AlohaStyle
BoM Sept '12 & Aug '13
Hey fellas,
Long time coming for this write up to say the least, and longer post!?! LOL I promised a report but knew it would take me awhile to write it up and post pictures. I'm still learning to adjust to 2 kids and my life has been crazy lately to say the least. I was smoking a good cigar tonight out back listening to some cuban music which inspired me to get off my ass and finally write this. Here is my original post: http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/64133-To-the-ISOM!?highlight=
First thing I will say is that the trip exceeded my expectations and I HIGHLY recommend any of you go to Cuba BEFORE the embargo is lifted. Go with a buddy, go with your wife, go by yourself... you don't need to know Spanish and you will have the time of your life! I originally wanted to go when there wasn't any cigar festival going on as I wanted to see Havana during a quiet time and be able to visit the cigar shops and factories without them being jam packed with other cigar enthusiasts and big shots. I wanted time to sit and talk with locals, not be shunned because I wasn't a big-timer in the industry. But knowing some people were going to the Partagas Festival and deciding it would be fun to be there with some other people, I decided to go during the Partagas Festival last Fall and I sure am glad I did! A group of guys were nice enough to let me hang with them during their trip and I had a blast with them visiting shops, going to dinners, enjoying time at someone's rental house, meeting some industry people that were down to earth and meeting plenty of great people that were in town for the Festival from around the world.
Besides just taking in the culture, my main goals in visiting Cuba was to wander around Havana taking in the sights, visiting El Laguito (Cohiba factory) and visiting Finca Robaina out in Pinar del Rio. I did everything I set out to do and I will never forget my time in Cuba and the people I met.
I originally hoped to stay in Havana, the countryside and another town like Trinidad. After my research and talking to others that were going, I knew I didn't have time to visit a 3rd town but thought that would be my next trip's goal. I wanted to stay in Casa Particulares which is the equivalent of a bed and breakfast as I wanted to stay and talk with locals and get some good home cooking... plus the cost is a fraction of staying at a nice hotel. Casa's cost from $25-$35 a night and you get the local culture that you don't get staying in a nice hotel. I researched Casa's where I wanted to stay, got their direct email/phone and contacted them directly to book my nights. I booked a Casa for my first 3 nights in the old town section of Havana which ended up being a great place with a rooftop deck that overlooked Havana. It was within walking distance of all the old town which includes the historic buildings/hotels and a few good LCDH shops like the Conde de Villanueva and the Partagas Factory etc.
1st day:
I landed in Havana and met another tourist at the airport and shared a cab ride into town. He booked a Casa but when we arrived, the area was a dive and he decided to check out my casa to see if they had a room and they did. So we both hit the town and went to El Templete which is a great restaurant in town and enjoyed fresh snapper and some mojitos for dinner. After that, we walked around and went to La Bodeguita del Medio which is the birthplace of the mojito made famous by Ernest Hemmingway. A great cuban band was playing and I bought a nice little Cuaba Divino to enjoy in the bar. My new friend was a lightweight and decided to call it a night but not me... I wanted to go see some live music and went to Cafe de Musica but didn't think the vibe was for me. I ended up meeting a couple girls outside that was talking to a local rastafarian looking guy who knew of a local joint so we went with him. I was hesitant to go but the girls really wanted to so I stayed mainly to make sure they were safe, but I was curious too. We ended up in the "hood" at this apartment looking place, went upstairs and I was in heaven. Picture a college house party packed with young local people, no other tourists to be seen. There was a live band which was awesome and the "bar" was selling $1 beers. After awhile, the girls were done but I was having fun so the guy talked me into going out to another local hot spot. We hopped in a cab and drove out of town... we kept driving, and driving and driving. I had enough to drink by this time and I was starting to think WTF was I doing??? Where was this guy taking me? We ended up pulling up to this historic colonial mansion with 50's cars parked all around the yard and street. We walked in and it was like something out of a movie. Spiral staircase inside, jam packed with locals dancing to cuban salsa. We met a group of people and I ended up dancing the night away with a local girl. Usually if you read about tourists dancing with a local girl she's in it only for your money. This wasn't the case as we simply had fun and she never asked me for a thing. Her group of friends which included guys were great as well. Me not speaking spanish, them not speaking english. But we had a great time. The night had to come to an end and I took a cab back to my Casa with the rastafarian guy arriving to my Casa at 4:30am!?! And btw, I'm a happily married guy but was having innocent fun... just dancing. Even told the wife when I got home.
