• Submitted by: Luis Manuel Mazorra
• Business and Economy
• 03 / 04 / 2012

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The XIV Edition of the Habano Festival ended last Friday with the auction of six unique handmade humidors, ending one week forecast strong sales for the snuff Cuban main export in the country.
But before the Festival's closing dinner, Chilean Andres Arteaga, Mexican and Cuban Luis Garcia Daniel Reyes will vie for the title of best "Habano", at the suggestion of a cigar for a special dinner accompanied by wine.
The surprise of the Festival was the impromptu concert of American actor and musician Jim Belushi, who broke protocol in an elegant dinner for the 520 anniversary of Havana, and took the stage to sing accompanied by British guitar Phil Manzanera.
Among the guests, in the smoke of cigars selected were compatriots Belushi, former NBA stars Travis Best and Dale Davis.
But between dinners, shows and competitions, they talked at the end of business, reason for the Festival.
The Cuban-Spanish monopoly Habanos SA last year was a "significant growth" with "a turnover of 401 million dollars," said his vice president, Javier Terrer, who predicted a 2012 "complicated" by the international economic crisis and the anti-smoking laws.
But experts point out that the company, even amid the crisis, the international market for luxury goods is growing every year, Habanos SA commitment to develop increasingly sophisticated palate for smokers delicate and thick pockets.
Behind the nickel and pharmaceuticals, snuff has established itself as one of the mainstays of Cuban exports, supported by its centuries-old culture and its reputation as the best in the world.
Six humidors, boxes of precious wood furniture designed to preserve cigars in temperature and humidity, will be played at the Festival closing auction, with proceeds in previous years has exceeded one million dollars, for the public health in Cuba.
One is the meticulous reproduction of the factory building "The Little Lake", a neoclassical building in the west of Havana, which produces Cohiba, perhaps the finest of the 27 brands of cigars.
Inside contains 520 cigars of that brand, including 25 Lancers, band made from the famous cigar smoking leader Fidel Castro before leaving the snuff in 1986.