Cuban Cigar Reviews

On a recent call with Rush Limbaugh, one caller asked when the Cuban cigar would be sold legally in the US. Here is Mr. Limbaugh’s answer from the transcript of the call:

It is going to be a long time before you will be able to get Cuban cigars legally in the United States. Even if the embargo — let’s say Barack Obama comes in and lifts the embargo, even if he does, even if he lifts the embargo, it’s going to happen in stages. The first thing he’ll lift is travel restrictions, but I don’t think he’s gonna go very quickly on opening up full-fledged trade with Cuba. But even if he did, let’s say even if he did, you have no clue what is ahead of us as cigar smokers. What will happen is that the domestic manufacturers, defined by those who are in the Dominican and in Honduras, Nicaragua, Cameroon, all of the places where elements of cigars are grown, and all the places where they’re assembled, these people have in many cases marketed the brands of the Cuban cigars you’re talking about, Hoyo de Monterrey, Punch, Romeo Y Julieta, Simon Bolivar, all of these great Cuban brands have been marketed by other owners in the United States, and they are going to go to the Commerce Department, and they’re going to say we have made these brands popular, we have invested in the product and in the brand in this country, and they’re gonna ask the Commerce Department to ban the import of competing brand-name cigars from Cuba.

The second thing that will happen is that the domestic producers I’m talking about from the people in Dominican to Nicaragua, Honduras, they are going to say we want raw Cuban tobacco to be able to blend it with our cigars. They’re gonna do everything they can to keep the Cuban cigars you want out of this country legally in a host of ways. Then we haven’t even discussed the Cuban exile community in Florida and other places they live. They are going to be all over the State Department saying, “We want our property back that Castro took from us.” They want their property back and they want their factories back, and they want their companies back, and some of them are cigars, some of them are rum. If the embargo ends tomorrow, you aren’t going to see a legitimate Cuban cigar for years in this country.

It is insurmountable, unless somebody waves a magic wand. But just stop and think of it from the competitive standpoint of all these people that have their own Hoyo, who have their own Punch cigars, who have their own Romeo, who have their own Montecristos — well, Montecristo is a different circumstance because the company that owns the Cuban Montecristo is in Spain, and they also use the brand here, so you might be able to get some of theirs in, you might be able to get a Montecristo from Cuba, but you can’t have these Cuban cigars come in. Who’s going to make the Cubans change their brands? Their brand names are older than ours. So it’s going to be a black market for quite a while. Besides, Obama smokes cigarettes.

Habanos S.A. Corporation is hosting the 11th International Habanos Festival, the most important event in the Habanos realm, between the dates of February 23rd and Feb 27th 2009 in Havana, Cuba.

From 23rd to 27th of February La Habana, venue of the Festival will become the meeting place of the distributors, specialists and lovers of the best cigar in the world. It will be a unique setting for presenting the novelties to be incorporated to the Habanos portfolio in 2009, which guarantee the dynamism of the Cuban cigar market.

Within the Habanos Festival, the Trade Fair and the International Seminar will provide a wide exchange of knowledge, experiences, products and ideas and create a unique atmosphere to fully enjoy the aroma, flavor and texture of the Habanos, the true stars of the Festival.

Cuban Lou’s Cigar Co. is looking forward to seeing you in Havana where you will find pleasure in the tradition and future of the Habanos.

GENERAL PROGRAM

Sunday 02/22

10:00- 16:00 hrs Registration at Havana International Conference Centre.

Monday 02/23

10:00- 16:00 hrs.  Registration at Havana International Conference Centre.
10:00- 17:00 hrs.  Preliminary of the Habanosommelier Contest at International Conference Centre (Room 5).
14:00 hrs.        Opening of Trade Fair.
15:30 hrs.         Combinations with Habanos at International Conference Centre. (Room 6).
19:00 hrs.         Welcome Night: New Products Launching (2009).

Tuesday 02/24

07:00- 16:00 hrs.  Visit to tobacco plantations at Vuelta Abajo Region. (Pinar del Río).
Free Night.

