2nd German competition for the "Habanos Champion" in Wendorf
On November 19, 2022, the German "Habanos Champion" was chosen for the second time. For this, 25 aficionados met at the Schlosshotel Wendorf in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The event was sponsored by 5TH Avenue, the organizer was once again Gerhard Heimsath of "Art of Smoke".
Four teams, each consisting of two participants, faced the challenging competition. A total of four tasks had to be mastered: By means of a questionnaire, theoretical knowledge about Habanos was first asked. In the second part, a Habano had to be recognized blindly. The third part of the competition was about cigar service, i.e. the careful cutting and lighting of a cigar. Finally, a Habano had to be presented in a pairing with a self-selected drink as a perfect combination.
The jury, consisting of Katja Gnann, editor-in-chief of "Cigar Journal", Hartmut Tschetschorke, multiple "Habanos expert" and German champion in "slow smoking" and Claudia Puszkar-Vetter, expert in the history of Habanos brands and factories, evaluated the individual performances in detail.
In the end, two teams could be named "Habanos Champions": the team Marcel Lindemann and Dirk Rehder and the team Andreas Hilmer and Daniel Bretschneider. Marcel Lindemann and Dirk Rehder were the winners of the competition on points.
As last year, the fitting backdrop for this challenging competition was the cigar-friendly Schlosshotel Wendorf. In the adjacent restaurant "Cheval Blanc" the evening ended with the enjoyment of an autumnal menu, matching wines and spirits and fine Habanos.
Next year, during the "Festival del Habano", the international competition "Habanos World Challenge" will be held again. Teams from different countries will compete against each other there. Marcel Lindemann and his brother Daniel, who together won the German "Habanos Champion" competition in 2021, will also be taking part.
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