Just wrapped up a week in Barcelona and want to continue the series of pipe retailers around the world. Hope you find this interesting and helpful!
Spain is a smoking culture, full stop. Whist one sees smoking warnings on tobacco products and there are smoking bans indoors, that has not stopped the countless numbers of Spaniards enjoying cigarettes or cigars. So, if you are looking to take a trip to a place where smoking is readily accepted, book you tickets to Spain and be ready to smoke your pipe along with some freshly made Sangria or Estrella Damm beer.
In Barcelona (and I suspect in the rest of Spain) cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco are sold exclusively in "Tabac" shops. They are ubiquitous in Barcelona. One cannot walk more than two to three blocks in any direction without running into one.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6LjAteXG0pc/ULyfGSGoGxI/AAAAAAAANhE/no6_500UFdk/s320/photo+%252886%2529.JPG
I must admit that most shops sell and most Spaniards smoke cigarettes, with cigars a close second. While pipe tobacco is available, I only saw one Spaniard smoking a pipe. And Tabac shops vary in their quantity and selection. And therein lies the fun and challenge of finding pipe tobacco. All have the customary OTCs such as BR, Half and Half, Condor, and Clan, but I only found a few Tabac shops with an extensive supply of pipe tobacco. I found mostly Peterson, Samuel Gawith, Davidoff Scottish Blend, and MacBaren blends. Here they are, in no particular order:
Tabacs Casa Pastor http://www.nelso.com/es/place/335453/
A nice range of Peterson blends including University Flake and Sherlock Holmes. I picked up their last tin of Samuel Gawith Skiff Mixture, They also had Commonwealth.
Tabacs Catedral http://www.yelp.es/biz/estanco-de-la-catedral-barcelona
By far the largest selection I encountered. Had all of the Peterson blends and tons of SG blends (including FVF, Celtic, Navy Flake, and Squadron Leader). Also had lots of blends from a company I'd never heard of before named Ashton. After reading the reviews I picked up a tin of Artisan's Blend since I'm keen on trying perique. Highly recommended since the selection is so varied and since it is next to the Barcelona Cathedral (hard to miss if you visit).
Casa Fuster http://www.casa-fuster.com/en
Since they are one of the few tobacco shops that have their own website, I was excited about visiting this place. However, whilst their selection was good (picked up a tin of Peterson's Irish Flake and University Flake) it was still limited in comparison to Tabacs Catedral. Mainly Peterson and SG.
Gimeno http://www.gimenocigars.com
This shop is located on Las Ramblas, arguably the busiest and most crowded area of the city (watch your wallet here--pickpockets abound). Like Casa Fuster I was excited to drop by but was very disappointed in their selection. A few tins of Peterson aromatics and one tin of SG Best Brown (which I purchased) was all that was available. That being said, there were lots of empty spaces where it appeared other tobaccos would be stocked, so its likely that I caught them on a day before restocking took place.
The most fun I had was dropping into the various Tabacs shops and asking "Tiene tobacco para pipa?" They would always point to their selection--some was good (found a tin of MacBaren Virginia #1 and a 25 kg tin of Macbaren Scottish blend once) and some were bad--as in no pipe tobacco at all. But, it made it an adventure since I never knew what I'd find. Overall, Spaniards smoke cigarettes, cigars, and pipes--and in that order.
Prices were generally reasonable. Most Peterson and SG blends sold for 7.50 Euros ($10.27 as of this posting). Prices for pipes were another story. Most pipes sold for at least 100 Euros--even Prince Albert and Lorenzo pipes were in the $60-$70 price range. So, come to Spain and plan on purchasing some tobacco, but unless you've got some money to burn I'd stay away from the pipes.
In conclusion, if you have only a few days in Barcelona and want to do some pipe tobacco shopping, I would highly recommend Tabacs Catedral in front of the Barcelona Cathedral. By far the largest selection of tobacco and a good supply of pipes as well. Again, prices overall were generally good--a little higher than online in the US, but for you Aussies, Kiwis, and Brits, Spain may be the place to get your TAD on.
