Women & Habanos
Bearing the decisive brunt of all processes related to the making of habanos, from the field and the hand-rolling tasks to the marketing of the end products, women have conquered a spot of their own in this industry, a powerhouse among Cuba’s traditional exports.
Logbooks have it that for many years the tobacco industry was exclusive men-only grounds until female sensitivity and tactfulness elbowed their way into the trade. As wick removers and ringers at the onset, women were little by little garnering the attention of industrials and as time went by they started moving to other tasks as well, as cigar rollers and even in managerial positions all across the tobacco industry and its related areas. Caress, passion, delicacy and lots of other female attributes mean today so much to the habano, a product touched by a remarkable sensuality and enchantment capable of convincing anyone that this is indeed an item thought out for women. No wonder the 10th Habano Festival dedicated part of its seminars and working sessions to address that issue. It’s been recognized that women got their big entry in the sector following the emancipating and equality winds that came along the 1959 Cuban Revolution. And a boldface name that must be mentioned in this effort is Celia Sanchez, a heroine of the revolutionary struggle who, in addition, saved a growing position for their female peers in the tobacco industry. The creation of the El Laguito Factory and its famous Cohiba habanos are major parts of this history. Timely enough, Partagas factory’s director Hilda Baro told us that in the past women used to work only in the wick removing and ringing departments. However, the start of the Cigar Factory Plan in 1967 caused women’s presence to expand throughout the entire industrial process. Out of 36 laborers working as wick removers at the Partagas factory, 32 of them are women. As far as the cigar rolling is concerned, 63 percent of the 375 workers are femmes. At the machinery department, for instance, all 11 people working there are female. For her part, Norma del Castillo, from Cuba’s Tobacco Research Institute, explained there are 163 women in a payroll of 406 workers. Those are the figures that mark Cuban women’s involvement in today’s cigar-making industry nationwide. Both women and tobacco are so much in sync in Cuba today that many artworks portray that kind of relationship in painting, music or sculpture. There’s much more to say about that art connection –it is not limited to mere evocations while it does talk about a close tie between the artist and the habano– that kicked off a whole lot earlier, especially when a considerable chunk of the rings and the images used to decorate and single out the cigar boxes and the brands called for beautiful illustrations of goddesses, well-shaped women dressed in luxurious gowns, gaudy bands, crowns and other portents. Today, though, tobacco and cigars are increasingly striking people’s attention in the fanciest halls and it’s becoming commonplace in gala dinners, artistic performances and other big-ticket events to see women puffing at habanos as a perfect end to a very special day. As a special hint at women in this one-and-only meeting for the lovers of the world’s finest Premium cigars, Habanos, S.A. will be launching its Julieta vitola from the traditional Romeo & Juliet brand, a one-of-a-kind gift for the most exquisite and profound enjoyment.
«To me the habano means mightiness and mastery based on the gift of counting on the world’s finest raw materials and a tradition of centuries that have managed to turn them into craftworks. This is something which is not within everybody’s reach and only Cuba can produce it, thanks to its nature, its soils and a number of very specific factors that make it a very exclusive and highly coveted product. That explains why anyone can make cigars, but not habanos. It takes those very special raw materials and, eventually, the mastery and skillfulness of our cigar rollers.» Hilda Baro Director of the Partagas Cigar Factory
«I’ve been at the helm of a Habano House for 13 years now, so it’s been a genuine pleasure for me because it has allowed me to get acquainted with the passionate world of tobacco and, in addition, to come closer to it by the hand of our customers and foreign visitors. Indeed, my linkage to this products comes a long way back because I’m from San Luis in Pinar del Rio, a land of rich tobacco tradition where so many people have made a living out of this crop, with so much happiness, and that includes women. I’m one of them, one of the women related to the habano, and that’s great because we’re also contributing our delicacy. With each passing day you see more and more women taking part in all stages of the process, even the moment of enjoying the cigar. That’s why I feel this strong commitment as a representative or a part of the world’s best cigars, a natural and handmade product.» Reina Maria Rodriguez Regalado Director of the Habano House at the Palco Hotel and its commercial gallery
«My relationship with the habano started back in 1997 when I began working at El Floridita, a token of Havana and one of the restaurants with more experience in this kind of service. This encouraged me to delve into it with the help of experienced habano sommeliers, and in that process I felt seduced by the habano’s ability to convey peace of mind and relaxation while you feel so many pleasant and stimulating sensations. If you add the knowledge and the possibility of combining or matching meals and drinks with habanos from different brands or vitolas, aroma and strength, it’s not too hard to imagine the special pleasure this product can actually offer and the importance of our job in the promotion of the habano culture and the orientation of customers.» Zudlay Napoles Paterson Winner of the 2008 Habano Sommelier International Contest
«The world of habano is vital and full of beautiful possibilities. It turns its consumers into pleasant characters who huddle to talk, celebrate or enjoy the exquisite and peerless aroma of the cigar. It’s as if both heaven and earth met in harmony. By just watching habano smokers from a prudent distance, you can see them smile, talk, feel relaxed, united like different trees in a forest of dreams in which each tree keeps its roots deep in the ground while their tops bloom with birds, elves, fairies; intertwined worlds. The world of habano is exquisite for all the virtues that stem from that wonderful, beautiful plant, from its magical leaves. One of the loveliest visions in the Cuban landscape is that of a tobacco plantation, with the curing barns and the peasants sowing the land. That in addition to the rolling process in the cigar factories where there are hand rollers, wick removers and the like. And finally the bands and the boxes of different brands that we’ve had for such a long time, with their colorful lithographs. I think that one of the solidest values Cubans are proud of is the realm of habano.» Zayda del Rio Painter
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