It all began in 1994 with the celebration for the 150th anniversary of the successful H. Upmann brand. There was no better excuse to set the stage at the Las Ruinas restaurant, in the outskirts of Havana, and gather seasoned smokers, celebrities and tobacco industry execs. A year later, the Melia Cohiba Hotel was the venue of choice, with Partagas’ 150th birthday party stealing the spotlight. These two events paved the way for the first Habano Festival in 1999, whose gala dinner at the El Laguito Protocol Hall was attended by Cuban President Fidel Castro. Since then, the Habano Festival has put ten deluxe editions under its belt and the festival itself has already become the most celebrated and sought-after meeting for the promotion of Cuba’s premium cigars, by far the finest on the face of the earth. It’s been a decade of success in which we’ve shared the taste of new products. Brands like Cuaba and Vegas Robaina, the expansion of the Trinidad and Reserva Milenio brands, and the emergence of the Limited Editions in the year 2000 speak volumes of that successfulness. Other launches that have grabbed headlines in the cigar scene over the past ten years are Partagas and Montecristo, Seleccion Piramides and Seleccion Robusto (2001); Siglo VI (2002): Petit Robusto de Hoyo Monterrey (2003); Edmundo (2004); Partagas Series P (2005); and Cohiba Maduro 5 (2007). This time around, the Festival is coming up with new seductive cigar sizes from H. Upmann and Hoyo de Monterrey (the Magnum 50 and Epicure Special, respectively). And like in previous editions, the new 2008 Limited Editions will be unveiled, and they are Montecristo Sublime, Partagas Series D No.5 and Cuaba Piramides. Make no mistakes about it; this is a fancy party full of quality and good taste planned every year by Habanos S.A. and the TABACUBA entrepreneurial group.