Havana

Unsmoked Churchill Cigar Fetches Thousands

Sir Winston Churchill memorabilia was good for more than half a million pounds. A collection belonging to Malcolm S. Forbes Jr. went under the gavel at Christie's, with 84 lots finding new homes. One of them was an unsmoked Havana cigar, which sold for £2,125. It soundly beat the auction's presale estimate of £1,500.

Included with the cigar was a note from the prime minister to Christopher Dunn, with whom he was dining: "Sir Winston Churchill... gave me this cigar at Luncheon – Hotel de Paris [Monte Carlo]" 12 April '63."

Forbes developed this collection over 30 years, and it sold for a total of £577,063 ... and it's only the first of three auctions from this private collection. The ultimate total is expected to exceed £1 million.

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Tags: auction, auction houses, auction-house, auctions, Christies, ChristiesAuction, ChristiesAuctionHouse, churchill, cigar, cigars, forbes, havana, Winston Churchill

Cuban Cigar Festival Punctuated with Million Dollar Humidor Auction

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Auctions

The annual Habanos festival ended Friday with a million-dollar cymbal crash. The week-long event attracted cigar merchants, smokers and collectors from around the world to select, sample and savor ... all leading up to purchases, of course. The main attraction was an auction of ornate cedar and mahogany humidors packed with hecho a mano cigars, ultimately fetching $1.09 million. Hundreds may have attended, but only a small fraction walked away with that level of satisfaction.

The celebration came on the heels of an announcement by Habanos S.A. that its revenue only reached $360 million last year, an 8 percent decline from 2008. The new Romeo y Julieta that was unveiled at the event, designed to appeal to women, is ostensibly a direct response to two consecutive years of revenue declines. Since women comprise only 5 percent to 10 percent of Habanos' customers, the company is hoping that there's room for growth. The company is also relying on an economic recovery in Spain, which is its largest market.

Despite the new "ladies' line," the focus in Cuba last week was on the auction. The top humidor to move contained the new Cohiba Bieke cigar, fetching $681,000, close to two-thirds of the total. According to Oscar Basulto, Vice President of Habanos, this is the top premium cigar on the market – though I'm sure there are a few people in Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic who would disagree.

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Tags: auction, cigar, cigars, cohiba, cohibe-behike-cigar, cuba, cuban, cubans, Habano, habanos, havana, humidor, humidors, romeo y julieta, RomeoYJulieta

Cigar Roller Doubles Own Record: 142 Feet

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Cut and light a double corona, and you're likely to draw comments about size, compensation and the like. So, imagine how the locals at your smoke shop would react to Jose Castelar's latest creation. He just set the world cigar rolling record (his fourth), doubling his last one. The result was a cigar 142 feet long.

The world record holder smoked his last record breaking cigar – 67 feet long – in 2005. At the time, he promised to continue breaking records ... and four years later, he's come through in style.

What's next? Castelar wants to roll a cigar the length of Malecon, Havana's six-mile seaside promenade.

The Cuban cigar roller, interestingly, limits himself to one cigar a day. What he does not say, however, is how long it is.

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Tags: cigar, cigars, cuba, cuban, guinness book of world records, guinness world record, GuinnessBookOfWorldRecords, GuinnessWorldRecord, havana, rolling, tobacco, tobacco industry, TobaccoIndustry, world record, world records, WorldRecord, worldrecordholder, WorldRecords

Cuervo Y Sobrinos Watches To Open Shop In Havana, Cuba

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The modern version of Cuervo Y Sobrinos was started in the late 1990s, but is based on a Cuban watch brand that started, and was popular, in the pre-communism days of Cuba. In the late 1950s when Cuba's government changed and Fidel Castro entered power, the original Cuervo Y Sobrinos watch brand was no longer. With the name, comes the taste and style of old Havana in all new Cuervo Y Sobrinos watches - each watch even comes in a humidor. Regardless, today Cuervo Y Sobrinos has no actual presence in Cuba - but that is about to change.

The new Cuba, while still communist, is opening up its doors again slowly. Havana might never be the play city for the rich and famous as it used to be, but signs of new life can be seen. In a few months, now Swiss watch maker Cuervo Y Sobrinos will open up a new boutique store in Havana. Finally the original Cuban watch brand returns to Cuba in the city that helped make it famous. Pictured above is a Cuervo Y Sobrinos Esplendidos Monopulsante watch. Prices for the brand range from about $2,500 and way up.

