World’s best cigar sommeliers descend on Havana to compete in the Cigar Festival

Cigar lovers and aficionados from all corners of the world made their way to Havana for the yearly Cigar Festival, with a host of experts showing their skills in the international cigar sommelier competition.

A sommelier is mostly associated with wine, with them being able to know what wine goes best with the food that is being served. In this case the cigar sommelier must be able to determine which cigar to smoke after a meal, and which drink matches it perfectly.

A Dubai based sommelier had this to say of the annual competition: “Oh cigars, we already have more than 27 brands from Cuba, more than 250 different sizes and different intensities. They can be from the soft body to the full bodied cigar.”

Eight competitors from five countries came to show off their skills in front of an international jury that included an American with many competitors choosing to pair their chosen cigars with rum, with one competitor choosing an American Bourbon to go with his smoke.

One cigar journalist at the event explained the credentials he looks for in a sommelier:

“The great Habanos sommelier for me is the one that romances the story. Yes they have to know the facts, they have to know the background of the alcohol, and they have to know the region of the tobacco. They have to know the sizes and exactly the blends that are in them. But the ones to me that I grade highest on are the ones that have a story to romance you.”

You don’t have to travel halfway across the world to try your hand at being a cigar sommelier. Visit Havana House online and shop a wide and fantastic range of products such as our collection of Cohiba cigars, perfectly paired with a fine Cuban rum or single malt.

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Photo by: M Turner