The 8th Habanos Festival
Havana, February 10th, 2006. - For eight years in a row,
Cuba renders tribute to its most distinguished and exclusive
product: the Habano. From February 27 to March 3, 2006,
the Cuban capital will host the Eight Habano Festival,
a mandatory visit for cigar lovers all over the world,
who return to the island every year to enjoy the pleasures
stemming from a culture rooted in centuries of experience.
This year, the Habano Cigar Festival celebrates the 40th
anniversary of Cohiba; the elite brand of the Habanos.
The extensive programme of the 8th Habano Festival will
start on February 27, with a spectacular Welcome Evening
at the Gran Teatro de la Habana, and will close on March
3rd, with the traditional gala dinner, dedicated this
time to Cohiba’s 40th anniversary.
Romeo y Julieta is celebrating its 131st anniversary,
and the Habano Festival has staged an extraordinary celebration:
The Ballet Nacional de Cuba, directed by Alicia Alonso,
will perform “Shakespeare and his masks” at
the Gran Teatro de La Habana. Later, the new and long-awaited
Short Churchills size will be presented, the Robust that
the Romeo and Julieta range of vitolas was lacking, and
the new image of the brand’s cigar tubes.
Many unique events will be held throughout the week,
such as the Habanosommelier International Contest, now
in its fifth edition, and gaining fast a strong following
from the growing number of enthusiasts who ask sommeliers
for advice when choosing a Habano.
This international competition is for the winners of
the national sommeliers championships held in different
countries organized by the network of Exclusive Dealers.
For the first time, a Spanish woman sommelier will compete:
Manuela Romeralo, sommelier at the La Sucursal restaurant
in Valencia, winner of the 5th edition of the National
Montecristo Habanos Tasting Competition.
In the grand final, competitors will face a theory exam
in which they have to demonstrate their knowledge of the
different brands and vitolas. The finalists will then
go on to a practical test involving cutting and lighting
Habanos, a cigar tasting session and combining Habanos
with a range of different liquors.
This year, the Habano Festival will feature for the first
time the Armagnac Habano Trophy and the Cigar Roller competition.
The preliminary rounds of the competition started last
September in France and the finalists will compete in
the final. Cuba is the traditional home of the totally
hand-made cigars, and has developed over the years a tradition
of cigar rollers (“torcedores”). They will
compete for the first time in a cigar-rolling contest,
with the aid of the very tools the experts use: a wooden
board, a little discutting, a flat blade, a guillotine,
vegetable glue and a template (“cepo”) to
check the length and girth of the cigar.
For connoisseurs, the making of a cigar is as important
as smoking it. A ritual is necessary to turn smoking a
Habano into a true experience of the senses.
From February 27th to March 3rd, Havana will spare no
effort in showing the virtues of Habanos to the whole
world. Hence, the Festival organizes a Trade Fair attended
by the leading industry professionals who buy and sell
all kinds of Habano cigar-related items, as well as gourmet
and luxury products.
Pinar del Río
With the best soil in the world for growing tobacco, Cuba
has only a few fields, or “Vegas”, that are
considered suitable for growing the kind of tobacco used
to make Habanos. Every year, the Festival organizes a
visit to one of these growing areas; this year, participants
will visit Vuelta Abajo region, in the province of Pinar
del Río, where some of the most prestigious plantations
of the whole world can be found.
Visit to El Laguito Tobacco Factory
A traditional part of the Festival program is a visit
to a cigar factory, offering visitors an overview of the
complete process of manufacturing a Habano. This year,
a visit has been organized to the mythical El Laguito
Cigar Factory, production site of the prestigious Cohiba
brand, where the best cigars in the world are manufactured.
Distributor's Night
Due to the great expectations raised around this event,
Habanos s.a. and Diadema spa will organize a night dedicated
to habanos and the Italian market. Under a relaxed atmosphere
but with excellence and "Sapore Habanos" we
will enjoy an unforgettable night. The presence of the
Italian Chef Mr. Massimo Botura - 2 Michelin stars - will
give the Gourmet touch to a delightful Italian dinner.
The grand finale
The 8th Habano Festival reaches its climax on March 3,
which will celebrate this year the 40th anniversary of
its elite brand, Cohiba. The Gala Dinner will be a gathering
of prominent cigar lovers from all over the world. This
is a very special event, which holds almost 800 people,
an unforgettable night in an atmosphere of glamour, sparkle
and charm.
There will, of course, be the traditional ceremony to
award the Habanos 2005 Prizes in different categories:
Production, Communication and Business. Another highlight
of this Gala Dinner is the long awaited Auction of Humidors,
outstanding works of Cuban artisans, holding inside an
assortment of cigars manufactured specially for the occasion.
As it is customary since the first edition of the Festival,
the funds raised from the bidding will go to the Cuban
Public Health System.
The Habanos Corporación, S.A. is the world leader
in the commercialization of Premium cigars, selling Habanos
both in Cuba and the rest of the world through its network
of exclusive distributors, with a presence in over 120
countries in all five continents.
Currently, Habanos S.A. has a wide portfolio with over
240 formats in its 34 brands. The most important brand
names include, among others: Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo
y Julieta, Partagás, Hoyo de Monterrey, H’Upmann,
Punch, San Cristóbal de la Habana, Trinidad and
Cuaba.
