Competitors Challenged Gravity in Contest for the Longest Ash

A genuine challenge to the laws of gravity is what the contest to get the longest cigar ash actually was, held for the first time within the framework of the Habano Festival.

Smokers and aficionados lit up their cigars with enthusiasm, Sir Winston vitolas, Julieta No. 2 format from the H. Upmann brand (ring gauge 48 x 178 mm long), hoping to come out a winner at the end of the day.

“Let’s make it a challenge for everyone. Let’s see how long the habano ash can get,” said Vladimir Andino, assistant director of Tabacuba Co., before the start of the competition.

While jurors were checking on the burning ashes and taking measures of those who had finished, attendees were rooting and cheering for the ones still standing. In the meantime, guests listened to a master lecture entitled “Elements that Play a Role in Habano Burning,” by Vladimir Andino and Luis Felipe Milanes, also assistant director of Tabacuba Company.

“If a cigar doesn’t burn, it gives the smoker no satisfaction at all,” Mr. Andino said as he recalled that cigar burning depends on the leaf’s chemical elements, chipped in by the soil, the water, the fertilizers, the weather and manmade actions full of care and experience.

Following the final tally of the ashes, the winner of the contest to get the longest ash in the 16th Habano Festival will be trumpeted today.