AIN

Renowned Cuban cigar roller, Jose Castelar Cayro (Cueto), has received a certificate recognizing a Guinness record for the longest cigar in the world, at 20.41 meters.

Cueto established his latest record last year, 2005, during the Habano Festival that takes place every year in the Cuban capital.

Cueto had previously established two marks in the famous record book when he rolled a 11.04 meters Havana cigar in 2000. Later, in 2003, he broke his own record with a cigar 14.86 meters long.

The expert cigar maker received the award during a non-competitive event for cigar rollers at the 8th Festival of Habano 2006 concluding, March 3, at the Havana Convention Center.

During this year’s contest four Cuban cigar rollers from the El Laguito cigar factory had to produce two types of cigars of the emblematic Cohiba brand: Siglo VI and Lancero.

An experienced jury evaluated the skills of the rollers and, among other aspects, the elegance of these Cuban Premium cigars. Expert cigar roller Ana Isel Mederos won the contest with 96.2 points.

The event was attended by most of the 1,200 guests from 60 countries participating in the festival. Cuban Premium hand-rolled cigars include 28 brands and over 220 bands marketed in more than 120 countries in all five continents.

This year’s festival marks four decades since the creation of the Cohiba brand, which is the most prestigious in the island. It also celebrated the 131st anniversary of the Romeo and Juliet brand.