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An authentic duel was held on Friday by the teams from Cyprus (Raffi Der Garapetian and Alexis Tselepis) and Cuba (Mayli Mostaza and Daylin Lopez) during the grand finale of the Habanos World Challenge, an unprecedented initiative in the history of the Festival that tested the competitors’ knowledge on Habanos.

After an intense week dedicated to the best premium cigars of the world, Havana’s Convention Center hosted on Friday the closing ceremony of the 20^th Habano Festival’s International Seminar and Trade Fair.

The pleasure of enjoying a Habano is a sense-testing experience. If that delight is combined with a pairing capable of highlighting scents and tastes, and even surprising the most demanding patrons, you can say that this is a true deluxe opportunity. Every year, the Habano Festival proposes Habanos Moments as part of its most exclusive events, which in the 20^th anniversary paired the best premium cigars of the world with a series of iconic drinks and gastronomic products. These daring combinations undoubtedly confirmed that tasting is art.

Totally handmade, Habanos are the only cigars born from a craft process over the past 200 years. The making of the best cigar on earth engulfs the magic of creativeness, details and love for the tradition of an authentically Cuban product.

 The city of Pinar del Rio City celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2017, clinging to its hallmark of authenticity and quality as the birthplace of the world’s best tobacco.

The 20^th edition of the Festival highlights Habanos as a symbol of tradition and exclusiveness, since the best premium cigars have captivated men and women worldwide for centuries, who prefer their originality, exquisiteness and aromatic texture, so they can be perfectly paired with wines and spirits. 

Listening to Cuban writer, essayist, ethnologist, researcher and artist Natalia Bolivar is always a privilege. If she speaks within the framework of the Habano Festival, that privilege is twice as much enlightening. Her vast knowledge of Cuban culture allows her to shed new lights on the evolution of the tobacco history and define, from interesting perspectives, the relation between tobacco and religions on the island nation.

A Habano lover never ever scants or skimps on the time to puff on a good cigar. It’s a process that kicks off with the touch and then, nearly unconsciously, wafts up to the nose… The Habano is lit up and its slow, even burning trumpets the coming of a unique moment.

The originality and exclusiveness of Cuban cigars are the outcome of the historic evolution of cigar-making in Cuba.The International Seminar, hosted by the 20^th Habano Festival, offered a master class on the cultural historic significance of the Cuban cigar industry, given by Ph.D. in Historic Sciences and president of the Jose Marti National Library, Eduardo Torres Cuevas.

Beyond a simple process within the Habano-making chain, cigar-rolling is a captivating experience that requires expertise and high detail level. On Wednesday, attendees to the 20^th Habano Festival had the opportunity to test their skills in the making of a figurado (torpedo), as part of the most traditional and suggestive initiatives offered by this event.