The Making of A Jar

This jar has been really a long time in the “making” – and then twice ..

My good friend and Partagas passionate Frank asked me already a year ago about having the replica Partagas jar ordered in Havana.

Despite my best efforts it was impossible to do via mail and I couldn’t find Ramon to personally deliver the order.

This time it looked bad again, as he was nowhere to be found – until with a little help from a friend I caught up with Ramon at a Tertulia held in honour of, among others, Enrique Mons who has retired from the Club Habana Casa.

There at the Hotel Florida I filled out the order form, repeatedly advised about the jar bearing the word Afficionado with two F’s, paid and hoped it would be ready for the upcoming Festival in 2013 so Frank would have a good reason to fly in and pick it up.

A week later I received the call from Ramon that the jar was ready for pick-up.

Hey, must have been Partagas Encuentro week for them to get the ceramic oven going full swing !

As I stayed around the corner from Ramon in Miramar, I hopped into my car and picked up the jar.

Fortunately I opened the box to have it checked before I left his studio.

Guess what, someone must have thought he had to correct this crazy Spaniard’s “faulty” Spanish and cancelled the extra F.

Freaking well done !

Everyone is a freaking Aficionado – but there is only one Afficionado.

I was not going to accept any freaking F less on that jar.

So it was : do it again, Sam.

Two days before my return, the freaking F was added and burned into the jar.

It’s in good hands now waiting in Havana for a pick up.

Nino