Captivating Cuba

Hello again! Every time I go to Cuba I get loads of people asking me to bring them back some cigars for their dad or themselves! Personally I don't smoke, but I have to admit even I have a sneaky one when I'm in Havana. In Cuba, hotels have both smoking and non-smoking rooms, but it's almost a tradition to find an authentic old bar down a side street of the city and indulge in a Mojito and one of Cuba's finest hand rolled cigars.

Whether you're a smoker or not though, I highly recommend a visit to one of the cigar factories in Havana. I've been to the Partagas one a few times and it is an amazing place to visit. Built in 1845, it is the oldest one in Havana. It is housed in an impressive old Colonial style building and I just love the moment when you walk in, because the aroma of the tobacco is so sweet and strong. It really hits you, and the scent will remain with you even when you've returned to your hotel. Cuba's cigars are world-famous and although I'm no connoisseur I think they smell the best in the world!

You can take a guided tour of the factory, they are really well organised with guides speaking all different languages. Absolutely every thing is done by hand. Some workers are weighing the tobacco, some counting and sorting all the wrapper leaves and then there is the actual rolling of the cigar and the sticking on of each individual cigar label. Even though there are 700 workers in the factory, it is still amazing to think that over 25,000 cigars are produced every day! Cigar rolling is quite an art and part of the factory is devoted to a training workshop to teach new rollers their craft.

There is one tradition in the factory which I really love. There is someone called the Tobacco Reader, and their job is to read aloud to the workers everyday! He reads the newspapers, books and anything else of interest. The workers love it - especially when he gets to the sports pages! If you feel inspired to stock up before you head back to your hotel, Cuba's most famous export is available for sale from the factory store. Although they aren't cheap, once you have seen the process you can understand why. Cigar smoking is definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but I think that when in Cuba you should definitely give it a try!

Talk soon
Peter

posted at: 11:45 | path: /peter | permanent link to this entry | 0 comments