Via WorldTempus (in French).

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: boutique, chronograph, cuba, cuban, cuervo y sobrinos, CuervoYSobrinos, havana, shop, watch

Habanos Elevates Security Measures

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Habanos S.A., the official worldwide distributor of Cuban cigars, has developed a new way to thwart the efforts of the knockoff business. The company's introduced a new security seal that apparently has other safety features ... all of which are designed to prevent you from smoking a "Cohibo" while wearing your Folex and carrying Burbarry.

Specifically, there are two new elements on the Republica de Cuba warranty seal. One is a holographic label, which you'll find to the right of every warranty. The other is a barcode that will be on the left of the warranty. The seal is designed to fall apart if removed, making it impossible to reuse it on a box of fakes. Also, the barcode corresponds to a customized identification number stored in a database. One scan will show brand, size and market destination.

In the words of our esteemed former leader, "mission accomplished," right? Well, this all assumes that counterfeiters won't be able to build a better mousetrap.

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Tags: cigar, cigars, cuba, cuban, cuban cigar, cuban cigars, CubanCigar, CubanCigars, cubans, habanos, havana, tobacco, tobacco industry, tobacco use, TobaccoIndustry, TobaccoUse

Cuban Cigar Knock-Off Manufacturers Face Prison Terms

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Illegal cigar factories, called "chinchals," have been among the few alternatives for Cubans looking for work in the midst of this global economic crisis. Risking time in prison, employees roll counterfeit Havana cigars in order to make a living. The risk may be worth the return, but it's hard to say.

One roller refused to reveal the extent of his pay raise when moving from state factories to the black market ... but "raise" was implied. Working in the legit world, this employee earned $17 a month. Counterfeit cigars tend to sell for $30 to $40 per box of 25, a price that's up to five times lower than the official price set by the Cuban government.

The price competition is only one reason for the government's distaste for the counterfeit cigar business, but it's a powerful one. Cuba's official cigar company, Habanos S.A., saw a 3 percent drop in sales last year. The government also cites the need to protect the image of the brand and fight corruption on the island. Authorities confiscate 1,500 to 1,700 boxes of illegally manufactured cigars every month.

It could be a losing fight, however. Barriers to entry are low, as supplies are easy to secure. And, desperation plays a role. When you need to put food on the table, risks become more realistic.

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Tags: cigar, cigars, counterfeit, cuba, cuban, cuban cigar, cuban cigars, CubanCigar, CubanCigars, fake, fakes, havana, tobacco, tobacco industry, TobaccoIndustry

Storms Not Enough to Stop Cuban Tobacco Crop

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Even with two hurricanes ripping through the region, western Cuba is expected to produce one of its tobacco best crops in quite a while. The plants are ready for harvest in the Vuuelta Abajo section of the island, and barns are starting to fill with those that have already been plucked. Apparently, this year's take is oily, which should do something to make this year's batch flavorful (I hope).

The 2008 storms caused $10 billion in damage to the island nation, stretching the effects of the ongoing financial crisis. Approximately 5,000 curing barns were damaged (or destroyed), and the repairs are still not complete. Despite the fact that most of the harvest had occurred before the hurricanes reached Cuba, the crop remained secure, as Cuban officials acted quickly to move the tobacco to safer storage facilities. But, up to 2 million pounds of tobacco were lost, according to Habanos S.A.

[Via Reuters, photo by Ron Melendi]

Tags: cigar, cigars, cuba, cuban, habanos, havana, smoke, smoker, smokers, smoking, tobacco, tobacco industry, TobaccoIndustry

Matusalem "Gran Reserva" Rum

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

In our post on the new book Havana Before Castro the other day we reminisced about Cuba before the infamous dictator ruined everyone's fun. Among the many moronic moves Castro made was expelling Matusalem from the island in the '60s, a smooth, rich rum that had been distilled there by a family of Spanish settlers since 1872.

Following the expulsion the company languished for several decades, until it was finally re-established in the Dominican Republic (as were several Cuban cigar brands) using the original secret formula brought from Spain. Today, Matusalem is flourishing once again, with its delectable blend of smooth spirit matured in French oak casks bottled as Matusalem Gran Reserva.

