Cohiba and Montecristo rank among the top Cuban cigar brands in the world. So it’s appropriate they also top off our news and notes for this week:
Montecristo No. 4
Arguably the best-known brand of Habanos throughout the world. The Montecristo No. 4 is medium-to-full strength, with select filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba. That’s where you’ll find the finest tobaccos anywhere. Head here for a great selection of this fine Parejo-shaped cigar, five inches in length, great burn and flavor.
Fast fact: The name comes from the hero of Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel ‘The Count of Montecristo’.
Canada’s best luxury website 2021: Rare Cohiba Siglo VI Grand Reserva part of record-setting whisky collectors’ set
A new world record was set for the most expensive whisky collectors’ set – $2 million USD – and Cohiba was front and centre. Look for more of these auctions coming up. “The Emerald Isle Collection” by Craft Irish Whiskey Co. in partnership with Fabergé features a bottle of rare, single cask 30-year-old triple distilled single malt Irish whiskey. That is the main feature. The collection also features a first-of-its-kind Fabergé Celtic Egg and bespoke 1/1 Fabergé watch. But the kicker for our purposes is a humidor with two limited edition ultra-rare Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva (2009) cigars.
Also included is a gold-plated cigar cutter, and many more items. All proceeds go to the Correa Family Foundation, a charity supporting children affected by cancer. The remaining six Emerald Isle experience boxes will be released at auctions and events in key cities through 2021
Report: Tobacco sales worldwide continue to skyrocket
According to a new report by Grand View Research Inc., the global tobacco market is expected to reach $1,073.79 billion USD by 2028. That’s a compound annual growth rate of 1.8% from 2021 to 2028. The study points to a shifting preference among young people and the working-class population towards tobacco products, including cigars. The popularity of such products is growing significantly in the U.S. This Reuters report pointed to a growth in sales in Cuban cigars, including Cohiba, in 2020.
Cuban economy undergoes significant changes
Covid-19 has slammed the state-driven Cuba economy, forcing the government there to bring in new policy that loosens the reigns on entrepreneurship. That is paving the road to an expansion of private business.
There was the resignation a few weeks back of President Raul Castro. Plus we are into the early months of a Democratic Joe Biden-led administration in Washington (and remember it was the Obama administration that decided to pursue normalized relations with the Cuba communist government in 2014). All of this means we might soon be on the cusp of big changes in Cuba-U.S. relations.
An estimated 600,000 Cubans are now self-employed – 13 per cent of the work force. Over 2,000 areas of work are now authorized for private sector activity. A dramatic downtick in tourism plus sanctions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump has hammered the Cuba economy.
Quick fix for a common cigar issue: uneven burning
The burn issue is typically a run that goes bad, that should have been corrected by evening the burn rather than letting it continue to run. Typically a run starts from an imperfect filler or filler funnel, not uncommon with hand-rolled Cuban cigars, like a Cohiba. And this should be managed by the smoker. It is unrealistic to expect every cigar to burn perfectly without some attention and care for it while smoking.
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
But I love writing about cars – check that, luxury cars, a level of superior, engineering sophistication, high performance and style, that transports you not just from one destination to another but also out of whatever you are going through on a particular day, whatever mood you are in, all to another head space. It’s complete and total exhilaration, head to toe.
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