For the first time, the Habanosommelier International Contest brought together eight winners from previous editions to choose a grand maestro, in the midst of the largest celebration of premium (hand rolled) cigars.
Organized in three sessions, the competition brought together participants from Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Brazil and Spain, all experts in the art of tasting and combining cigars with particular food or drinks.
Aged 51 and having accumulated various national and international awards, Cuban sommelier Juan Jesús Machín won the “Maestro de Maestros” award during the recent 18th Habano Festival.
For Machín, who works in the Cigar Bar of the Hotel Quinta Avenida, located in Havana, and has attended the event since 2008, the distinction is a reward for the dedication and commitment demanded by Habanos.
To be a Habanosommelier, Machín explains, requires hours of study and constant research. It is a profession that defends Cuban cultural identity and is sustained through knowledge, he adds.
“If you want to provide a high quality service and promote the great product that is the Habano, you have to work hard. You must become a comprehensive expert in all that is gastronomy: wine, food, cigars. It is a wonderful world, but also very broad and innovative,” he notes.
In defining the Habano Festival as a necessary and ideal bridge, Machín states, in line with Fernando Ortiz, known as the “third discoverer of Cuba”, that tobacco is a transcultural element “that brings peace, communication and nourishment for human spirituality.”
The expert concludes, “some say the Habano is harmful to health, but I say that if you smoke responsibly, without abusing, you can enjoy something this beautiful.”
From another perspective, the head of the competition judges, José Ilario, noted the difficulty in reaching a final decision, because the contestants were all very good. In addition to praising the creativity and knowledge of the sommeliers, the Spanish expert noted that the Festival is unique and has the advantage over other similar initiatives.
Brazilian Habanosommelier Walter Saes, who took fourth place in the contest, added that it was a very demanding event, and he prepared for it for over two months, tasting nearly 300 liquors daily.
Dedicated to the world of Habanos since 2005, Saes conducts training and classes on premium cigars in a school that he established in Brazil, while maintaining links with the three Casas del Habano that exist in the South American country.
“The wealth of a Habanosommelier lies in updating knowledge and the harmonization that can be achieved between cigars and infinite varieties of beverage. For example, food is given greater priority when clients are not experienced smokers,” the young maestro noted.
Following his tenth visit to the island, the expert continues to be surprised that traditional techniques in the manufacture of cigars continue, while elsewhere in the world new technology is installed. However, he notes that these products never come close to the Cuban flavors. “Here there is the climate, soil, varieties and the perfect people to foster this culture.”
