Organizers eventually raked in 805,000 euros out of half a dozen lots of Cuban premium cigars during the closing event of the 12th Habano Festival attended by 1,800 people from 70 countries.

In a night marked by ultimate smoke rings, spiced up with the presentation of the new Cohiba Behike, the most exclusive line ever launched by Habanos S.A., the event wound down in the wee hours of the morning at the PABEXPO Fairgrounds in the nation’s capital with a bidding war for both humidors and the finest Cuban cigars.

Of all the lots sold under the gavel, the most remarkable one was number 6, the Cohiba Humidor, built by Cuban artisan Jose Ernesto Aguilera and featuring two piers and 350 habanos, including the brand’s flagship vitolas and the newcomer, the Behike.

This piece was sold to Spain’s Javier Estades for 400,000 euros. The first lot, the 225-habano H. Upmann Humidor from the name-like brand, was bought by Dag Holmboe, a distributor from the Pacific Cigar firm in the Asia-Pacific area, for 55,000 euros.

The second lot –the 200-habano Hoyo de Monterrey Humidor from that same brand- was shared by Urs Portmann from Switzerland and Marc Portmann from Liechtenstein, for a final price tag of 100,000 euros.

The third lot was a Romeo y Julieta Humidor featuring a Giorgio Gucci purse and containing 275 habanos from that brand. It went to Damian Martinez from de Guatemala for 75,000 euros.

The fourth lot –a Partagas Humidor with 225 habanos and an exclusive Mas La Plana big bottle- was sold for 65,000 euros, while the fifth lot –a 300-habano Montecristo humidor- was purchased for 110,000 euros by China’s Janis Wong.

Like in previous years, Great Britain’s Simon Chase acted as auctioneer and the totality of the funds raised were donated to Cuba’s healthcare system.

Despite getting or not one of the humidors that were up for grabs, habano lovers believe the mere fact of attending the bidding as a memorable moment, especially for the exquisite dinner, the superb beverages and the chance to puff on some of the most exclusive and best-known Cuban habanos, like the recently-unveiled Cohiba Behike.