After 5 years in the cigar biz I still hadn’t ventured to the stogie motherland. Pretty shameful considering CASC is one of the countries fastest growing Gold Standard Havana Specialists, and has been for quite some time. Hunters & Frankau, who are the UK’s sole distributer for Havana cigars organise the trip, and finally I made the cut; this was the start of the class of 2019 and I couldn’t be more excited, I now had my chance and boy, did I jump all over it.
Kick-off.
We started day zero at Gatwick Airport around 7am, and in typical British fashion headed straight for the pub. A couple hours of beveraging should annihilate any of those pre-flight jitters.
Unfortunately, we had a change over in Madrid so after a miserable 3 hour flight we were back on the plane and off to Cuba. The flight was over 10 hours which made for ample boozing time.
Arriving around midnight after 14 hours combined flying time, and around 16 hours of drinking, we were pretty minced, to say the least. However, in true hedonist fashion we headed straight to El Ajibe, a brilliant (and nicely breezy) outdoor restaurant for some chicken, beans and rice just to confirm we were genuinely in Cuba. To finish off the meal we dug in to a cab of H. Upmann Magnum 54s, which initially went down great, but after about half way through, the day finally caught up with us, so back on the bus and straight to the 5-star, state owned Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
Day 1.
Up weary eyed, jet lagged and hungover we couldn’t let that stop us hitting the day hard! After breakfast we headed straight for the hotel’s beautiful gardens for some stogie action. Jimmy, our tour head whipped out a sneaky cab of Trinidad Colonials, which given their light, creamy and aromatic flavours was the perfect cigar given the current head-state.
We spent the first half of the day touring old Havana which was great, even with the 32-degree heat and horrid humidity. It all made for thirsty work so we took a brisk stroll to the famous La Bodeguita del Medio for copious amounts of Mojitos (after all, this place claims to be the birthplace of said beverage).
Next up, a tour and tasting at Havana Club. The tour was short and basic with no actual production to see, just props and movies. It was underwhelming to be honest but thanks to Jimmy knowing the brand ambassador we were treated to a much more in-depth tasting. Instead of the usual entry level rums, we were treated to Havana Club 15, Havana Club Union and Havana Club Tributo 2019 (not even released yet); they were incredible and certainly rank in the top rums that I’ve ever sampled.
Finally it was time for a relaxing herf at the old Partagas Factory lounge, which was a great way to chill after the long day. I enjoyed a Bolivar Royal Coronas which is one of my go-to cigars and smoking incredibly well just now.
Day 2.
Round two and back to the gardens, but this time not so sluggish. Time enough for a cigar before the bus arrives, today we delve into some Juan Lopez Seleccion Superba UK Regional from 2016. These are incredible just now, the extra few years of ageing has definitely been a good thing. We hoovered them down then jumped on the bus; we were heading to the most famous tobacco growing region in the world, Pinar del Rio. I’m most excited for this day as I love wandering around the plantations; alone in the countryside, away from the cities, no one around, just awesome tobacco plants and curing barns.
We toured the tobacco fields (sun and shade grown), curing barns, sorting houses and stripping houses. After hours of touring and plenty of walking about, we were in dire need of refreshments. We headed up for lunch at Finca Agroecologica el Paraiso, the most amazing hilltop restaurant that grew all its own veg. The views alone were worth the million-mile trek up a horrid, pot-holed road to get to. This place made a unique cocktail with 7 different herbs which came virgin, they then plonk a bottle of Havana Club rum on the table for you to help yourself to, if you fancy the legless kind (I’ll leave you to guess the option I chose). As usual the meal was washed down with a cigar, this time a Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo Du Roi from 2001, which thankfully we have stock of at CASC, as this was one of the better vintage cigars I’ve had in a long time. It was very light and creamy with flavours of old newspapers and book leather. After the incredible lunch we hit the road for another 3-hour drive back to the hotel.
Day 3.
Today is factory day, another highlight on any cigar trip. We hit the gardens again for a chat on what we expect for the day; factories are usually quite integuing places, plenty of exciting things to look at, plenty of insider news and plenty of funny looks from the locals. Doesn’t help I’m a pale, bearded 6’2, 24 stone biker looking SOB. Pretty much the exact opposite of Cuban men. Make of that what you will…
First stop is La Corona, the factory responsible for the likes of Romeo y Julieta, Hoyo de Monterrey, Cuaba, Por Larranaga, San Cristobal and many others. A bustling factory, set over several stories; it really was impressive.
I had the pleasure of being in the company of the factory manager, Osmar Hernandez Fuentes, who dished out some freshly rolled Monte No. 2s. Joining us was Hunters & Frankau’s very own Yadira, who thankfully acted as our translator. Even with the language barrier we managed to have a right good laugh and discussed some very random, and specifically, Scottish topics.
After La Corona we had an hour or so to grab some lunch at some fancy restaurant with a rooftop terrace. We made quick work of an H. Upmann Connoisseur A, which was totally ace and far better than I remembered. But enough of this tom foolery, we have El Laguito in our sites now, the factory responsible for the mighty Cohiba. This factory is off-limits to the public and can only be visited in an official manner, so I felt rather honoured to be standing in the main hall. The factory is not purpose built, rather, inhabits the old residence of Alberto Casimiro Fowler Perilliat, one of the owners and presidents of the ol’ North American Sugar Company.
Immediately we checked out the tobacco storage room and smelling and holding the rare Medio Tiempo leaves used solely to produce Behike was the highlight of the tour, followed closely by holding and smelling a freshly rolled Talisman at the torcedor’s desk.
We ended the tour with a Cuban coffee and a yap with the factory manager, a very chilled affair which was a step change from the previous factory.
Day 4.
This was without a doubt the most important day of the trip as I had a presentastion to attend at Habanos s.a. The presentation took about 40 minutes and was genuinely very informative; I usually can’t stand these things, but it was done well; I suppose it helps I actually give a shit about the subject matter. I then had some time to discuss the future of CASC and together we have some exciting plans for the business’ future.
My first Cuban voyage was a hit, and I can’t wait to get back. Everything you hear is true about Cuba; the people, the cars, the architecture… It all comes together for an experience like no other. If you haven’t been, then get yer arse over; you won’t regret it.
Sours & Stogies 