San Cristobal de La Habana.A decade of crowns and awards
Ten years following its big break in the market, the vitolas of the San Cristobal de La Habana brand are increasingly sought after with each passing day for the undivided attachment of great icons of the island nation’s capital.
As a fair tribute to the city the famous Cuban cigar was named after, the San Cristobal de La Habana brand came into being ten years ago, underscoring the capital’s history, the hospitality of its residents and the mystical charm of its streets, parks, squares and monuments its vitola collection pays homage to. Furthermore, it serves as an additional confirmation of the creativeness and potentials that single out the world of Habanos, a world of restlessness and nonstop motions. At the onset, this brand launched a four-format vitola collection named after colonial fortresses: El Morro (ring gauge 49, 180 mm long), La Fuerza (ring gauge 52, 141 mm long), La Punta (ring gauge 52, 140 mm long) and El Principe (ring gauge 42, 110 mm long). Later on in 2006, other vitolas jumped on the bandwagon: Muralla (ring gauge 54, 180 mm long), Mercaderes (ring gauge 48, 167 mm long) and Oficios (ring gauge 43, 135 mm long), named after streets of Old Havana as part of the Calles (Streets) Series designed to become an exclusive item for the Habano House franchise network. One of the most outstanding attributes this brand brags about is its gorgeous decoration, with marks and rings that expert designers and cigar lithographers have labeled as some of the most beautiful and elegant among Habanos’ youngest brands. In its first decade of existence, the San Cristobal de La Habana brand has also witnessed some major milestones with the launch of Special Series and cigar humidors, exclusively designed and built by Cuban artisans, that stand for genuine gems to be treasured by the finest art collectors. One of the highlights of the 11th Habano Festival will be the celebration of the brand’s tenth anniversary and its many achievements, a reason why Habanos S.A. will roll out Volume IX of the Habanos Collection, a special case that will be put on sale at the Habano Houses around the world for the delight of those seeking the enjoyment of specialties and, in general, for the lovers of this legitimately Cuban product.
Vitolas, evocation, fortresses Havana, with its many contrasts, also has castles to show, strongholds harking back from the colonial rule that were built to protect the city from pirate attacks and in an effort to preserve the colony. They also remain nearly intact and can now be easily evoked through these vitolas. The most significant case in point is the Morro Castle, the fortress that welcomes sailing travelers and other visitors to Havana, those eager the see the most genuine landmarks in town. Always on guard, El Morro is perched on a high rock at the entrance of the Havana Bay. The fortress and its lighthouse beacon vessels and paint a perfect picture for those who pay heed to details in the course of their trips. The Spanish rule mapped out defensive schemes for the entire city from the 16th to the 18th centuries due to pirate attacks. The works, that lasted 40 years, were initiated in 1589 as a project designed by military engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli, who also sketched other castles for the village. El Morro has the shape of a polygon, featuring thick 130-foot-tall walls above sea level, plus a number of bastions and flying buttresses. What all travelers make out easily is the lighthouse built during the times when Havana used to be the meeting place for the Spanish Silver Fleet. Since then, the lighthouse has been a reference point that meets the eye and guides sailors at sea. La Fuerza, a symbol Protecting the former village of San Cristobal and older than any other fortress in the city, the Real Fuerza (Royal Force) Castle stands tall. The groundwork began in 1558, as ordered by Gov. Hernando De Soto, and was completed 20 years later. The early building process was headed by the only governess the nation’s capital ever had –Doña Isabel de Bobadilla, wife of De Soto’s, who died in 1542 by the Mississippi river during the conquer of Florida. That woman was so much in love that she never gave up on her husband’s return and so ordered architect Mateo de Aceituno to design that fortress. It turned out to be such a safe place that several governors after her used it as their official residence. Day after day, she could be found looking at the horizon, hoping to see her husband sailing back. In tribute to her everlasting love, a statuette-shape metal weathercock was placed atop the castle’s dome and received the name of La Giraldilla, one of Havana’s most cherished emblems today.
La Punta, very near the sea It was settled on a cliff that overlooks the sea, with walls that are 328 feet long and 190 feet wide on the west side right at the entrance of the Havana Bay. Historians remember that during the British seize of Havana, the fortress endured severe damages that were eventually repaired. During the 10-Year Independence War in 1868, four leveled areas were raised to house a similar number of cannons. El Principe The building of El Principe, for its part, kicked off in 1767 on the name-like hilltop under the helm of engineer Silvestre Abarca. This uneven-pentagon fortress features a couple of bastions, two buttresses and an enclosure, deep moats, loopholes, mine galleries, warehouses and dungeons. Right now, the fortress is home to several State-run offices. Just another tour San Cristobal is the name of the patron saint of Havana, the island nation’s capital that was founded on November 16, 1519 by the Carenas Port in the Havana Bay. Old Havana –declared World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1982– has a surface of approximately 1.1 square miles and is undoubtedly Cuba’s number-one sightseeing location. The very first references to streets in Havana were registered in a Town Hall Minute dated December 1550, with mentions of “the Main Street stretching from Ines Gutierrez’s house to the scrublands.” That’s no doubt a reference to today’s Muralla (Wall) street.
Mercaderes (Merchants), for its part, reminds us of the many businesspeople who once lived there, while Oficios (Trades), refers to the artisans who set up shop on it. By 1584, Muralla (Wall) was the most important of the four streets that existed back then. The good news is all these streets can be toured and admired today.
The new factory In February 2005, La Corona cigar factory moved to a new location and can now live up to more ambitious production plans. The deterioration of the original building and the overhaul of Cuba’s export cigar-making industry made this factory something for the books. Out of a very cosmopolitan spot in the old part of the city, La Corona reopened in a more suitable and streamlined location in February 2005. This major industrial facility is now located on 520 20 de Mayo Avenue, in the Havana municipality of Cerro, with a payroll of 515 cigar rollers –quite a significant workforce.
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