NO 520 Industria Street may not sound like the most evocative or romantic of addresses, but, to cigar lovers the world over, it has the resonance of Tower Bridge, the Taj Mahal and la tour Eiffel. It is, of course, the home of Partagás or, at least, it was. Back in the middle of the 2010s, production moved to what had been the El Rey del Mundo factory when I first visited it, in a warren of streets in Central Havana near the Romeo y Julieta factory.
Although the building no longer made cigars, it continued to sell them at the sprawling cigar shop. However, in 2020, at the height of the covid pandemic, this, too, closed and has now reopened at a very convenient location in the old town, roughly equidistant from the Kempinski hotel and the famous Floridita, creating a perfect golden triangle of hospitality, cigars and cocktails.
The old building is still just about standing, across the street from the back door of the Cuban Capitol. If the Capitol is a gleaming edifice of bright stone, with a gilded cupola that seems to glow, however, the Partagás building looks at best dishevelled and at worst downright dangerous. When I drove past in February, even the black-market cigar vendors that used to cluster outside had relocated. Partagás is more than a building, no matter how historic, so I was reassured and happy to find that the 23rd festival of Havana cigars was devoted to the marque.
Denne historien er fra March 29, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 29, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