Disfrute!
Spain is a smoking culture, full stop. Whist one sees smoking warnings on tobacco products and there are smoking bans indoors, that has not stopped the countless numbers of Spaniards enjoying cigarettes or cigars. So, if you are looking to take a trip to a place where smoking is readily accepted, book you tickets to Spain and be ready to smoke your pipe along with some freshly made Sangria or Estrella Damm beer.
In Barcelona (and I suspect in the rest of Spain) cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco are sold exclusively in "Tabac" shops. They are ubiquitous in Barcelona. One cannot walk more than two to three blocks in any direction without running into one.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6LjAteXG0pc/ULyfGSGoGxI/AAAAAAAANhE/no6_500UFdk/s320/photo+%252886%2529.JPG
I must admit that most shops sell and most Spaniards smoke cigarettes, with cigars a close second. While pipe tobacco is available, I only saw one Spaniard smoking a pipe. And Tabac shops vary in their quantity and selection. And therein lies the fun and challenge of finding pipe tobacco. All have the customary OTCs such as BR, Half and Half, Condor, and Clan, but I only found a few Tabac shops with an extensive supply of pipe tobacco. I found mostly Peterson, Samuel Gawith, Davidoff Scottish Blend, and MacBaren blends. Here they are, in no particular order:
Tabacs Casa Pastor http://www.nelso.com/es/place/335453/
A nice range of Peterson blends including University Flake and Sherlock Holmes. I picked up their last tin of Samuel Gawith Skiff Mixture, They also had Commonwealth.
Tabacs Catedral http://www.yelp.es/biz/estanco-de-la-catedral-barcelona
By far the largest selection I encountered. Had all of the Peterson blends and tons of SG blends (including FVF, Celtic, Navy Flake, and Squadron Leader). Also had lots of blends from a company I'd never heard of before named Ashton. After reading the reviews I picked up a tin of Artisan's Blend since I'm keen on trying perique. Highly recommended since the selection is so varied and since it is next to the Barcelona Cathedral (hard to miss if you visit).
Casa Fuster http://www.casa-fuster.com/en
Since they are one of the few tobacco shops that have their own website, I was excited about visiting this place. However, whilst their selection was good (picked up a tin of Peterson's Irish Flake and University Flake) it was still limited in comparison to Tabacs Catedral. Mainly Peterson and SG.
Gimeno http://www.gimenocigars.com
This shop is located on Las Ramblas, arguably the busiest and most crowded area of the city (watch your wallet here--pickpockets abound). Like Casa Fuster I was excited to drop by but was very disappointed in their selection. A few tins of Peterson aromatics and one tin of SG Best Brown (which I purchased) was all that was available. That being said, there were lots of empty spaces where it appeared other tobaccos would be stocked, so its likely that I caught them on a day before restocking took place.
The most fun I had was dropping into the various Tabacs shops and asking "Tiene tobacco para pipa?" They would always point to their selection--some was good (found a tin of MacBaren Virginia #1 and a 25 kg tin of Macbaren Scottish blend once) and some were bad--as in no pipe tobacco at all. But, it made it an adventure since I never knew what I'd find. Overall, Spaniards smoke cigarettes, cigars, and pipes--and in that order.
Prices were generally reasonable. Most Peterson and SG blends sold for 7.50 Euros ($10.27 as of this posting). Prices for pipes were another story. Most pipes sold for at least 100 Euros--even Prince Albert and Lorenzo pipes were in the $60-$70 price range. So, come to Spain and plan on purchasing some tobacco, but unless you've got some money to burn I'd stay away from the pipes.
In conclusion, if you have only a few days in Barcelona and want to do some pipe tobacco shopping, I would highly recommend Tabacs Catedral in front of the Barcelona Cathedral. By far the largest selection of tobacco and a good supply of pipes as well. Again, prices overall were generally good--a little higher than online in the US, but for you Aussies, Kiwis, and Brits, Spain may be the place to get your TAD on.
Disfrute!
