It was not possible to organize the event in Havana, where it generated more than $18 million in 2025.
14ymedio, Madrid, November 11, 2026 – Habanos has had to travel a long way, all the way to Macao, to preserve the aura of luxury surrounding one of the main events of the traditional Habanos Festival: the humidor auction. It has been the central event of the annual program since 1999, where it is customary to watch wealthy collectors offer outrageous sums for humidors that have sold for as much as 4.6 million euros, a historical record set at the 2025 edition, which supposedly goes to the Public Health System.
The Habanos Festival was supposed to have taken place in late February in the Cuban capital, but it was postponed, initially without a date, in order to maintain the event’s “highest standards of quality and experience.” Amid prolonged blackouts, severely reduced international flights, and the worst socioeconomic conditions in recent years, the company confirmed in July that the event would not be held in 2026.
Nevertheless, the auction gala will finally take place this Friday, November 13, in Macao, bringing to auction three luxurious humidors that had been left waiting in Havana and one created specifically for the event in the former Portuguese colony, which has been the gambling capital of the world since its incorporation into China in 1999. “With the Festival canceled this year, Habanos looked for the best arrangement that would allow it to hold its traditional charity auction and ultimately chose Asia,” Samuel Lin, CEO of Madison Auction, which is organizing the gala, told the specialized website L’Amateur de Cigar.
Nevertheless, the auction gala will finally take place this Friday, November 13, in Macao, bringing to auction three luxurious humidors that had been left waiting in Havana
“Macao was chosen because it is an important market for Pacific Cigar Company, the official distributor of Habanos S.A. in Asia and therefore for Habanos,” said Dag Holmboe, CEO of that company. Lin added that, because of the tight deadlines, the decision was made to organize the event in that region rather than in Hong Kong, where the distributor’s headquarters and the auction house are located, but where the agenda is more crowded.
The businessman warned that it is possible to participate both in person and online. “I believe that more than 300 people have registered to be able to bid online. It is a charity sale, with no reserve price and no buyer’s fee,” he added, saying that he hopes the prices will be “as high as possible.”
The report provides exhaustive descriptions of the humidors. The first is a tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Diplomáticos brand, created in 1966, and contains 160 cigars with different bands of the brand. The second celebrates the 90th anniversary of Rafael González, the brand founded in 1936, and is a piece in black and gold containing 190 cigars. The third, in white, gold, and green, is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Cuaba, launched in 1996, and containing 300 Habanos cigars.
As for the piece designed specifically for the Macao dinner, it is centered on San Luis Rey, which will present San Luis Rey Palatinos that evening, with a cigar band created for La Casa del Habano and Especialistas en Habanos franchises. It will be unveiled at the gala dinner, which will be attended by approximately 550 guests. This humidor contains 250 cigars, including 50 of the new Palatinos.
The decision to turn to Asia also confirms the extent to which that market has become the epicenter of the luxury associated with the brand, and comes in a particularly difficult year for Habanos S.A. The joint venture has been seriously harmed by its connection to Chen Zhi, the Chinese-Cambodian tycoon who acquired the cigar business from Imperial Tobacco, the British partner of the Cuban state-owned company, which holds 50% of the capital in Habanos S.A.
The millionaire used Cuban cigars as a means of gaining access to high society in Britain, where he was eager to fit in. To achieve this, he not only purchased part of the company but also exerted influence to position the product in Asia’s ultra-luxury segment, doubling the usual prices of Habanos cigars. This strategy, combined with the widespread crisis on the Island, has led to a decline in European markets, which have sought alternatives in other countries in the region.
A significant part of the damage is also due to Chen’s legal troubles. He was arrested in China and accused of serious crimes by the United States and the United Kingdom, resulting in sanctions in the West. As a consequence, most European countries have had to sever ties with the tycoon’s companies, including Simply Advanced Limited, through which he controlled nearly one-third of the shares in Habanos S.A., or maintain constant scrutiny of their operations to prevent money from tobacco sales from ending up in the Chinese-Cambodian businessman’s pockets. The legal and sanctions-related entanglement further worsens the situation of the Cuban joint venture.
At the most recent edition of the Habanos Festival, held in February 2025, the seven humidors put up for auction reached a combined total of 16.41 million euros (more than $18 million), including the Cohiba Behike humidor, which currently holds the all-time record.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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