Recurring Events

Why do thousands of cigar lovers from all over the world flock to Havana year in and year out? We got together with one of our longtime friends, Christopher Pushkar, and asked him to shed some light on this question for us and to share his observations from the last festival. Christopher is a veteran of the Cuban festival movement and the marketing director of the 5th Avenue Trading-GmbH company, which is an exclusive importer of Cuban cigars in Germany.

Why go back to Havana?

I ask myself that question before every festival. The same program is held each year – on Monday, an evening reception; on Tuesday, a trip to the tobacco fields of Pinar del Rio; on Wednesday morning, the opening of the exhibition; on Thursday, getting acquainted with the factories; and on Friday, the gala dinner. You'd think we've already seen everything there is to see, but for some reason we keep coming back. This year's festival attracted about 1,200 guests, and among those, there were 35 guests from Germany with the 5th Avenue group.

So what's new?

Marketing director of Habanos S.A., Ana Lopez, and vice president, Javier Terres, described
the year 2010 as especially difficult for the cigar industry. This was due to the currency and financial crisis and also to the rampant worldwide ban on smoking. Despite the fact that turnover in the primary market of Habanos (in Spain) was reduced by twenty percent, total turnover still grew by two percent compared to that of 2009 and amounted to $368M. Even after taking a beating from the crisis and the radical anti-smoking campaign, though, Spain remains the strongest market. The three leaders also include France and China, which accounts for eight percent of the global market. Germany rounds out the group in fourth place and this was a bit upsetting. Yet, turnover rose by seven per cent – and that's not bad at all.

For the future of domestic markets, the concepts of Habanos Specialist and La Casa del Habano remain as vital as ever. As of the end of 2010, fifteen new addresses were added to the list of Casas shops. Today, there are a total of 142 of them worldwide.

Obviously, cigar aficionados and cigar freaks come to Havana, first and foremost, for cigars. Each one of them wants to be the first to casually note while sitting in their cigar club or stopping in the cigar boutique after the festival, "Oh, I've already smoked that." In order to do that, the most eager try to get to the production factories and get their hands on a sample of a new product ahead of opening night, when Habanos S.A. presents the unveiling.

The main brand this year was Partagas. At the opening of the festival, guests were treated to two new formats. One of them was Partagas Serie D No. 5. This format completes series D, which already boasts the most famous and successful cigar of the Partagas brand – D No. 4. Cigar D No. 5 has a length of 110 mm and as with a typical robusto cigar, an RG of 50.

The smoking time of this little robusto in a relaxed atmosphere is no more than thirty minutes. This is important. After all, it's not for nothing that the whole world is talking about short smoke. The manufacturer's logic is probably that with such a strict ban on smoking, the aficionado is left with only one choice – to smoke short cigars. I don't agree with this idea, though. If there is the opportunity to peacefully smoke and enjoy a cigar, then why even stop short of a Double Corona? In any case, sales in Germany don't indicate a clear trend towards smaller formats. Obviously, if manufacturers are producing more and more cigars in the short-format, then people are going to buy the short format. That's just how the prospect of short smoke is taking shape.

But let's get back to Serie D No. 5. The format proved to be quite successful as part of Edicion Limitada 2008. But for Ediciones Limitadas, tobacco with at least two years of exposure is used, while the D No. 5 uses a classic blend of Serie No. 4.

I particularly enjoyed the second new format of Partagas. This cigar, Serie E No. 2, with its length of 140 mm and RG at 54, is classified as a large-format cigar. But compared to the newest product from the iconic roller Reynaldo, this cigar seems almost slim. Reynaldo's "elephant leg" (pata de elefante) boasts an RG of 64! I'm actually scared of dislocating my jaw when I consider these formats. The Vitola de Galera (working title) format of Series E No. 2 is presented on the market under the name Duke. This format of the same name was used for the limited edition Romeo y Julieta in 2009. The strong blend of Partagas Serie E No. 2 won me over, and I would gladly include it into my own cigar menu. Serie E No. 2 is uniquely designed for experienced smokers who are seeking an intense aroma, and pronounced strength. The new box is beautifully decorated with red and black lining that covers two-thirds of the enclosed cigars.

The new mini-format brand H. Upmann has shown us how short a cigar can really be. The brand's Half Corona, a record breaker when it comes to length – or rather, the lack of it –is only 90 mm. With its RG 44, it resembles a shortened Petit Robusto, but the taste of this medium-strength cigar with its pleasant aroma is perfectly satisfactory. Unfortunately, it only lasts for fifteen minutes. The working title of this cigar is also Half Corona. Up until now, there was no such cigar in the Habanos portfolio. Aficionados who emphatically find themselves under time restraints will be able to acquire this beautiful "little baby" in a metal case in the future.

The Montecristo No. 2 Gran Reserva was the high point of the premiere shows and the star of the gala dinner this year. The special feature of this series is that for a mixture of fillings, the tobacco in the binding and in the wrapper has a minimum of five years of exposure. Like the classic Montecristo No.2, this cigar has the Piramides format (RG 52, 156 mm). And there are only five thousand boxes available for sale – with fifteen cigars each.
All the boxes are numbered and feature the elegant design of the Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva 2009. The best rollers at the Upmann factory took special care with the Montecristo No. 2 Gran Reserva cigars. While smoking this refined cigar, I almost missed the speech by Omara Portuondo.

For me personally, the main premiere at the festival was the sampling of the first two formats for regional issue for Germany. This opportunity was provided by my own friend and colleague, Antonio de Dios, a representative of Habanos SA at the company 5th Avenue, and Saul de los Rios, La Corona's chief of quality control and head of factory tasting. He admitted that for our "German" Juan Lopez Distinguido cigars with the double figurado Romeo format (RG 52, 162 mm), he used the most common blend of Juan Lopez. The result was a truly fantastic cigar. Very strong and aromatic, it's bound to be the culmination of another regional issue for Germany after the excellent Ramon Allones Belicoso last year. The cigars will be on the market in boxes of twenty-five each.

Other Events

The Great Harvest
Tobacco farmers in the region of Vuelta Abajo reported an excellent harvest. The weather conditions during the vegetation period were ideal for cigar tobacco. The quantity and quality of the harvest promises to be sensational and unprecedented; the old farmers can't recall the last time they had a harvest this abundant.

I was more than happy to present the Hombre del Habano award for achievements in trade at the closing gala dinner. This year's award went to Dr. Maximilian Herzog, the owner of Berlin cigar boutiques. This Oscar of the cigar industry rarely gets more worthy candidates. Maximilian Herzog is a true ambassador of Habanos cigars and culture.

The Hombre del Habano award in the Communication category went to Adriano Martinez Rius, an old friend of mine. He recently came out with a book, the Great Book of the Habanos.

So, what's the answer to the question we initially asked about the everlasting interest in the festival in Havana? I think the real reason for this persistent interest is the festival's unique combination of serious conversations on the terrace of the Hotel Nacional with glamorous parties, meetings with old and new friends, and, of course, the distinct and so often amazing taste of cigars. I believe that every cigar boutique owner and aficionado should attend the festival in Havana at least once.