2nd day:
Needless to say I slept in a bit. LOL I got up and wandered around Havana a bit and decided to have lunch on the roof top of the Ambos Mundos hotel where Hemmingway lived for awhile while writing one his books. The sight on the rooftop was great and they had live music. I enjoyed some garlic camerones and proceeded to enjoy a nice cigar with rum for dessert. I then walked over to the LCDH Conde de Villanueva where I met Reynaldo and got some nice custom rolls... not bad sticks for $6.50 each! After walking around a bit more, I went to the Parque Central hotel and went up to the rooftop pool bar to enjoy the sight and enjoy a cigar and beer. Turns out there was a group of people there smoking cigars who I started talking with. I learned they were in town for the Partagas Festival and invited me to sit with them. They have been coming to the Festival for 15 years straight and were from Italy, Greece, France and Belgium. They were such nice people and talked me into going to the opening gala dinner for the Festival. I also learned the festival people gather at the Partagas Factory LCDH shop every morning and invited me to meet them the next day. From there, I ventured over to the El Floridito bar made famous again by Hemmingway and is the birthplace of the daiquiri. So I enjoyed a daiquiri while listening to more great music. After that, I tried finding a Palador (home restaurant) that I read about but could not find. I asked a policeman who ended up walking me to the place, so I thought. Turns out he didn't understand what I meant and walked me to a place he thought was good. Turns out the place he brought me to was such a great looking Palador with great food. He probably got a little kick back from the owners, but it was well worth following him. Night over...
3rd day:
I had a nice breakfast at my Casa and then walked over to the Partagas Factory to meet up with some festival people. The VIP room was full, but not crowded so I could get a seat. I met people from South Africa, Germany, Canada, Japan and some locals. Ajay from the LCDH London shop was there and ended up being a down to earth genuine guy... not the snob that some people would be with the collection that he has. Was the first of a few times I ran across him during the week. Great guy for sure. The South Africa people were regulars at the Festival and were super hospitable sharing fresh rolled Behike 56's with me which was great. Early evening, I made my way to the Hotel Nacional to meet the Canadian group that I knew was gonna be there. After enjoying some nice cigars, drinks and music on the famed viranda, we went out to dinner as a group and I had a great meal with lobster, shrimp, squid in salsa while enjoying local music and company. It wasn't a late night as they all traveled all day and we needed some rest so back to my casa for a good nights sleep.
4th day:
I can't exactly remember the chain of events, but I moved to a different Casa to be closer to the Hotel Nacional. My casa was right on the Malecon which is the main road along the Havana waterfront. The view from my casa was simply amazing with a deck overlooking the ocean. The owners were a married couple in their late 40's and were super hospitable. The guy didn't know any english, but he brought out a bottle of rum and we both sat around enjoying a nice glass communicating the best we could. I met the group back at the Hotel Nacional in the morning to start our day off of visiting the LCDH shops. Our first visit was to the Melia Habana LCDH where Yolanda is the in-house roller. Nino from Germany (and blog fame) was there with his German friends so we all enjoyed some nice espresso and cigars. Yolanda does not speak english so I was bummed not to be able to really sit down and talk with her. I did however go over to talk a bit as an employee translated for us. I asked her what was her favorite cigar that she rolls and she held up the cigar in her hand which was freshly lit. She then proceeded to hand it over to me to try and I was in heaven, what a glorious cigar. It was her Behike 56 size and the flavors were amazing. She smiled when she saw the look in my face enjoying her cigar. Although we couldn't really communicate, we understood each other and she was ever so gracious. I bought some of her custom rolls and her good Piramides broke the bank... coming in at $4.50 a cigar! LOL
We then walked over to the Comodoro Hotel LCDH where Santos is the in house roller. We chatted him up while the group shopped for cigars. I again asked what his favorite cigar was and he said the Robusto so I bought some of those and some Siglo 6 size cigars. Again, expensive prices! LOL We then cabbed it out to Club Habana which used to be an old 4-star hotel right on the beach. Enrique Mons made this LCDH famous and is where you get the famed Monsdale cigar. Of course I had to get some Monsdales and we also found a great stash of aged cigars so I had to get some old banded Cohiba Lanceros and Siglo V's. We had a big group for lunch overlooking the ocean... what a nice afternoon. Our group was about 25 people including people from Australia and Germany. I finally met Rob Ayala from Cigar Czar and he was a great guy to hang out with... a fun guy who was gracious enough to make everyone feel comfortable. After lunch, we made our way to the 5th Avenida LCDH where Carlos Robaina manages. Hirochi was there but we didn't get much time with him as he took off right away. We did more shopping and enjoyed nice cigars and rum there. Then off to the Melia Cohiba hotel LCDH where Miranda is the in-house roller. Of course more custom rolls made their way into my bag and we enjoyed more cigars, espresso, rum and conversation.
