Mention cigars and the country that springs to most people's minds is Cuba, home to the famous Montecristo and Cohiba brands among others. The Dominican Republic is also an important manufacturer, as are the Central American countries of Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. It is less well known that Holland has long been a market for cigars, and one with a reputation of being home to discerning aficionados. In fact, there is even a style of Dutch cigar. Ironic considering that the country does not produce its own tobacco.
If you are interested in stocking up your humidor or simply want to learn more about the history of cigars in Holland, then PGC Hajenius in central Amsterdam should be your first port of call. Named after the wonderfully-monikered founder Pantaleon Gerhard Coenraad Hajenius, the shop is worth visiting for its beautiful Art Deco interior alone. The marble walls have escaped being painted over when fashion may have dictated it, because it was feared the astringent ingredients in the paint would harm the cigars, and as you walk into the main lobby area you will notice an intentional symmetry to the artwork.
But of course it is the row upon row and box upon box of cigars from around the world that make PGC Hajenius the place to visit. If you can name a brand of cigar then chances are it is sold here, from Cuba's Romeo y Julieta to the Dominican Republic's Davidoff brand – indeed the most expensive cigar sold in the shop is from the Davidoff range and will set you back E31 – although the manager pointed out that it will give you "at least a two-hour smoke".
Knowledgeable staff are on hand to answer your questions. Cigars are made up of three components – the filler (the leaves that make up the centre of the cigar), the binder (which is wrapped around the filler to hold it together), and the wrapper (the outside leaf).
A Dutch (or "short filler") cigar uses a blend of shredded leaves as its filler, as opposed to the two or three complete leaves used in, say, a Cuban cigar. This gives Dutch cigars an "easier draw" (the force of breath needed to draw the smoke through the cigar), which also makes an ideal beginners' cigar. And as they are a dry variety, they do not need to be kept in a humidor. This contrasts with the Caribbean "long filler" cigars which need to be kept at a constant humidity of 75-80 per cent and temperature of 20-21C, so PGC Hajenius has a dedicated humidor room for such cigars, along with a wide variety of portable humidors for sale.
Add to this over 600 pipes for purchase, a lounge and library where customers can sit and smoke their purchases along with a glass of port, and a museum with examples of old cigar cases and lethal looking cigar cutters, and it's not hard to see why the store is frequented by famous Dutch residents from celebrity chefs to film producers – indeed, several of them have their own humidor storage boxes at the shop. PGC Hajenius is not so much a shop as a cigar experience, and one that is well worth the visit.
PGC Hajenius, Rokin 92-96, 1012 KZ Amsterdam; tel +31 20 623 74 94; hajenius.com
