The First Day In Havana
There’s something about driving along the edge of Old Havana and watching the water spray up over the seawall of the Malecón onto the road that says “welcome to Cuba.” For locals, it’s an everyday sight, but for me, it’s a thrill. I just got into the country yesterday for the Habanos Festival. This was after attending the South Beach Food & Wine Festival the days before and the ProCigar Festival in the Dominican Republic before that.
The first thing I did was get myself a dish of ropa vieja at a restaurant in Old Havana called Cha Cha Chá. It’s a traditional Cuban dish of shredded beef. If you’re Cuban, then your mother, grandmother and aunt all make it. And theirs will always be the best. But it’s good to experience this dish in its home country.
There’s a lot to celebrate this year in Havana. It’s the 55th anniversary of the Trinidad brand. It’s also the 30th anniversary of Habanos S.A. as a corporation. Before 1994, the company was called Cubatabaco. Those are the two big ones, and they’re both getting two big parties.
A bit more low-key was yesterday’s celebration of another anniversary—San Cristobal de la Habana. It’s a small brand that turns 25 this year, and it got a small party yesterday on the garden patios of Casa Italia, a new boutique hotel in a restored mansion. Everyone there was handed a San Cristobal 25 Aniversario cigar, which is made in the Sublimes size (6 1/2 inches by 54 ring gauge). You could pair the cigar with Croft Reserve Tawny Port or a special Lavazza coffee made with all-Cuban beans. Of course, the coffee is roasted, processed and produced in Torino, Italy, where Lavazza is headquartered, so it’s a Cuban coffee done in an Italian style.
The cigars we smoked will be the same cigars that come in the Anniversary humidor, and they’re fine smokes, creamy and nutty with a mocha quality that made these very fun to puff on in the early evening. Hints of grassiness indicate the need for a long nap in the humidor, but the cigar has a future.
Technically, the Festival doesn’t officially start until today, but as far as I’m concerned, it started with this event, which was officially put on by Habanos, and all top brass were in attendance.
Afterward, I ended up at the La Casa del Habano in the Melia Habana hotel. Here’s the bad news: their walk-in humidor is not only empty, it’s closed. Supply is still short. And Cohibas are very expensive. Lanceros, Robustos and Siglo Sixes are all around $100. Here’s the better news: all their glass cases have some of the standards: Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2, Montecristo Nos. 1 to 5, some Partagás Serie D Nos. 5 and 6. They’re far from completely stocked, but it’s easy enough to find something.
Cigar Aficionado is in Cuba all week covering the Habanos Festival, so check back for updates every day.
