Cuba was witness once again to the largest annual international event celebrating the Habano culture. The festival has come to an end with the celebration of the Gala Evening that paid tribute to the Cohiba brand on its 50th Anniversary, with exclusive tastings of its new releases. The gala hosted 1,200 guests that enjoyed live performances by Cuban pianist and composer, Chucho Valdes; the Spanish flamenco singer, Estrella Morente; and the Uruguayan singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler.
This year the traditional humidor auction of seven collector items reached a total of 865.000€ that will be entirely donated to the Cuban Public Health System. This edition has been especially unique thanks to the auction of the first humidor (01/50) of the exclusive special series “Cohiba 50 Aniversario”, which raised 320.000 euros. This humidor is an authentic work of art and a unique collector's item, and heralds a true innovation in terms of traditional craftsmanship and technical design and development.
During the evening, the “Maestro de Maestros” was chosen in the XV International Habanosommelier Contest. The winner was Juan Jesús Machín from Cuba. Luis Manuel García Urrea (United Arab Emirates) and Pedro Tejeda (Cuba) were runners-up in second and third place respectively.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7779251-international-stars-xviii-habanos-festival/
