Smoking a cigar with an iconic Cuban Revolution Commander – Updated with photographs
1 Dec
Melia Cohiba, La Habana, 30.10.2012
Dinner Club de Amigos
Dir.Gen. Hotel Melia Cohiba / Dir. HSA Sr Buenaventura
Speaker : Dr Luis Sorinas
1x H.Upmann Connossieur Nr 1 ( Hermoso Nr 4 )
1x Special custom rolled Habano – smoked it at a later date and it was magnificient !
Themes : 520 yrs discovery of America and Tobacco, Hatuey beer, Bacardi, H.Upmann cigars.
Very interesting & insightful talk by Dr Luis Sorinas on many themes related to cigars, history and Cuba.
Appetizer : Cod (Bacalao) – Wine : Sauvignon Blanc from Chile
Entrée : Slices of beef – Wine : Red Australian Shiraz & Cab Sauv.
Dessert : Coconut cake – delicious.
Sitting at my table and providing a few hours of unrivalled conversation, poems and historical insight was an imposing figure wearing a gallon hat and clearly enjoying the evening.
One of the last three surviving “Comandantes de la Revolucion”, the highest possible title and rank in Cuba, Sr Agustin Diaz Artaya or rather : Comandante, as we addressed him.
He was one of the attackers of the Moncada barracks, imprisoned for 3 ½ years and tortured at the Island of Pines, composer of the hymn of the “26 July Movement”, and renowned but not much published writer and poet in Cuba.
http://www.ecured.cu/index.php/Agust%C3%ADn_D%C3%ADaz_Cartaya
http://www.bohemia.cu/moncada/relatos_combatientes/relatos1.htm
A good smoker and lover of the white wine, he regaled us with some of his poems and philosophical insights on Cuban, socialist and world history, while another interesting Cuban guest, Hector, a photographer, gave us the real story on Korda’s famous and iconic picture of Che, he was the last to portrait Korda in Cuba before his death in Paris.
We finished the evening with the fantastic Ron Caney Centenario which can rival my beloved Santiago.
Nino
