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  • Registration Opens for 2024 Habano Festival

    Registration Opens for 2024 Habano Festival

    Registration for the 2024 Habano Festival is now available through an online accreditation system at https://registrations.habanos.com. Those hopeful to attend can review all activities and make a payment online with a credit card.

    Typically, registration for the event happens in November of the previous year. This year, registration was delayed by approximately two months. No reason was given by Habanos for the delay.

    The registration period for the Habano Festival will be open from January 30th to February 12th or until the slots available are exhausted.

    “Once payment has been made, you will receive an email with a QR code which you may present it per activity, either on your phone or printed, along with the physical invitation given to you at Palco Hotel, Convention Center, Havana,” the release states. “Thank you for your interest; we look forward to seeing you at the most important Premium tobacco event in the world: the Habano Festival.”

    The events and costs are:

    • Welcome Evening — €530 ($574) — Event commemorating the 30th anniversary of Habanos S.A. to be held at Club Havana;
    • Visit to Plantations in the Pinar del Río region — €170 ($184)
    • International Seminar — €425 ($460);
    • Mid-week Evening — €745 ($807)— Event celebrating 50th anniversary of Quai D’Orsay brand to be held at the El Laguito Protocol Room;
    • Visit to Habanos Factories — €200 ($216);
    • Gala Evening — €1,325 ($1,436) — Dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the Trinidad brand to be held at Pabexpo.

    The exclusive cigar event is to be held in Havana from Feb. 26 – to March 1, 2024.

    Payments in Cuba can also be placed through Havanatur, according to Habanos. For further information, email Havanatur at eventos@havanatur.cu

    Habanos, S.A., the state-run distributor of global Cuban cigars, said in a release that its annual event is “in an international and exclusive atmosphere,” and it will include a wide-ranging program of activities combining the knowledge of the Habano and the exciting culture, including the ending final evening gala dinner and famed humidor auction.

    “In this XXIV Edition, the best specialists, distributors and aficionados will enjoy all the activities that, along with the best gastronomy and music, have made this famous event: visits to renowned Habanos factories, plantations, seminars with interesting lectures, exclusives pairings, contests and three very special nights where they will get a sneak preview of the latest Habanos, S.A. novelties,” the release states.

    Habanos, S.A. is already “working to make this event memorable for the expectations of aficionados with the passion and magic they have come to expect from each new edition.”

  • Oliva Launches ‘Year of the Dragon’ Cigar

    Oliva Launches ‘Year of the Dragon’ Cigar

    Nicaragua-based Oliva Cigars has partnered with China Duty Free Group (CDFG) to launch a limited-edition “Year of the Dragon” premium cigar line.

    The MSRP has been set at $35 per cigar or $350 per box of 10 cigars. Production is limited to 1,500 boxes, and they are expected to go on sale in mid-February.

    Each box features a dragon design, paying homage to the creature and the spirit of the Chinese New Year.

    Credit: Oliva

    The Year of the Dragon is a Churchhill produced in Oliva’s factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, and features an Ecuadorian Habano sun-grown wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers.

    “We are thrilled to introduce the Oliva Year of the Dragon Churchill Cigar in celebration of the Chinese New Year in cooperation with CDFG,” Oliva Cigars Export Manager Thomas Gryson said in a press release. “This limited-edition collection is a true embodiment of our dedication to quality and craftsmanship.

    “We have carefully curated this offering to provide aficionados with a unique and culturally significant cigar experience, making it a must-have for collectors and enthusiasts alike.”

  • Major Tax Increase Introduced in Congress

    Major Tax Increase Introduced in Congress

    Credit: Roman R

    Last week, lawmakers in the U.S. introduced the CARE For Moms Act in Congress. That bill would increase healthcare for expecting and new mothers, while also exponentially increasing the taxes for vaping, roll-your-own, cigars and other tobacco products.

    The tobacco tax language in the CARE Act was copied and pasted out of the Tobacco Tax Equity Act, a bill that has been introduced as a rider in bills introduced in previous sessions of Congress but it failed to gain any traction, according to halfwheel.

    That could change after Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Dick Durbin have now introduced the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2023 in the Senate as a standalone bill, while Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.

    The tobacco tax-related language includes:

    • New taxes for e-cigarettes;
    • Doubling the tax on roll-your-own tobacco;
    • A more than 16x increase on pipe tobacco;
    • Doubling the tax on small cigars;
    • A massive tax hike for premium cigars;

    For premium cigars, the language removes the existing federal excise tax of 52.75 percent, capped at 40.26 cents per cigar, and replaces it with a weight-based tax of $49.56 per pound.

    Because it’s a weight-based tax, the difference between the existing tax and the new taxes would vary depending on how heavy the cigar is. For cigars robusto or larger, it would likely more than triple the current federal tax rate.

  • Habanos Appoints First Woman as Co-President

    Habanos Appoints First Woman as Co-President

    Maritza Carrillo González (Credit: Habanos S.A.)

    Habanos S.A., the manufacturing and distribution arm of the Cuban cigar industry, has announced that Maritza Carrillo González has been appointed as its new co-president after being approved by Habanos shareholders.

    Carrillo’s promotion is “endorsed by the experience, knowledge and work she has been performing for several years in different positions within Habanos, S.A. and other entities related to Habanos,” according to a release.

    She is the first woman to serve as co-president of the company. She is rumored to be replacing Inocente Núñez Blanco as one of the company’s two co-presidents alongside fellow co-president Luis Sánchez-Harguindey Pardo de Vera.

    Carrillo holds a degree in International Economic Relations and has been linked to the world of Habanos since serving as a founding team member of the company.

    She has held various responsibilities in the commercial, marketing and business development divisions of Habanos.

    From 2006 to 2011, she served as marketing director and head of Havanesa stores at Empor, S.A. (the exclusive Habanos distributor in Portugal).

    In 2011, she was promoted to serve as business development director of the company.

    She later assumed the position of president of Comercial Iberoamericana S.A. (COIBA) based in Spain.

    In 2021, Carillo became general manager of Tabagest S.A., where served until her recent appointment as co-president of Habanos.

    The move comes as the company is preparing for the 23rd edition of the Habanos Festival taking place from Monday, Feb. 27th, to Friday, March 3rd. It is the premier event for the Cuban cigar industry.

    Habanos reported a turnover of $568 million in 2021, up 15 percent growth over the previous year.