The rum is made using the solera system, which was originally developed to produce Spain's famed wine, sherries, brandies, and cognacs, producing a blend that's somewhere between dark and amber.

Tags: Cuba, dominican republic, DominicanRepublic, Fidel Castro, FidelCastro, Havana, Matusalem Rum, MatusalemRum, Rum, Solera, Spain

When Havana Was the "Paris of the Caribbean"

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

It's now somewhat synonymous with decay of both a socioeconomic and physical nature, but there was a time before the Socialist revolution when Havana was known as the "Paris of the Caribbean," a place where Americans came to hang out in nightclubs, gamble, smoke cigars, hit on showgirls and drink copious quantities of rum. This prelapsarian paradise is celebrated in Peter Moruzzi's brilliant new book, Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground (Gibbs Smith, $30), filled with hundreds of photos, brochures, postcards, artifacts and other ephemera.

From Hemingway hangout La Floridita, where the daiquiris flowed like water, especially during Prohibition, to the Tropicana and other casinos that were cutting edge in the 1950s thanks to the interest of American mobsters, Moruzzi provides a gorgeous and engaging glimpse of an all but forgotten era. See the gallery for a preview.

[via Men.Style]

Gallery: Havana Before Castro

Ernest Hemingway celebrates his Nobel Prize in 1954 with a daiquiri

Tags: Casinos, Cigars, Cuba, Daiquiri, Ernest Hemingway, ErnestHemingway, Fidel Castro, FidelCastro, Havana, Prohibition, Rum

The 40th Anniversary Cohiba Announced

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

The mystery has been revealed! Cigar Aficionado reports on the new Cohiba which was unveiled today in Havana. The new cigar set a record for the price of a young cigar. A limited edition humidor of 40 cigars sells for 15,000 euros. The cigar, which was produced for the 40th anniversary of the brand, is a Behike and all 4,000 cigars for the project were rolled by one person, Norma Fernandez Sastre. The Behike measures 7 1/2 inches long by 52 ring gauge. The cigar will only be available in the humidors which are made of ebony, bone and skate skin. The cigar will need to be aged but with time it will likely become a legendary smoke. The 100 humidors are numbered and each cigar is also individually numbered on a secondary band.

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Tags: behike, cigar, cuba, cuban cigar, habanos, havana, tobacco

Joseph Fiennes Attends Cigar Festival To Celebrate New Cigar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

We recently mentioned the Fesitval del Habano that is taking place this week. In order to promote the new short Chuchill size from the Romeo y Julieta brand, they brought in Joseph Fiennes, famous for playing the bard in "Shakespeare in Love." It was Fiennes first visit to Cuba and her tossed off a few lines from Romeo and Juliet at the cigar festival. The festival will also bring the announcement of a new mystery cigar to celebrate the 40th birthday of Cohiba.

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Tags: cigar festival, cigars, cohiba, cuba, cubans, habanos, havana, romeo y julieta

Cigar Sales Going Strong in Cuba

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Cuban cigars are still going strong. The country sold about 160 million cigars last year in a $350 million business exporting cigars to Asia and Europe. The total was in line with recent years’ sales. The world market for premium cigars is about 400 million, half of which are sold in the United States although Cuban cigars can not be legally sold here. I wonder how many counterfeit Cubans were sold in the U.S. last year and what the numbers would be if Cuban cigars could be sold here.

[vintage poster via Havana Mike]

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Tags: cigars, cuban cigars, CubanCigars, exports from cuba, habanos, havana

Festival del Habano

by Gustad Mody (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Make your way down to Havana on February 27th for the VIII Festival del Habano. The 5 day event offers a variety of activities to celebrate and promote cigars. Visits of tobacco plantations and even a tour of the factory which was once home to Davidoff, Cohiba and Trinidad will take place. There will also be special cigar and spirit matching sessions. The whole cigar fest will set you back about 1,260 Cuban Convertible Pesos. Perhaps we should convert to a more useful currency, like US dollars. So if we multiply by the number of US dollars per convertible peso, that comes out to ... 1,260 US dollars.

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Tags: churchill, cigar, claro, cohiba, corona, cuba, davidoff, destival, havana, maduro, oscuro, pantela, pesos, robusto, smoke, tobacco, torpedo