Oliva Opens New Cigar Lounge In Germany
Fans of Oliva Cigars have a new location to light up their favorite smokes. A popular cigar shop in Gronau, Germany, called Whisky & Cigar Salon, now has an Oliva-branded smoking lounge under its roof. The new space was unveiled last week at a grand opening celebration that included cigars, food and champagne for 75 guests, plus a special visit from Oliva owner Fred Vandermarliere, of Vandermarliere Family of Cigars.
Founded in 2013 by Han Hilderink, Whisky & Cigar Salon is known for its extensive cigar and single-malt whisky selection, as well as its spacious smoking area measuring more than 1,345 square feet. Outfitted with plush leather chairs, wooden tables and a roaring fireplace, the lounge now boasts a large brass "Oliva Lounge" sign mounted above the walk-in humidor. Oliva photography and designs adorn the walls, highlighting Oliva Serie V and Oliva Serie V Melanio along with scenes from the company’s curing barns and tobacco fields.
Outside, there’s a smoking terrace overlooking the Dinkel River, with more Oliva branding in sight. Oliva Lounge flags flutter in the breeze, and a window near the main entrance along with the shop’s interior glass doors are emblazoned with the words, “First Oliva Lounge Europe.”
That billing may come as a surprise to some, as there have been earlier examples of Oliva Cigar Lounges in Europe. In 2010, Oliva opened lounges in Den Bosch, Holland, and Berlin, Germany. Those locations are now closed, the company confirmed.
Laure Boisbouvier, Oliva's marketing director, clarified that the new Oliva-branded lounge at Whisky & Cigar Salon is the first in mainland Europe to come from Vandermarliere Family of Cigars, Oliva’s parent company.
“We currently have two Oliva lounges. Worldwide, we have one already on a boat,” Boisbouvier says. “But the Oliva Lounge at Whisky & Cigar Salon is the first one in mainland Europe.”
In addition to the regular offerings from Oliva’s portfolio, Whisky & Cigar Salon also sells a special smoke called the Oliva Exclusive Lounge Edition.
Rolled with a dark, Mexican San Andrés cover leaf with binder and filler tobacco from Nicaragua, the Exclusive Lounge Edition has the same blend and shape as the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Toro (a box-pressed parejo measuring 6 inches by 52 ring gauge), and wears a unique secondary band. According to Oliva, it’s the same cigar—but while the Melanio Maduro Toro can be purchased in cigar shops across the United States, you won’t find it overseas.
“It’s the same cigar but this particular size is not used anywhere in the international markets,” Boisbouvier says.
For now, European customers will have to head to the Oliva Lounge in Germany to get the special size. But Boisbouvier says the cigar will eventually be sold at future Oliva lounges.
The Oliva Exclusive Lounge Edition Toro is available from Whisky & Cigar Salon in 10-count boxes for 160 euros, 16 euros (about $17) per cigar.
