By Alexander Britell The mere act of opening it is a ceremony. It comes in a wooden box, its name inscribed on the side. You slide out the wooden cover, peel away the wax paper and retrieve one of the most legendary cigars in the pantheon of Habanos: the Montecristo A. This isn’t a cigar … Read more
It isn’t easy to roll a salomon. Crafting this storied cigar vitola is a task often relegated to the most experienced and capable torcedores, or rollers, thanks to its unique shape that tapers at both ends of the stick. Indeed, even Habanos says these figurados are “at the peak of the roller’s cigar-making art.” Even more difficult? … Read more
It’s not always easy to find an Hoyo de Monterrey double corona, like many of the most legendary Cuban cigars. But when you find one of these massive smokes you must savor it. Not that it’s particularly difficult – a 194mm by 49 ring gauge cigar is a serious pledging of time. In the small … Read more
I’ve long been a big fan of Habanos’ limited edition cigars. No, they’re not always perfect, but there’s always a sense of ceremony about them, a sense that you’re smoking a special, rare cigar. But when they’re on, they’re really on, and they make for spectacular smokes. That was decidedly the case with the most … Read more
Last week, we named our inaugural Best Hotel in Havana 2015, the lovely Hotel Saratoga in Old Havana. Now, we launch our newest award, the Cuban Resort of the Year, and the new Grand Memories Varadero rises to the top of the pack. The resort, which first launched in April, has quickly become one of the … Read more
by Cuba Journal staff Don’t let the thrill of Cuba’a resurgence blind you to the risks of owning Cuban real estate because, if you are American, the options are narrow and risky. For starters, US citizens who buy property in Cuba would be violating the Trading With the Enemy Act passed by the U.S. Congress … Read more
By the Cuba Journal staff If you only watch one film about Cuba’s love affair with the cigar, it should be this: global cigar expert James Suckling’s Cigars: The Heart and Soul of Cuba. The 50-minute film, which was written and directed by James Orr, is an effort by Suckling to discover “why Cuban cigars … Read more
Above: the Melia Cohiba hotel in Havana By the Cuba Journal staff Is now the time to invest in Cuba? The answer is yes, but with conditions; investment will take time to materialize, it seems. An event this week at the Brookings Institution, “Rethinking Cuba: New opportunities for development,” assembled high-level Cuba experts to look … Read more