I parted way from the group and went off to the Partagas Festival opening dinner gala by myself after trying to convince some of the guys to join me with no success. I showed up and walked in like a VIP getting a swag bag with some Festival cigars among other things. I went to Cuba not thinking I would attend the festival, but as I walked in, I knew I made the right choice as it would be a once in a lifetime experience, possibly. I knew "I arrived" seeing the decorations with Partagas all around and then I ran into the people I met earlier. They took me in like family and I proceeded to get a seat at one of the tables. I sat with a great guy from Ireland and others were from Canada including Amir who just released a book about Partagas which was featured at the recent Habanos Festival. We got some great cigars before dinner and they also dropped off Havana Club rum at all the tables to enjoy. They celebrated the famed roller Cueto and showed a video of him making the world's longest cigar which was very impressive. We then enjoyed a great cuban music show and I was amazed at how good the dancers were... a few of the girls weren't bad on the eyes either. LOL I ended up dancing the night away with my new friends finishing off multiple bottles of rum while enjoying some good Partagas cigars. After the event was over, I made my way back to the Hotel Nacional and enjoyed more cigars and rum with the Canadian group and others. I'm glad I didn't stay in the Hotel Nacional, but wow is it a great place to meet friends, enjoy good cigars and music!
Day 5:
Today was a day I was looking forward to... I was able to tour El Laguito where Cohiba is made. El Laguito is such a "mecca" for cigar enthusiasts as the factory is housed in an old colonial mansion out in the suburbs. One cannot simply walk in for a tour, you need to get lucky to get inside which I did. I was able to tour the entire factory and got to ask any questions afterwards. I found it interesting that all the workers are pretty much family and if/when there are any job openings, current workers recommend their family members. They do not take any rollers from other factories as they prefer to hire newbies and train them the El Laguito way. They said it was 3 years since the last new hires and training session was had. That is why they are known for their quality... later that day, I went to lunch with the Canadians at El Ajibe which is known for their chicken meals. Wow what great food! For the evening, Rob was nice enough to invite some people over to his rental house for drinks, cigars and conversation. Was a great night meeting more people and enjoying the night along the waterfront.
Long time coming for this write up to say the least, and longer post!?! LOL I promised a report but knew it would take me awhile to write it up and post pictures. I'm still learning to adjust to 2 kids and my life has been crazy lately to say the least. I was smoking a good cigar tonight out back listening to some cuban music which inspired me to get off my ass and finally write this. Here is my original post: http://www.botl.org/community/forums/showthread.php/64133-To-the-ISOM!?highlight=
First thing I will say is that the trip exceeded my expectations and I HIGHLY recommend any of you go to Cuba BEFORE the embargo is lifted. Go with a buddy, go with your wife, go by yourself... you don't need to know Spanish and you will have the time of your life! I originally wanted to go when there wasn't any cigar festival going on as I wanted to see Havana during a quiet time and be able to visit the cigar shops and factories without them being jam packed with other cigar enthusiasts and big shots. I wanted time to sit and talk with locals, not be shunned because I wasn't a big-timer in the industry. But knowing some people were going to the Partagas Festival and deciding it would be fun to be there with some other people, I decided to go during the Partagas Festival last Fall and I sure am glad I did! A group of guys were nice enough to let me hang with them during their trip and I had a blast with them visiting shops, going to dinners, enjoying time at someone's rental house, meeting some industry people that were down to earth and meeting plenty of great people that were in town for the Festival from around the world.
Besides just taking in the culture, my main goals in visiting Cuba was to wander around Havana taking in the sights, visiting El Laguito (Cohiba factory) and visiting Finca Robaina out in Pinar del Rio. I did everything I set out to do and I will never forget my time in Cuba and the people I met.
I originally hoped to stay in Havana, the countryside and another town like Trinidad. After my research and talking to others that were going, I knew I didn't have time to visit a 3rd town but thought that would be my next trip's goal. I wanted to stay in Casa Particulares which is the equivalent of a bed and breakfast as I wanted to stay and talk with locals and get some good home cooking... plus the cost is a fraction of staying at a nice hotel. Casa's cost from $25-$35 a night and you get the local culture that you don't get staying in a nice hotel. I researched Casa's where I wanted to stay, got their direct email/phone and contacted them directly to book my nights. I booked a Casa for my first 3 nights in the old town section of Havana which ended up being a great place with a rooftop deck that overlooked Havana. It was within walking distance of all the old town which includes the historic buildings/hotels and a few good LCDH shops like the Conde de Villanueva and the Partagas Factory etc.
