CigarsLover Magazine I 2023

CIGARS
Back in
Cuba
Aficionados from all over the world
made the pilgrimage to Havana for
the 23rd Festival del Habano. They came
to a country in which a lot has changed.
by Tobias Hüberli
At the end of February, the international tobacco
scene met in Havana to celebrate the 23rd Festival
del Habano. A lot has changed on the island
since the pandemic. For example, in 2021,
the dual currency system with the Pesos Convertible
linked to the euro was abolished. The real purchasing
power of Cubans has drastically decreased ever since.
While the exchange rate was initially 24 Pesos Cubanos
to one euro, by the beginning of March, it rose to 170
Pesos per euro from the illegal money changers – they
are also new to Cuba.
In stark contrast, the Cuban cigars, at least the top
brands, have further firmly established themselves in
the luxury market over the past two years. This has been
caused by two significant price increases and a noticeable
shortage of Cuban cigars worldwide. For 2022,
Habanos SA announced sales of 545 million dollars,
claiming that it should correspond to an increase of two
percent. However, Habanos SA already reported sales of
568 million dollars in 2021. Even a third-grader would
notice that this does not add up. What is even more critical,
however, is that the price increases took place between
these two fiscal years. The similarly high turnover
at higher prices suggests that the number of cigars produced
must have fallen sharply.
There was no talk of that at the Festival. The opening
night took place at Club Habana, which opened in 1928,
and was all about the Montecristo Open sub-brand.
The speeches were given by Co-Presidents Luis Sánchez-Harguindey
Pardo de Vera and Maritza Carrillo
González. Each guest received a box containing two
cigars from the new Montecristo Open Slam line. The
152-millimeter-long vitola, with a 52-ring gauge, is the
fifth size of the Montecristo Open and, like its predeces-
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#1-2023 CigarsLover Magazine