During the closing gala of the 18th Habano Festival, the star of the show was the flagship Cuban cigar brand, Cohiba, celebrating 50 years since its founding. World renowned artists such as the multi-award winning Cuban pianist, composer and arranger, Chucho Valdés, Spanish flamenco singer Estrella Morente and Uruguayan singer and composer Jorge Drexler, all featured as part of the tribute to the brand.
The evening thus emphasized the close ties between culture and the Cohiba, founded in 1966 and now the most prestigious cigar brand in the world.
Following five intense days, the closing night of the Festival could not have been more fitting for the 200 guests, gathered in Havana’s Pabexpo exhibition center, who enjoyed the newest vitola, the Cohiba Medio Siglo, which was made with meticulously selected tobacco leaves from the municipalities of San Juan y Martínez and San Luis, in the region of Vuelta Abajo, in the western province of Pinar del Río.
It is no accident that Cohiba is the only Habanos brand in which three of the four types of tobacco leaf used in its manufacture – seco, ligero and medio tiempo – undergo additional fermentation in barrels. This special process results in an aroma and taste which cannot be found in any other brand.
Among the guests at the gala, Granma International spoke to Armando Arroyo, of Spain, a Cohiba fan who has traveled to Cuba to attend the largest international premium (hand-rolled) tobacco festival in the world since 1999.
“The Cohiba is the best cigar in the world, without a doubt, the most prestigious brand and that which never fails,” stated Arroyo, from Madrid, who without hesitation noted his preference for the Esplendido and the Lancero vitolas, and his consideration of Cuba as a second home.
His compatriot Verónica Vega, from Galicia, agrees with Arroyo’s reasoning and confesses her preference for the iconic Siglo II vitola, “as it has a lot of body” and she loves its format.
In traditional Japanese dress, Tatsuya Igarashi, a critic and editor in chief of website CigarNavi (www.cigarnavi.jp), who has traveled to the island to attend the festival for the past ten years, provided concise arguments: “I love Cohiba, I’m captivated by its pleasant flavor. It’s extraordinary. In Japan, it is the most famous Habano, the number one.”
THE SHOW
The performance by the great pianist Chucho Valdés, the winner of five Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammys and the most influential figure in the modern history of Afro-Cuban jazz, together with the sublime Morente, one of the star voices of the Spanish flamenco scene, was vibrant and unforgettable. The duo left more than one guest in awe at their virtuosity and talent.
Lovers of the coveted Cuban cigar also enjoyed performances by emerging Cuban musicians, already established on the international scene, such as the showman Alain Pérez (who was bassist for the legendary Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía), and singers Cucú Diamantes, Niurka Reyes and Heidi Chapman. The performance by Drexler, who has an Oscar and two Latin Grammys to his name, was no less impressive.
The occasion also saw the traditional auction, this year of seven humidors (humidified cigar cabinet), true collectors’ pieces, which raised a total of 865,000 euros, to be donated to the Cuban public health system.
The auction was particularly unique, due to the bidding for the first humidor of the exclusive limited edition “Cohiba 50 Aniversario” line, which attracted a final bid of no less than 320,000 euros.
The humidor is a genuine work of art and a unique piece, which posed a real challenge in terms of innovation, both in terms of the handcrafted decoration and the design and technical development.
The piece, made using various precious woods, is one of a unique and limited edition of fifty humidors, each containing fifty Habanos. The innovative marquetry on its exterior, decorating its doors, is the result of a long process of experimentation, in which carefully selected ligero tobacco leaves from Vuelta Abajo, bathed in 24 carat gold, were used.
The delicate work, undertaken by expert Parisian artisans of the Elie Bleu firm, offers a new and captivating vision of the leaf of the best tobacco in the world.
The cigars within the humidor were also the first fifty of an exclusive production of 2,500 Habanos, each numbered individually, from one to fifty.
During the final day of the Festival, the “Maestro de Maestros” of the 15th International Habanosommelier Festival was also chosen. Eight of the previous fifteen winners of the award gathered to choose the winner, recognized for their expertise in matching Habanos with the very best in spirits and cocktails.
Cuban Juan Jesús Machín took the award, while Luis Manuel García Urrea (United Arab Emirates) and Pedro Tejeda (Cuba) took second and third place respectively.
Also unveiled were the winners of the 20th edition of the Habanos Awards, which recognize those individuals who have had a significant impact on Cuban premium cigar promotion across the world.
On this occasion the awards went to Valerio Cornale (Italy), Dominique Gyselinck (Belgium) and Manuel Tuero (Cuba) in the categories of communication, business and production, respectively, in recognition of their efforts over 2015.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Other highlights of the 18th Habano Festival included the contest for the longest cigar ash, won by Sanjib Mazumder of the UK. The contest saw 106 participants, confirming that enjoying a good Cuban cigar has its mystique, its charms, and also requires technique, poise and knowledge in order to be fully appreciated; elements which combined undoubtedly give the smoker a certain air of exclusivity and glamour.
Connoisseurs of these intricacies consider the achievement of a long and consistent ash to be a real feat, reserved for expert smokers in the art of the best premium cigars. Expectations were met with this perfect ash, during the competition which saw the Ramón Allones Gigantes Habano take center stage.
Meanwhile, the Associated Trade Fair of the event awarded the prize for Best Free Standing Modular Design to the firm Brascuba Cigarrillos S.A and the Best Modular Stand Design to Ross Joyerías, while the categories of Comprehensive Communication and Most Visited Stand were not announced by judges.
Inocente Núñez Blanco, co-president of Habanos S.A., speaking at the closing gala, noted that the event had served as a veritable tribute to one of Cuba’s most authentic export products, and that the corporation was committed to continuing to offer products of the highest quality. In this sense, new initiatives to uphold Cuban premium cigars’ leadership in the market will be launched.
The organizers of the 18th Habano Festival noted that this edition was the most well attended ever, with the presence of over 2,000 people from 60 countries, during which Cohiba was the indisputable star of the show.