1st day:
I landed in Havana and met another tourist at the airport and shared a cab ride into town. He booked a Casa but when we arrived, the area was a dive and he decided to check out my casa to see if they had a room and they did. So we both hit the town and went to El Templete which is a great restaurant in town and enjoyed fresh snapper and some mojitos for dinner. After that, we walked around and went to La Bodeguita del Medio which is the birthplace of the mojito made famous by Ernest Hemmingway. A great cuban band was playing and I bought a nice little Cuaba Divino to enjoy in the bar. My new friend was a lightweight and decided to call it a night but not me... I wanted to go see some live music and went to Cafe de Musica but didn't think the vibe was for me. I ended up meeting a couple girls outside that was talking to a local rastafarian looking guy who knew of a local joint so we went with him. I was hesitant to go but the girls really wanted to so I stayed mainly to make sure they were safe, but I was curious too. We ended up in the "hood" at this apartment looking place, went upstairs and I was in heaven. Picture a college house party packed with young local people, no other tourists to be seen. There was a live band which was awesome and the "bar" was selling $1 beers. After awhile, the girls were done but I was having fun so the guy talked me into going out to another local hot spot. We hopped in a cab and drove out of town... we kept driving, and driving and driving. I had enough to drink by this time and I was starting to think WTF was I doing??? Where was this guy taking me? We ended up pulling up to this historic colonial mansion with 50's cars parked all around the yard and street. We walked in and it was like something out of a movie. Spiral staircase inside, jam packed with locals dancing to cuban salsa. We met a group of people and I ended up dancing the night away with a local girl. Usually if you read about tourists dancing with a local girl she's in it only for your money. This wasn't the case as we simply had fun and she never asked me for a thing. Her group of friends which included guys were great as well. Me not speaking spanish, them not speaking english. But we had a great time. The night had to come to an end and I took a cab back to my Casa with the rastafarian guy arriving to my Casa at 4:30am!?! And btw, I'm a happily married guy but was having innocent fun... just dancing. Even told the wife when I got home.
2nd day:
Needless to say I slept in a bit. LOL I got up and wandered around Havana a bit and decided to have lunch on the roof top of the Ambos Mundos hotel where Hemmingway lived for awhile while writing one his books. The sight on the rooftop was great and they had live music. I enjoyed some garlic camerones and proceeded to enjoy a nice cigar with rum for dessert. I then walked over to the LCDH Conde de Villanueva where I met Reynaldo and got some nice custom rolls... not bad sticks for $6.50 each! After walking around a bit more, I went to the Parque Central hotel and went up to the rooftop pool bar to enjoy the sight and enjoy a cigar and beer. Turns out there was a group of people there smoking cigars who I started talking with. I learned they were in town for the Partagas Festival and invited me to sit with them. They have been coming to the Festival for 15 years straight and were from Italy, Greece, France and Belgium. They were such nice people and talked me into going to the opening gala dinner for the Festival. I also learned the festival people gather at the Partagas Factory LCDH shop every morning and invited me to meet them the next day. From there, I ventured over to the El Floridito bar made famous again by Hemmingway and is the birthplace of the daiquiri. So I enjoyed a daiquiri while listening to more great music. After that, I tried finding a Palador (home restaurant) that I read about but could not find. I asked a policeman who ended up walking me to the place, so I thought. Turns out he didn't understand what I meant and walked me to a place he thought was good. Turns out the place he brought me to was such a great looking Palador with great food. He probably got a little kick back from the owners, but it was well worth following him. Night over...
3rd day:
I had a nice breakfast at my Casa and then walked over to the Partagas Factory to meet up with some festival people. The VIP room was full, but not crowded so I could get a seat. I met people from South Africa, Germany, Canada, Japan and some locals. Ajay from the LCDH London shop was there and ended up being a down to earth genuine guy... not the snob that some people would be with the collection that he has. Was the first of a few times I ran across him during the week. Great guy for sure. The South Africa people were regulars at the Festival and were super hospitable sharing fresh rolled Behike 56's with me which was great. Early evening, I made my way to the Hotel Nacional to meet the Canadian group that I knew was gonna be there. After enjoying some nice cigars, drinks and music on the famed viranda, we went out to dinner as a group and I had a great meal with lobster, shrimp, squid in salsa while enjoying local music and company. It wasn't a late night as they all traveled all day and we needed some rest so back to my casa for a good nights sleep.
