Friday, March 30, 2012

Mine is bigger than yours....


**************
I read with an enormous amount of amusement that Fidel Castro asked Pope Benedict, "So, what do you do?" in Havana , a few days ago. As you can probably tell, I am still thinking of Cuba. And wondering why the officials at the Cuban Embassy in Delhi are so mad at me for my recent column in Asian Age? Any guesses?
*************
This appeared in CREST...

Mine is bigger than yours!

A Cindy Crawford look alike in a clinging, hot red gown bent low to offer India’s Cigar King, Chetan Seth, a limited edition Romeo y Julieta that was about to be launched amidst much excitement and fanfare. A Whitney Houston clone was belting out ‘I will always love you,’’ her voice tremulous and tender. The venue was a spectacularly decorated marquee at the gigantic Pabexpo Centre in Havana where over five hundred cigar aficionados from across the world had gathered for the closing ceremony of the XIV Habanos Festival in Cuba. It is with some irony that non-smokers ( me!), at the glamourous venue, noted that the proceeds from the famous Humidor Auction later in the night, would benefit the Cuban Public Health System( oh, one of the gorgeous, fully loaded humidors went for a staggering 750,000 euros). But then again, nothing is as it appears in Cuba ( pronounced ‘Koo-ba’). At a dinner to commemorate the 520th Anniversary of the discovery of tobacco in Cuba by the Europeans, the cloud of smoke hanging just under the beautiful chandeliers was thick enough for a knife to cut through it.But was anybody complaining?Nope. They were too busy puffing on their not-so-guilty pleasures to bother about their own or anybody else’s lungs.
Over the years, the annual Habanos Festival in Havana has acquired a cult status. Cigar smokers cross seven seas to make it for the week long celebrations that include elegant parties at top restaurants, all-night Mojitos at the Verandah Bar of the historic Hotel Nacional, dancing to Cuban jazz bands at any of the late, late clubs, or merely hanging out at Hemingway’s favourite bar. Acquiring multiple boxes of hand rolled ( forget all that nonsense about nubile ladies rolling cigars on naked thighs) , limited edition ‘beedis’ is an attractive bonus.But the icing on the cake is the rare opportunity to enjoy new products that are launched at the Festival, much before the rest of the world gets to sample them. Habanos has 27 top brands in the market ( such as Bolivar,Punch, Trinidad,Diplomaticos). It is important to note that so far at least the Habanos are the only cigars that have been totally handmade for over 200 years. And that as early as in the 18th century, Cuban tobacco was recognized as the best in the world.Some cigar stalwarts stick to classics, like Cohiba’s Linea 1492, which was launched in 1992, to mark the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the island. While other more adventurous types are spoilt for choice at the numero uno cigar destination. Take Montecristo, which is one of the most acclaimed Habanos brands.In 2010, it decided to expand its portfolio with the launch of the new Linea Cohiba Biheke in three new vitolas ( sizes). These went on to become instant best sellers, even though they were shockingly pricey. Try talking price to any one of the sharp international distributors who gather at the Festival to negotiate deals! At the moment, it is the Russians and Chinese who are being actively courted given the potential and size of the two. But with Chetan Seth (along with his lovely daughter Ameeta Seth), projecting a 30% annual growth in India for what the trade calls ‘sticks’, it will be interesting to see how it moves in the next few years. As of now, ‘Cingari’ Chetan’s company, which he set up in 1996, sells a respectable number of top cigars , catering mainly to connoisseurs who also rely on Seth’s expertise to guide them. Buying the right cigar is a pretty complicated affair, as any genuine cigar lover will tell you. Apart from the four senses (sight, smell, touch and taste) involved in the appreciation of the cigar, it is also a matter of the right mood, the right company and the right setting. Cigars are complex, sensitive creatures. Amateurs or experimental smokers are advised to proceed cautiously and stick to lighter-flavoured cigars before daring to experiment with the Big Boys. It is considered awfully rude to abandon a good cigar before getting to ‘understand’ its true character. Similarly, cigar lovers shudder and cringe if ever they spot someone stubbing out or crushing an unfinished cigar - “The right thing to do is to let it die with dignity,” advises a regular, who also points out that the ash from a cigar should never be tipped but allowed to fall gracefully. Your best bet is to stay out of a glowing cigar’s way if you are a non-smoking woman wearing a wonderful frock.
Cigar smoking is a growing cult , especially with global thirty somethings who see it as an essential lifestyle accessory that signals their arrival on the international scene of slouchy tycoons and sultry sirens stylishly drawing on their Piramides Extra ( launched by Cohiba, the cigar world’s most prestigious brand, at this Festival), sipping a Single Malt or a Cuban Rum aged for many years in oak barrels, and nibbling on Iberico ham canapes.Since cigars are increasingly recognized as the new status symbol, it’s important to get the basics right. Puffing away 5,000 bucks in one go, needs a certain level of derring-do, even for India’s new elite. Lighting up a Habanos is seen as a celebration, and most cigar lovers make an occasion of it. Which is precisely why the Festival in Cuba has acquired such a special status making it almost mandatory for cigar lovers to make the long trip to Havana during the last week of February. Let’s just call it a pilgrimage of sorts, where devotees flock to worship at a distinctly phallic altar created from dried and cured leaves that generate clouds of highly aromatic smoke when lit. Heaven, insist fans, would be incomplete without a magnificent humidor filled with the best Habanas. And yes, size does matter – thicker is better than longer, when it comes to cigars, that is! Let’s puff to that.