Wednesday 02/25

10:00- 10:30 hrs.  Opening of the International Seminar. Main commercial results of Habanos S.A. in 2008, by Manuel García Morejón, Commercial Vice President of Habanos S.A. (Room 4).
10:30- 11:00 hrs.  Launching of new products, 2009. (Room 4).
11:00- 11:30 hrs.  Coffee Break.
11:30- 12:30 hrs.  Tasting with Coffee, Rum and Habano. (Room 3).
12:30- 14:30 hrs.  Lunch at Bucan Restaurant.
14:30- 16:00 hrs.  Master class: Rolling a Habano totally by hand. (Room 4).
16:00- 17:00 hrs.  Tasting: Habanos with wines from Bodegas Torres. (Room 3).
20:00 hrs.         Night devoted to Trinidad Brand.  Its 40th anniversary and 10 years of the commercial launching. Habana Libre Tryp Hotel. Embajadores Room.

Thursday 02/26

09:00- 12:00 hrs.   Visit to Habanos Factories: H-Upmann & Laguito Cigar factories.
12:30- 14:00 hrs.   Lunch at Bucan Restaurant.
14:00- 15:30 hrs.   Combinations with Habanos. Final (Room 3).
15:30- 16:00 hrs.   Lecture: “The Habano in publications by Cesar Adames. (Room 4).
16:00- 16:30 hrs.   Lecture: “The Restoration in Cuba by Fernando Fernández. (Room 4).
16:30- 17:30 hrs.   Documental Projections: ¨With the chaveta´s Touch by Pamela Sporn¨, and ¨Habanos, Women and Cohiba by Niurka Pérez¨. (Room 3).
Free Night.

Friday 02/27

10:00- 11:30 hrs.  Habanosommelier Final Contest (Room3).
11:30- 12:00 hrs.  Lecture: “Habano Fermentation” by Luis Sorinas. (Room 4).
12:00- 13:00 hrs.  Closing Session. (Room 4). Awards: Best Stand (by category),  Habanosommelier contest winner.
13:00- hrs.         Final lunch at Bucán Restaurant.
20:00- hrs.         Gala Night: Launching of new product from Cohiba Brand. PABEXPO. (Room C).

Prices per Activities

ACTIVITIES PRICES IN CUC

Welcome Night  210.00 CUC
Visit to Plantations  80.00  CUC
International Seminar 315.00  CUC
Visit to Habanos Factories “H. Upmann” and “Laguito 15.00  CUC
Night of 40th anniversary of Trinidad Brand. 185.00   CUC
Gala Night 525.00   CUC

Full PROGRAM (Full Package) 1,330.00 CUC
ACCOMPANYING PROGRAM 1,230.00 CUC

The full package will have a 10% of discount

Important: DEADLINE for the Festival Social Activities

In order to get a better organization of the festival social activities we will be to receive their requests until January 20th, 2009. After that date, no request will be accepted.

Payment by bank transfer will be accepted until February 13, 2009.

The requests for the Welcome Night will be in force until Monday February 23rd, 2009, 12.00 m . After this time, we’ll proceed with “last minute” sale, of those requests not previously paid.

The request for the Trinidad Night will be in force until Wednesday February 25th, 2009, 12.00m. After this time, we’ll proceed with “last minute” sale, of those requests not previously paid.

The request for the Gala Night will be in force until Thursday February 26th, 2009, 12.00 m . After this time, we’ll proceed with “last minute” sale, of those requests not previously paid.

Contact (for reservation of program and activities):

Mrs. Alina Leal
Habanos S.A.
Marketing Division
Tel. (53) (7) 204-0513 y 204-0514/ ext 550 Fax: (53) (7) 204 0549
Email: [email protected]

Payment policy:

According to the provision for currency exchange issued by Banco Nacional de Cuba, in force in the Republic of Cuba, the payment policy for the 11th Habanos Festival will be as follow:

