PRO CIGAR FESTIVAL 2010, DAY THREE: THE FINAL DAY, by Gary J. Arzt
Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 2:55PM Santiago, DR…20 February…This has been a superb rendition what Pro Cigar created in 2008. That was the year of the first Pro Cigar Festival. Since then Catherine Llibre and her associates at Pro Cigar have been adding new aspects and tweaking the formula. But, while the excitement of different aspects of the Festival never fails to enthrall; their first effort, in ’08 was spot on. It is worth remembering that these women have full-time jobs at TabaDom Holdings (Davidoff).
So it was that this year’s event, the third Festival resembled perfection. Cigars and cigars and cigars; cigar makers and cigar makers – the best the Dominican Republic has to offer. Evening galas at venues new and old, but decorated so as to be unrecognizable. The food, the music, the entertainments were all terrific.
Visit cigar factories, coffee plantations, a brewery – Presidente, of course. Visit a chocolate factory. Spend a day in Santiago, viewing things cultural and artistic. The programme has something for everyone.
Friday was a one event day for many of us. The 9:30 AM gathering at MATASA, the enterprise owned by the Quesada family. We were assembled here for the unveiling of a line extension to the Quesada brand. The brand itself was created to commemorate thirty-five years of cigar making (1974 – 2009), and was the first to carry the family name.
Fonseca and Casa Magna are the best known brands from MATASA prior to the creation of Quesada 35th. That cigar, the first to bear the family name is now joined by a cigar with a truly distinguished pedigree and, the second creation of the group of cousins that Manolo Quesada refers to as “…the young ones.”
Friday we witnessed the second act of the Quesada 5th Generation: the launch of Quesada Tributo, tribute in Spanish. It is, a name we had heard, but “tribute” to whom, we had not been told.
After a delightful excursion into blending, in which we sampled little cigars of only one designated tobacco, we were ready to smoke the Tributo, which had been provided to each of us.
The Tributo was dedicated to the four men who had led, taught and are no longer with us. Grandfather Manolin Quesada was the precursor of it all. Uncle Alvaro, cousin Alvarito and business associate and mentor to the 5th generation – Julio Fajardo. The later three passing away in the shocking crash of the corporate airplane.
That was in 2002, and as you will hear in the video interview of the 5th generation, it took eight years before they could even unveil the portraits that had been painted so long ago.
The audience, aside from attendees to the Festival and press, included the widows and relatives of the late members of the Quesada family. Not to be excluded, nor neglected, on this momentous occasion, the whole MATASA family was present for the ceremony.
The presentation, which moved speakers Patricia and Raquel Quesada to tears, as it did all the other family members, and even a tear to the eye yours truly, was eloquent, respectful and, most of all meaningful.
I went with the ‘young ones’ to do our video interview. I wanted to try something new. I threw out one question and let a discussion, among them ensue. I’m very pleased with it. I hope you’ll be as well.
We lunched at Barbetto, a favourite of the Quesada clan, and understandably so. Dining out of doors, we were able to enjoy the cigars we received on our visit to MATASA.
After lunch we returned to the Almirante to spend a relaxed afternoon smoking and drinking at the pool bar – it was preferable to the delightful smoking area in the Parking Garage.
As David Savona noted, his smoked was interrupted every fifteen minutes to deliver a guest’s car to the front of the hotel!
The Closing Gala was held at the Centro Espana…a private club in Santiago that is home to some of, if not all of, the first families of the Dominican Republic.
The venue is familiar to those of us, who have attended in ’08 and ’09, but the theme and décor always change and that makes it all fresh and new.
The food, as always, through three (3) of these dinners, was excellent. The drinks, wine, beer flowed as fast as you wanted it to; but this was not the after party. This was the closing gala and auction. Here, many people would say their ‘good byes’ to some that they might not see for another year.
My friend, Gabriel Estrada, who owns two Davidoff shops in Buenos Aires, and I are perfect examples of the phenomena. We met in 1997 at a cigar event in Havana. We reconnected at Pro Cigar ’08 and have seen each other each year since. We enjoy each other’s company; we laugh, talk cigars and at the end of the festival…we go our separate ways. An occasional e-mail might ensue.
So it is with many of us. This time, however; I promised I would be in Buenos Aires in May; and I fully intend to be there.
That said, the evening, along with the second charity auction progressed and ended with dancing and our good byes.
Another remarkable three days steeped in cigars, tobacco and Dominican culture. For myself, I begin to speculate on how they can possibly top this year’s festival!
Photographed as they unveiled the portraits are Jose Manuel “Blondey” Bermudez, Patricia Quesada. Hostos Fernandez Quesada, Esther Quesada, Terrence “TJ” Reilly and Raquel Quesada.
The photo is courtesy of Reinhold Widmayer, editor of European Cigar Cult Journal. Being an editor, not a photographer, he managed to center the shot so as to cut out the portrait of Julio! Thank you, Reinhold.
Reader Comments (1)
What a great and meaningful experience! Nice coverage Gary, thanks for helping to put it all into perspective.