t bring myself to spend $50 or so on three pack of Romeo y Julieta petite coronas in tubes. As most things in Reykjavik, Cuban cigars were very expensive. I spoke again with Thulin, the owner of Björk. He shared with me a bit of the Icelandic humor behind the sign on the shop, which says “caution tobacco” as a sarcastic kind of warning. I’m told that the Icelandic people use sarcasm quite a bit, but it doesn’t really translate in English. So I figure eventually I’ll see if there’s any difference between the  Macanudo Inspirado from Iceland and the US release. The Inspirado has been popular in Europe for a while.

 
On the way out of Iceland we paid another visit to the airport duty free and perused the cigar selection again. This one had larger humidors but a similar selection. I found a fiver of Guantanamera Cristals for under $20 so I figured what the hell. 

I thought the Star Trek inspired automatic doors on the tobacco section was a nice touch, we wouldn’t want people seeing tobacco products and getting addicted. Anyway, upon entry back into the US I declared that I purchased twelve cigars and there was no inquiry about the country of origin at all. I haven’t actually ever smoked either the Jose L Piedra or Guantanamera, so after they’ve rested a bit from their travels I’ll see how they are. The later were in the Duty Free outside of the humidors, with the dry cured cigars, which I thought was a poor merchandising decision.

 
I smoked only one cigar in Iceland, appropriately a Freyja Corona Grande, while walking back from a misssed ferry ride. It was good, and I think I tasted hints of the salty licorice the Nordic people like so much. Obviously, Freyja is a goddess in Norse mythology and comes up frequently in Iceland. As a matter of fact our plane was named Freyja It wasn’t the greatest environment to enjoy a cigar, it was windy and rainy and I only had matches which made lighting a challenge. It was the only cigar I smoked on the trip, so it was certainly memorable.

Tonight I thoroughly enjoyed a new offering  from La Sirena, their Connecticut wrapped LT. This was released at the IPCPR show along with the Merlion Maduro. This cigar was a 5 1/2″ x 50, which is interesting because the information I found listed a Robusto and a Toro, neither being 5 1/2″. I really like the size and this was a terrific cigar. I enjoyed the bright flavor of the Connecticut wrapper and it certainly was full of flavor. These are made at the Placencia factory in Nicaragua and was perfectly constructed although the draw was a bit open, and it burned a bit faster than I would have liked. This is a cigar I’d be thrilled to have a box of in my humidor.

I was lazy tonight and wrote this again on my phone instead of dragging the laptop out. Hopefully the readability isn’t terrible. Until the next time,
CigarCraig

My wife and I are in the middle of a couple days getaway to Reykjavik, Iceland, someplace we’ve never been to and decided now was as good a time as any to scratch it off the bucket list. As far as cigars go, I actually haven’t smoked one here yet. I did buy a five pack of Cuban Jose L. Piedra Cazadores for around $18 US at the airport duty free, which had a modest selection of Havanas, Davidoff and Balmoral cigars. The more popular brands and sizes carried a high price tag, and I didn’t really want any enough to spend too much, hence the modest purchase just

to be able to say I did. 
There is one tobacconist in Reykjavik, Bjor

k Tobacco Store, located in the shopping district in the downtown area. I stopped in and spoke with Thulin, the owner who told the story of how the prior owner successfully fought to have the cigars, tobacco and cigarettes openly displayed in the store as opposed to keeping them hidden. I  need to visit again and talk to Thulin some more and peruse his small selection of premium cigars. His stock was stored in three tower humidors that bore the Habanos branding. He mentioned that the Macanudo Inspirado (which was released in the US this year, but has been out in Europe for a few years) has been one of his best sellers. Like I said, I will visit again before we leave. 

If this post looks different it’s because I’m writing it using the iPhone WordPress app. If it’s too terrible I’ll fix it when I get home! So far we haven’t seen the Aurora Borealis, but Reykjavik seems like a nice enough town, although I think I’ve heard as many American accents as I hear at home! 

Until the next time, 

CigarCraig