1- Cash Payments: They will only be accepted in CUC (Convertible Cuban pesos)
2- Bank transfers: They will only be accepted in EUROS, at the exchange rate in force on the LAST DAY of the month before that in which the bank transfer is issued, taking as a reference the European Central Bank. In all cases, this value will be given by Habanos S.A. (Deadline for bank transfer February 13rd, 2009).
3- Debits (Discounts) due to bank transfers will be borne in each case by the Party proceeding payment thereof. Habanos S.A will not assume discounts by bank transfers of the issuing bank and must receive the complete payment (without bank discounts) of the activity that has been bought or of the full package, as the case may be.
4- Participants from United States of America will have two choices for cash payments; as follows:
a)    On their arrival in Cuba, the USD dollars must be exchanged to CUC (convertible Cuban pesos).
b)    They could acquire Euros, Canadian Dollar, Sterling Pounds, Mexican Peso, Swiss Francs, Japanese ¥, in their countries and exchange them for CUC on their arrival in Cuba.
5-Payments through Credit Cards: Payments through credit cards backed by American banks or their branches will not be accepted. Credit cards will only be accepted: VISA, Master Card, CABAL, TRAVEL CARD, DELIVERY CARD, BF, RED AND SERCUBA. (The exchange rate applied should be 1.1124 vs. CUC).
6- Credit Cards supported by North American Banks will not be accepted.

PAYMENT IN EURO (BY TRANSFER BANK)

BENEFICIARY:          HABANOS S.A.
BANK OF BENEFICIARY:  BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COMERCIO S.A. AYESTARAN Y 20 DE MAYO. CIUDAD DE LA HABANA, CUBA.
SWIFT NUMBER:         BIDCCUHH.
ACCOUNT NO.           EURO 32101021500 EURO
CORRESPONDANT BANK:   DRESDNER BANK AG FRANKFURT
ACCOUNT NUMBER:       499/080 89930/00/888.

Country of origin: Cuba
Dimensions:  4 3/8 inches by 42 – ring gauge

Date smoked: Saturday 09/19/08
Time:  6:18 PM – 7:01PM
Location:  Evening at my smoking patio.
Accompanying drinks:  Filtered water, carbonated water.

Color of wrapper:   Creamy brown wrapper.  Construction:  Appeared to be well constructed and firm but overly.  It gave slightly to the touch and had faint traces of oil.

Pre-light Aroma:  Coco, with a hazelnut and coffee overtone.

Cut:  Guillotine
Pre-Light Draw:  Nuts, hay and barn yard earth greeted my palate.
Combustion:  Torch lighter.
Post Light Aroma:  From its opening moment the bouquet produced hazelnut cappuccino married lightly to barnyard earth.

Initial Draw: The initial draw greeted me with a distinctive evolution of flavor.  Lightly toasted tobacco moved toward hazelnut and heavy toffee creaminess which lingered on my palate only to return to a more subtle toasted tobacco finish.   Plentiful smoke rose and entreated me to a bouquet of tobacco and toasted nuts.  Slightly resistive with an effortless draw, this cigar was off to a great start.

First third:  The lightly toasted tobacco became more pronounced, opened up and moved into a mature barnyard flavor.  Diminishing in strength from the initial draws, the heavy toffee and hazelnut offered a refreshing sweetness in contrast to the earthiness of the toasted tobacco.

Soon, the burn became crooked and when flame was applied to correct, in what appeared to be outright defiance on the cigars behalf, the ash became flaky and the wrapper began to open like a Christmas present.  Not wishing to make things worse I decided to allow the burn to run its course without further attempts at correction.

Second third:  The second third grew in intensity with heartier tobacco moving further in the foreground.  Still diminished from its opening the toffee and creaminess formed a melodious sweet punctuation to each draw.
Remaining defiant, the ash was flaky and the burn continued to be stubborn.  The wrapper did cease to open and since the first attempt to correct the burn ended with the potential for disaster no further correction was attempted.

Final third:  Large volumes of smoke poured from the final third.  The very prominent toasted tobacco remained consistent with hay and barnyard aromas permeating my smoking patio.  The sweet hazelnut and creamy texture albeit even more subdued than earlier continued to offer appropriate contrast.  The ash finally tightened and attractive grayish black tiger striping was visible.  I finished this cigar only when my fingers caught fire.

Synopsis:  Having smoked many San Cristobal cigars, the San Cristobal El Principe did not disappoint.  From beginning to end I was impressed with the progression of pure tobacco counterbalanced by the undercurrent of creaminess and sweetness.  Yes, the rebellious burn and ash diminished some satisfaction; however, the blending of the tobacco and delivery of the flavor profile forgave many sins.  I completely recommend this cigar for consumption now and would be interested to see what some years of aging will bring.