It has been a dream of mine to attend the Habanos Festival in Cuba, and this year that dream has become reality. After a less than perfect start to the first day—which saw me standing in line for four hours waiting for press credentials from officials that were two hours late opening—I was unable to attend the press conference as I planned. However, the basic information from Habanos S.A. was that there are now 27 brands of Cuban cigars sold around the world, and overall sales rose 4 percent compared to last year to $428 million. In addition, the company now has a global marketshare that reaches approximately 70 percent, although that number obviously excludes the U.S. Charlie Minato went into more detail here. After finally obtaining my press passes, my first stop was the 15th International Habanosommelier competition, which was nicknamed the Maestro de Maestros, or Master of Masters. As in years past, the event involves contestants who judge a combination of a Cuban cigar and a drink of their choosing. However, while previous contests have included people from around the world who had won events in their home countries, this year’s contestants were made up previous year’s winners. The ...
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