Festival del Habano XXV: Feb. 24-28, 2025

[JohnS]

Details for the 25th Habanos Festival were made public this week...

Festival del Habano XXV: Feb. 24-28, 2025

November 27, 2024 - Charlie Minato

Habanos S.A. has announced that the Festival del Habano XXV will take place in Havana from Feb. 24 to 28, 2025.

Next year will be the 25th Cuban cigar festival, which also happens to line up with the year. The Festival del Habano is the most important week of the year for the Cuban cigar world. Distributors from all around the world, prominent retailers and consumers will venture to Havana. Each day, there’s a trade fair that includes booths from companies selling cigar accessories, rum, and other things. In addition, Habanos S.A. hosts seminars—like cigar pairings or historical talks—as well as more interactive events like cigar rolling demonstrations and the annual Habanosomelier competition. Outside of the official public program, there are hundreds of meetings, private parties and other networking all across Cuba’s capital.

The Festival del Habano is also when Habanos S.A. will make most of its new product announcements for a given year. Typically, all major new regular production lines, the various Edición Limitada cigars, the new Reserva or Gran Reserva and other new items will get announced during the Festival.

There are three official dinners, each dedicated to a different cigar brand. Typically, these dinners will focus on one brand and also feature a new release from said brand. Next year’s dinners include:

Monday (Feb. 24) — Welcome evening dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Romeo y Julieta

Wednesday (Feb. 26) — Mid-week evening dedicated to H. Upmann

Friday (Feb. 28) — Gala dinner dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Cohiba BHK

It hasn’t announced pricing for the various events nor has it started registration. This past year’s dinners ranged from €530-1,325 (US$575-$1437) per person per dinner, while the events during the day ranged from €170-425 (US$184-460).

The week concludes with Friday’s black-tie gala dinner. Typically, Habanos S.A. goes all out for this event, which includes multiple performances during dinner as well as the annual humidor auction. In 2024, eight lots generated a record combined sales of €17.8 million ($US19.3 million). That dinner was attended by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, and The Village People performed after the auction concluded.

Over the last few months, there have been rumors that Habanos S.A. is working on a new BHK 58 or BHK 59. When asked earlier, a representative for the company said that “we will have a very good initiatives and news for the Behike line in its 15th Anniversary,” something that has been formally confirmed by the Feb. 28 gala dinner.

The BHK debuted in 2010 during the Festival del Habano XXII. The Behike name was not, it’s a follow-up to the Cohiba Behike, a 2006 limited edition that was released for the 40th anniversary of Cohiba. Habanos S.A. positioned Behike BHK as the flagship line for Cohiba, itself the flagship brand for Cuba. To help seperate it from the rest of the Cohiba cigars, it got more elegant packaging and Habanos S.A. said the blend used rarer leaves known as medio tiempo.

In basic terms, tobacco plants are divided into three vertical categories: seco, viso and ligero. On most plants, ligero leaves are at the top of the plant, but a small amount of plants—farmers say between 5-10 percent—can have extra leaves, known as medio tiempo. For years, these leaves were oftentimes just categorized with the ligero leaves, but the BHK highlighted the use of these leaves. When the BHK was introduced, pricing ranged from around $US25-35 per cigar, though after Habanos S.A.’s massive 2022 price increases, the cigars routinely retail for more than $200 each.

When the Behike BHK debuted, it was offered in three regular production vitolas. Despite the line’s massive success, Habanos S.A. has not added any additional sizes, though rumors of a large Behike BHK 58 have existed for more than five years. It seems likely that those rumors will finally come to fruition, though even if new vitolas are introduced during the Festival del Habano, there’s no guarantee that they will next year. Many of the products introduced during past Festival del Habanos have not shipped to stores during the calendar year that they were announced.

Source: https://halfwheel.com/festival-del-habano-xxv-feb-24-28-2025/445117/

[SCgarman]

The big question is can they keep the lights on? Or will dinner and entertainment be by candle light? 😬

[Chitmo]

7 hours ago, SCgarman said:

The big question is can they keep the lights on? Or will dinner and entertainment be by candle light? 😬

I have a friend on the island right now and the report is...

“Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Coco have their own power plants, so no blackouts. Not sure what's the situation with Varadero and Holguin. Habana still has power on and off, as well as the rest of the country. Food is decent if you're not picky. Booze selection is quite good, JW black, Chivas 12 and decent selection of rums.”

[Ryan]

The attendees' gift at the Friday night gala in February will be a 4-pack of cigars with one each of BHK2, BHK4, BHK6 and BHK8.

The Behike 59, (Atabey) with a piramide head and pigtail, will be one of the Cohiba releases for 2026 for the 60th anniversary of Cohiba.

[Ryan]

51 minutes ago, SCgarman said:

The big question is can they keep the lights on? Or will dinner and entertainment be by candle light? 😬

There'll be generators but no chance of a UPS for a room that big. So if the power goes there'll be screams in the dark for at least few seconds. They should have rechargeable lanterns in the gift bags.

FIHAV (Cuba's main trade fair) was a disaster this year with no power for three of the five days at ExpoCuba. Stands are expensive at that thing. The US Poultry and Egg Council attendees terribly upset. 

[Darco]

7 hours ago, Chitmo said:

I have a friend on the island right now and the report is...

“Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Coco have their own power plants, so no blackouts. Not sure what's the situation with Varadero and Holguin. Habana still has power on and off, as well as the rest of the country. Food is decent if you're not picky. Booze selection is quite good, JW black, Chivas 12 and decent selection of rums.”

This reminds me of that scene from The Godfather II when the elites were partying while things were boiling outside. The irony! 

[SCgarman]

7 hours ago, Chitmo said:

I have a friend on the island right now and the report is…

“Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Coco have their own power plants, so no blackouts. Not sure what's the situation with Varadero and Holguin. Habana still has power on and off, as well as the rest of the country. Food is decent if you're not picky. Booze selection is quite good, JW black, Chivas 12 and decent selection of rums.”

Speaking of booze, the sugar cane harvest is way down in Cuba. How will this affect Cuban rum production? Will rum go the same direction price wise as their cigars?

[SUP8333]

Anyone know which 4-5 star hotels have their own generators?