The Best of the 2005 Harvest

The first Gran Reserva with the Montecristo brand, penciled in by many as a Habano’s taste benchmark, coming in the successful Montecristo No.2 vitola, is quite a major development in this 13th festival that puts in the hands of both lovers and connoisseurs a collection item. Manufactured by master rollers at the H.Upmann cigar factory, with leaves from the 2005 harvest picked up from the finest Vuelta Abajo plantations, featuring exquisite farming selection, and a prolonged and thorough natural aging process under the best conditions.

All requirements in the preservation of raw materials on the field and in the factory, coupled with the best manufacturing process, are the underpinnings of the exclusive Gran Reserva concept for Habanos S.A. products in which leaves that have endured a long and thorough aging process for at least five years are used. “Paying homage to this brand with the launch of a Gran Reserva is a special opportunity for our aficionados, an opportunity that demands from us maximum care and exclusiveness in terms of raw materials and the making process. This speaks volumes of Habanos’ one-and-only character as a protected denomination of origin and stands for a recognition to this undisputed token of Cuba’s tobacco industry,” says Jose Miguel Barzaga Maceo, the young director of the H.Upmann factory where these Montecristos are made. The Gran Reserva Montecristo No.2 Cosecha 2005 (ring gauge 52 x 152mm long) is a unique, extremely reduced production of barely 5,000 numbered cases containing 15 units apiece that “within the brand’s own patterns, it offers a more intense enjoyment. And thanks to this much pampering and care all its taste and aromatic notes are more roundly perceived,” Barzaga goes on to say. “I must say that within the large range of pirámidess from the Habano portfolio, our factory is the main manufacturing facility that produces many prestigious brands, like the Diplomaticos No.2, the H.Upmann No.2 and the Montecristo No.2. So, we’re talking about the place in which we have some of the very best master rollers for these factory vitola, and that’s just another strength that goes along with such an exclusive launch like this.” This is a complete Habano full of personality and character that guarantees a pleasant and peaceful smoking session, elegantly bundled up with a thin wrapper, decked out with the brand’s band and the Gran Reserva ring, and packed in beautiful black lacquered wooden boxes containing 15 units each. As we talked with Jose Miguel Barzaga –he’s been working in the H.Upmann factory for 16 years, moving up the ladder from roller apprentice and full-fledged roller to rollers’ chief, deputy director for technical production and director– he told us that working on this Gran Reserva has been a tough and demanding job from the very beginning. “Counting on our best blenders and rollers, we came up with three joint proposals with the Cuban Tobacco Institute and Habanos S.A., and from that moment on we started trying and tasting, I mean, the process of subjecting these three versions to an all-out assessment conducted by the country’s most renowned experts in the business, professional tasters from our factory, sommeliers, professionals and people from both the institute and the corporation. We did all that in an effort to close in on our goal and reach a high matching level, a positive assessment consensus, and that ultimately gave us the perfect blend for the Montecristo Gran Reserva.” Its world debut has been scheduled for the closing ceremony of the 13th Habano Festival, dedicated to paying tribute to this brand and this time around marked by the tasting of the new product –the best of the best from Montecristo– and it will be matched with a select array of rums, as well as the finest Cuban cuisine and culture. Later that night, the announcement of the 2011 Habano Awards will be announced, happening together with the gala dinner and the auction of Habano and humidor lots, with the money collected from the sales being funneled into Cuba’s public healthcare system.

Brand Montecristo Store Vitola Montecristo No.2 Gran Reserva Cosecha 2005 Factory Vitola Piramides Sizes Ring gauge 52 x 156 mm Presentation 5,000 individually numbered exclusive cases containing 15 units each

The new Montecristo Gran Reserva Cosecha 2005 is an all-out Habano full of character and personality that guarantees a pleasant and laidback smoking session, elegantly bundled up in a thin layer, decked out with the brand’s band and packed in black lacquered wooden boxes of 15 units apiece