It was Monday morning, just a few hours before the official start of the XXV Habano Festival and the preliminary round of the Habanos World Challenge, in which I was competing as part of Kuwait’s team.

For those unfamiliar, the Habano Festival is an annual five-day celebration held in Havana at the end of February. Around 1,500 guests enjoy gala dinners featuring new releases and brand anniversaries, tours of plantations and factories, a vibrant trade fair where manufacturers present their latest products, seminars on Havana cigars, and pairing sessions.

The festival also hosts the final round the Habanos World Challenge. In this finale, teams from around the world demonstrate their mastery of Havana cigars in four challenges: cutting and lighting, pairing proposals, a knowledge test, and a blind tasting. The two highest-scoring teams advance to the grand finale.

After a final rehearsal, we arrived early at the Palco Hotel and the Havana International Conference Center, where the contest would take place. With two hours to spare, we wandered through the trade fair and visited La Casa del Habano. It had a sizable collection consisting mostly of ultra-premium lines, similar to the other La Casa locations in the city.

By 11:30 a.m. we were standing outside Room 3, where the preliminary round would be held, surrounded by friends whose support I will always cherish. Feelings of excitement, anticipation, and nerves washed over me, though I tried to stay composed.

As anyone who’s visited Cuba knows, punctuality isn’t the country’s strong suit. After a long wait, we finally began, with the esteemed judges greeting the audience and explaining the challenge.

A random draw set the presentation order among the six competing teams: Kuwait, Cuba, Poland, Spain, Curaçao, and Colombia. Luck placed us fourth, which meant a longer wait than I had anticipated.

Finally, four hours later, we were called in to present. The relief of leaving that waiting room washed away my worries, and I emerged calm and ready to take on the first phase of the preliminary round.

Phase One: Cutting and Lighting and Habanos Moment

In the cutting and lighting challenge, each teammate cuts a cigar and, after comparing the two cuts, the pair chooses the better one to present to the judges. The teammate whose cut is not selected then lights that cigar. The entire process must be completed within ten minutes.

Taher always cuts with machine-like precision, and his cut that day was clearly better than mine, so I handled the lighting. Because the cigar had a large ring gauge, lighting felt as if it took forever. I kept the flame at about a forty-five-degree angle so I would not scorch the edges. Weeks of practice and no caffeine shakes helped a lot. We handed the cigar to the jury feeling good about our performance.

That set the stage for our Habanos Moment, where each team picks a Habano from a list provided earlier, pairs it with a beverage, and delivers a short act that covers cigar details, brand history, special releases, and the reasoning behind the pairing.

This part of the contest draws the most attention. Teams usually present their Habanos Moment by performing a short act to entertain both the audience and the judges. I am not a big fan of the over-the-top style that has become the norm, but I understand its appeal.

We chose the Quai d’Orsay No. 54 because the brand has, in my opinion, the most fascinating story among the twenty-seven Habanos brands. For the pairing, we chose Arabic coffee and dates, an unusual choice for a cigar typically paired with Champagne. There is not much literature on non-alcoholic pairings, but we made it work with the help of our friends and mentors.

We tested many blends before settling on a light roast of Ethiopian Harari beans, blended with Indian cardamom, and Persian saffron. It paired beautifully with the cigar. For dates, we chose dried Sukkari from Al Qassim because their low sugar content does not overpower the cigar.

Our act opened with a short, light-hearted video to set the tone. No matter how well-prepared and confident you are, life will throw you some surprises on stage to keep things interesting. First, the headset microphones were uncomfortable and hard to adjust, which was distracting. Then the thing I feared most actually happened: we mixed up our lines.

My heart sank, but thankfully we regained our rhythm almost immediately. We kept our composure, covered everything, and delivered the presentation with confidence. It was not flawless, but it was genuine, and sometimes that matters more.

As someone who often imagines worst-case scenarios, I had mentally prepared for every disaster: tripping on stage, forgetting lines, spilling coffee. That kind of thinking helps you stay sharp, but it can also drain your energy. In the end, the worst rarely happens, and it is better to focus on what could go right instead.

I returned to my seat feeling victorious and full of relief and pride. Friends who had stayed the entire day to support us greeted us warmly. That moment will always stay with me.

The 150th Romeo y Julieta Welcome Evening

After a long and stressful day, it was time for our first dinner party in Havana: the Welcome Evening dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Romeo y Julieta brand at the legendary El Laguito factory.

I had bought all my gala outfits before traveling to Cuba: a white linen suit for this event, a regular suit for the Upmann gala, and a tuxedo for the Behike gala. I wasn’t comfortable in Western formalwear, especially given my size, nor was I ready to invest in a tailored suit I might not wear again. I slipped a nice thoub into my suitcase, unsure if I’d wear it, but I felt comforted just having it there.

I was a little hesitant at first because I didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention, but eventually I took my chances and chose to wear it. Thankfully, it was warmly received. Some guests stopped for photos or a quick chat, and most importantly, I felt at ease in familiar clothing.

As for the party itself, it fell below expectations largely due to weather. Heavy rain throughout the day forced them to move everything to an indoor venue ill-suited for the 1,200 guests. It was crowded and poorly ventilated. We made our exit after barely an hour before heading to my beloved Casa Italia for another memorable dinner.

I returned to the hotel with the biggest smile on my face. I had presented on a world stage, worn my national attire with pride, and shared the day with people who gave up other plans to support us. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish.

Click here to read part five of the series.