It is easy to see why Cuba and especially Havana became a man's playground during the decades preceding the Revolution. Classic Cars, lively Bars and quality Rum and Cigars attracted the showbiz elite and mafia of old. Cuba and Havana became international symbols of decadent pleasure. To an extent the dollar tourist is able to sample a little of that high life today and no trip to Cuba would be complete without sampling a little of what is on offer.

Bars & Drinks

There are some of the most famous bars in the world in Havana, most of them drinking haunts of the American writer Ernest Hemingway and his showbiz pals. Check out the Bodeguita del Medio near the Cathedral or El Floridita also in Havana. Cuba is famous for it's rum so hence all of the home grown cocktails are rum based creations. The most famous and both Hemingway tipples are the Mojito (rum, lemon juice, sugar, soda, mint leaf & ice) and the Daiquiri (rum, lemon juice, sugar, maraschino & crushed ice) Another classic is the Cuba Libre a mix of rum, coke and ice. Surprisingly Cuba also makes its own tasty beers. Cristal Beer is the most common and is a light, tasty, crisp beer with around 4-5% alcohol content. For those who like their beers stronger there is Bucanero Beer and Mayabe Beer both with around a 6% alcohol content. The most popular brand of rum (ron) in Cuba is Havana Club Rum and it is about a third of the price you would pay for it at home. It is a sweet and spicey rum made from Cuban sugar cane. It comes in three categories:

Carta Blanca (white) - Tres Anos (three years)
Oro (gold) - Cinco Anos (five years)
Anejo (dark) - Siete Anos (seven years)

Cigars

Thanks to an ideal climate and hundreds of years of expertise in cultivating tobacco, Cuba produces the world's finest cigars. The big fat Cuban Cigar is a part of the Cuban identity along with rum and salsa music. The Havana Cigar is world renowned and one of Cuba's chief exports along with sugar, rum and coffee. The most famous brands include Cohiba (named after the Taino Indian word for tobacco), Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta. Fidel Castro himself enjoyed his Cohiba until he gave up smoking in the 80s explaining "They're good for the country, but not so good for my health!" Cigar lengths vary from around 4 to 9 inches with thicker cigars being fuller flavoured and smoother. They come in mild to strong strengths and I would recommend a quality medium strength cigar such as a Romeo y Julieta No.2 for the first time traveller. These are smooth as silk but with a body full of taste. Please be aware that the black market in counterfeit cigars is rife in Cuba. A box purchased on the street may look like the real thing at a bargain price, but the chances are they are most likely made with inferior quality tobacco. It is best to buy from an official shop, such as the ones at the cigar factories, where prices will be higher but still only a third of the price you would pay at home. At least you know you are buying the 'real deal'
If you get the chance to check the contents of a box before you purchase make sure that:

a) all of the cigars are of a similar colour (the darker they are the stronger the flavour)
b) if you squeeze them they spring back into shape and don't crackle

The best tobacco comes from the Pinar del Rio province on the western tip of the island. The best rollers known as Torcedores can produce up to 150 cigars a day and are allowed to smoke as many cigars as they like on the job! Before the cigars can leave a factory, tasters known as Catadores smoke random samples from the batches.

THE ART OF THE CIGAR ROLLER

"I drink a good deal, sleep little, and smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in 200 percent shape."
Winston Churchill who now has Havana cigars named after him.

 

Classic Cars

One of the eternal images of modern day Cuba is the picture postcard classic American car cruising the streets. There are thousands of big old Buicks, Chevys, Chryslers and Fords in Cuba. Since the US trade embargo began in 1961 no new American cars have made their way to the island. The only other cars that share the road with these 40s and 50s American Classics are the boxy Russian Ladas of more recent times. However since the collapse of the Soviet Union Ladas have become a lot more difficult to get hold of. The ingenuity of the Cuban mechanics who keep their American gas-guzzlers on the road is remarkable. With back seats big enough for six, leather interiors and jazzy two-tone colour schemes, they represent some of the most powerful cars ever produced by the US auto-mobile industry. They add to the 'living museum' tag that Cuba has obtained. To see one of these vehicles proudly gleaming next to the faded elegance of colonial architecture is what makes Cuba so different and yet so fascinating. Many of them now serve as taxi cabs for the tourists. Be warned though that although most are in good shape, some could be described as 'sorry heaps of metal' not held together with much at all .. other than pride!

PICK A CAR FROM SOME OF MY PHOTOS.