A Stunning H. Upmann Night In Havana
Wednesday night at the Habanos Festival was all about H. Upmann, one of Cuba’s oldest brands, and the party was by far the best I’ve ever attended at one of these Festivals. And I’ve been to quite a few.
We gathered at the National Capitol of Havana, which is far better known here as El Capitolio. It’s a nearly 100-year-old building with a dome that looks quite like that of the U.S. Capitol Building. (While Capitolio sounds a bit like “little Capitol,” this building is actually a touch bigger than the one you’ll find in Washington, D.C.) If you’ve ever been to Havana, it’s impossible to miss, very close to the old Partagás cigar factory and standing out in the skyline as the most familiar building in the city. For years it was clad in scaffolding, undergoing a major renovation, and now it’s open once again as a tourist site. The dome is more than 200 feet high.
Having any type of party inside this beautiful building is a true feat in and of itself—having one for about 700 people from around the world smoking cigars is nothing less than a major accomplishment.
This was my first time setting foot in the building. You enter by climbing a huge, wide and 55-step staircase (yes, I thought of Rocky Balboa immediately), and after cocktails around the perimeter we went inside to an incredible, vast space known as The Hall of the Lost Steps. The brightness of the ceiling, stretching far above, and the majesty of the interior brought smiles to many faces. I was finishing a cigar I had brought, a vintage H. Upmann Edición Limitada given to me earlier by Ajay Patel of the United Kingdom, and took my seat. My table, much like the Festival itself, was an international affair, with guests from Taiwan, Australia and Mexico.
The food stood out. Banquet fare can be mediocre—it’s hard to feed a crowd so large—but the catering for this evening was done by Cuba’s legendary La Guarida restaurant, owned by Enrique Nuñez del Valle. What a wonderful job. One dish after another impressed: porcini ravioli in a sauce of cream and cheese, a beef tenderloin done medium rare with a well-made, balanced gravy were the highlights. No one would go hungry here. The wines were tasty, moving from white to red to a sparkling dessert wine, followed by rum.
Of course, there were cigars. Everyone was handed a three-pack of the cigar of the night as they walked in, the new H. Upmann Magnum 50 Gran Reserva Cosecha 2019. One of the newer things at this Festival is the ability to buy more of the three packs, and the invitation includes a stub allowing one to buy more at the event center where much of the Festival takes place. (I’m told the price is just over $1,000.)
Four other Upmanns were handed out during the evening: the Half Corona, Magnum 46, Connoissieur B and finally the grand and quite elusive Sir Winston. After finishing the old EL, I moved on to the Connoissieur B, which was delicious as well, even for such a young cigar.
The evening was lovely. The performances were entertaining, as always (Cuba is blessed with talented musicians) and the vast height of the ceilings ensured it was never too loud to drown out conversation. After the meal, I walked around, saying hello to friends, being introduced to new ones, and then congratulated the executives from Habanos who were there on such a fine event.
One of the hallmarks of the Capitolio is in the center of the building, an imposing bronze statue that’s gilded in 22-karat gold and stands nearly 50 feet tall, crafted by Italian artist Angelo Zanelli. It’s a representation of the Greek goddess Athena, who is the goddess of many things in mythology, but perhaps her most important attribute is being the goddess of wisdom. It’s called The Republic; when this building was completed in 1929, Cuba was a democratic republic, and this building housed the two chambers of the Congress that made up Cuba’s legislative body, so long ago.
As I said my final goodbyes and made my way down the stairs, I puffed the final inch or so of that cigar, looking back upon that building again and again and cementing the memories of a superb evening in Havana.