12 comments:

Pooja Rathore said...

Post on cigar, very intresting and informative, though a nonsmoker, if anybody asks me about cigar i can at least say something about cigar...thanks to your post.i liked the post.
I am happy for sachin but it's virat all over my mind.

rightcakes said...

Cakes are blessed with the rare qualities that can lift teh tempo of any celebration. From kids to the adults, even the sugar concious ones can throw their restrictions away, the moment the cream rich cakes reach the platter.CakesDeliveryMumbai.com customizes the delicacy further, and the link at www.cakesdeliverymumbai.com provides the details.

RNBResearch said...

I like the valuable info you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here regularly. I’m quite sure I will learn many new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next! I absolutely understand everything you have mentioned. In fact, I think you happen to be completely right. Best wishes with this particular blog.

Thank You
www.rnbresearch.com

Another Kiran In NYC said...

Ah the babus on the scene are mad at you :) Perhaps because you tell us what the brawny Alexander said or because you speculate what happens after the pope-dissing, Indira loving Fidel (Hai Hai Greed in a socialist Haven... tauba) ; or because your "minder" said something to his superiors and they called up the consul to complain; or because you talk about mojitos and cuba libres and the babus are forced to serve and drink only nimbu pani at consulate do's (after all the statue of Mahatma Gandhi graces a square in Havana and not Fidel so any official drinking is out...hehehehe); or because you rake up that Fidel knew about the plot of kill JFK and other such mysteries and now the Americans and the Natives are mad at them and called to complain; or because the bandgala is more uncomfortable (but much, much nicer looking) in cuba's humidity than a linen suit and a panama hat worn at a rakish angle; or because you present the Cuban Cigar smoking and appreciating culture in a glamorous way and that is almost subversive and ofcourse "dhoomrapan karna mana hai" ... all in a socialist desi sort of way.

While some academic somewhere has already filed reports with the MEA, about how greedy/nasty/whathaveyou capitalism is going to take over after Fidel and his brother, and what India's long term strategy should be; perhaps the official memo has not gone out to the raised in socialism babus. Or it has and they have not been able to act on it very overtly. Either way the platonic rakhi tying hindi/cuba bhai behan days are over, now it is time to kick back with some Mojitos, say our prayers and get into bed with the raunchy future riches of Cuba.

Oh and Cigars leave me cold. Stinky!

hyd said...

Pretty…post
hyderabadonnet.com

Website and Printing Solutions said...

ha ha! i am amused at the heading of this article.
conveyor manufacturer delhi

x said...

uf-oh! all that is fine; but how beeg is his 'danda'?

bigindianwedding said...

nic post & nic pic

www.bigindianwedding.com

Unknown said...

I Have to say that this is one of the best written article
On Habanos Cigars, and of the great time we had at the festival. It is clear that ,like me, U love Cuba, and the Cuban people, and that comes out so much in your writing. Thank u fr yr solidarity. It is a real shame, that in today's day and age, the Americans still hv a blockade against the Cubans. And they hv the face to preach morality to the world. Maybe U shud write about that and see if the U.S bans u frm entering their country, that so proclaims the freedom of the press. We all know of one lady frm Newsweek, that was hounded fr years by the FBI, because she dared to suggest that Fidelity had
a dream fr his people! ,and it would b fun to hv u as the second. Even I will burn my Ten year valid U.S. Visa for the protest.

http://www.chennaiflowers.com said...

This is really interesting.Thanks for sharing.
from - chennaiflowers.com

Puneflowersdelivery said...

Nice post.Very interesting blog.
Visit our site : www.puneflowersdelivery.com

Unknown said...

interesting post and story ..i happy to here ..good work

premium cigars

cuban cigars

dominican cigars

Cigar in India