4th day:
I can't exactly remember the chain of events, but I moved to a different Casa to be closer to the Hotel Nacional. My casa was right on the Malecon which is the main road along the Havana waterfront. The view from my casa was simply amazing with a deck overlooking the ocean. The owners were a married couple in their late 40's and were super hospitable. The guy didn't know any english, but he brought out a bottle of rum and we both sat around enjoying a nice glass communicating the best we could. I met the group back at the Hotel Nacional in the morning to start our day off of visiting the LCDH shops. Our first visit was to the Melia Habana LCDH where Yolanda is the in-house roller. Nino from Germany (and blog fame) was there with his German friends so we all enjoyed some nice espresso and cigars. Yolanda does not speak english so I was bummed not to be able to really sit down and talk with her. I did however go over to talk a bit as an employee translated for us. I asked her what was her favorite cigar that she rolls and she held up the cigar in her hand which was freshly lit. She then proceeded to hand it over to me to try and I was in heaven, what a glorious cigar. It was her Behike 56 size and the flavors were amazing. She smiled when she saw the look in my face enjoying her cigar. Although we couldn't really communicate, we understood each other and she was ever so gracious. I bought some of her custom rolls and her good Piramides broke the bank... coming in at $4.50 a cigar! LOL
We then walked over to the Comodoro Hotel LCDH where Santos is the in house roller. We chatted him up while the group shopped for cigars. I again asked what his favorite cigar was and he said the Robusto so I bought some of those and some Siglo 6 size cigars. Again, expensive prices! LOL We then cabbed it out to Club Habana which used to be an old 4-star hotel right on the beach. Enrique Mons made this LCDH famous and is where you get the famed Monsdale cigar. Of course I had to get some Monsdales and we also found a great stash of aged cigars so I had to get some old banded Cohiba Lanceros and Siglo V's. We had a big group for lunch overlooking the ocean... what a nice afternoon. Our group was about 25 people including people from Australia and Germany. I finally met Rob Ayala from Cigar Czar and he was a great guy to hang out with... a fun guy who was gracious enough to make everyone feel comfortable. After lunch, we made our way to the 5th Avenida LCDH where Carlos Robaina manages. Hirochi was there but we didn't get much time with him as he took off right away. We did more shopping and enjoyed nice cigars and rum there. Then off to the Melia Cohiba hotel LCDH where Miranda is the in-house roller. Of course more custom rolls made their way into my bag and we enjoyed more cigars, espresso, rum and conversation. I parted way from the group and went off to the Partagas Festival opening dinner gala by myself after trying to convince some of the guys to join me with no success. I showed up and walked in like a VIP getting a swag bag with some Festival cigars among other things. I went to Cuba not thinking I would attend the festival, but as I walked in, I knew I made the right choice as it would be a once in a lifetime experience, possibly. I knew "I arrived" seeing the decorations with Partagas all around and then I ran into the people I met earlier. They took me in like family and I proceeded to get a seat at one of the tables. I sat with a great guy from Ireland and others were from Canada including Amir who just released a book about Partagas which was featured at the recent Habanos Festival. We got some great cigars before dinner and they also dropped off Havana Club rum at all the tables to enjoy. They celebrated the famed roller Cueto and showed a video of him making the world's longest cigar which was very impressive. We then enjoyed a great cuban music show and I was amazed at how good the dancers were... a few of the girls weren't bad on the eyes either. LOL I ended up dancing the night away with my new friends finishing off multiple bottles of rum while enjoying some good Partagas cigars. After the event was over, I made my way back to the Hotel Nacional and enjoyed more cigars and rum with the Canadian group and others. I'm glad I didn't stay in the Hotel Nacional, but wow is it a great place to meet friends, enjoy good cigars and music!
Day 5:
Today was a day I was looking forward to... I was able to tour El Laguito where Cohiba is made. El Laguito is such a "mecca" for cigar enthusiasts as the factory is housed in an old colonial mansion out in the suburbs. One cannot simply walk in for a tour, you need to get lucky to get inside which I did. I was able to tour the entire factory and got to ask any questions afterwards. I found it interesting that all the workers are pretty much family and if/when there are any job openings, current workers recommend their family members. They do not take any rollers from other factories as they prefer to hire newbies and train them the El Laguito way. They said it was 3 years since the last new hires and training session was had. That is why they are known for their quality... later that day, I went to lunch with the Canadians at El Ajibe which is known for their chicken meals. Wow what great food! For the evening, Rob was nice enough to invite some people over to his rental house for drinks, cigars and conversation. Was a great night meeting more people and enjoying the night along the waterfront.
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