Cuban Cigar Festival Lights Up in Havana

During the welcoming ceremony, Cohiba number five, the new line of that renowned Cuban cigar, was presented.

Vice-president of the Cuban-Spanish corporation Habanos S.A., Manuel Garcia, defined this project as the most important for the company at this time.

He pointed out that the new product brings together the best characteristics of the Cuban cigar manufacturing tradition which is based on the careful selection of tobacco leaves and a complex process of fermentation over five years.

According to Garcia, this year three cigar brands -Genio, Magicos and Secretos- will be sold in wood boxes of 10 and 20 units.

The ceremony included a music and dance show to present the new images of outstanding brands of Habanos S.A. Cohiba, Montecristo, Partagas, Romeo and Juliet, Hoyo de Monterrey, and H.Upmann.

During the activity, co-presidents of Habanos S.A. Oscar Basulto and Buenaventura Jimenez welcomed the participants to the festival and explained the portfolio of the company.

The event is dedicated this year to the Cohiba and Montecristo Cuban cigar brands. The commercial fair will display 59 stands with products from different nations. The Festival offers a unique opportunity for exchange among tobacco producers, dealers, importers and cigar smokers.

The agenda of the festival also includes the Habanos-Sommelier contest
and an international seminar, as well as the launching of new products
and the awarding ceremony.

Habanos S.A. commercializes over 240 formats of Cuban cigars under 27 Premium brands (of hand-made cigars) in over 120 countries around the world. In 2006, cigar sales translated into 370 million dollars, eight-percent increase over the year before.

The Cuban tobacco industry is the island’s third major export sector after nickel and pharmaceuticals.

Author: Alejandro González Herrera