The Contest All Want to Win

Q & A WITH RAFFI DER GARABEDIAN AND ALEXIS TSIELEPIS, WINNERS OF THE FIRST HABANOS WORLD CHALLENGE

The Habanos World Challenge had its big break and is here to stay. The quick-on-the-trigger competition pits couples against one another in a bid to show off who the most knowledgeable people are as far as Habanos, the finest premium cigars on the face of the planet, really are.

The second edition is in the works now and the winning duet of the inaugural contest –Raffi Der Garabedian and Alexis Tsielepis from Cyprus- sat down with Excelencias magazine to talk about their experience and the thrill of walking out of the opening Habanos World Challenge with the big prize.

Compared to the traditional Habano Sommelier contest, the Habanos World Challenge seems to be a more relaxed and laidback way to show your knowledge on the world’s top premium cigars. Do you feel the same way about this competition?

We would certainly not use the words “laidback” or “relaxed” to describe what we went through from the start of the competition in Cyprus right up until the end of the final in Cuba. Both of us are not in the habit of entering a competition without doing our best to succeed! So, we both spent almost all of our time in Havana studying hard, preparing diligently, practicing nonstop and, of course, analyzing and smoking a large number and variety of vitolas, in view of the competition.

Looking back, we feel immensely glad that we have gone through this experience. We increased our knowledge tremendously and are better able to enjoy our special Habanos moments!

How does it feel to be the winners of the inaugural Habanos World Challenge?

We are immensely proud! Not only for our achievement in being the world champions, but also of representing our beautiful island of Cyprus. The support of our friends who were present during the final round was tremendous, as were the messages of congratulations that were pouring for several days after the event. Needless to say, when we were announced as the winners, adrenaline and emotions ran very high.

You came down to the final stretch of the contest to square off against a couple of Cuban women (Daylin Lopez and Mayli Mostaza) as direct competitors. How tough was that final round against these two Cuban connoisseurs?

We had the pleasure of seeing Daylin's and Mayli's presentation during the first round of the competition, which was fantastic. It was creative, dynamic and showed incredible knowledge. So, we knew that the final round would be very tough, against two formidable opponents!

This kept us alert during our preparations for the final round, as we knew only too well that we would have

to perform at our utmost best to have any chances of winning the final.

We believe that it was our passion for the Habanos that ultimately saw us through, but the reality was that in the end, it was not about winners and losers. Daylin and Mayli are wonderful persons – passionate, kind and very knowledgeable.

It could have very easily been a different result! Following the announcement of the winning team, all four of us hugged and even sang “All You Need Is Love!”. The competition was about the Habanos, which was the ultimate winner!

How did you start in the realm of cigars and Habanos?

Both of us were influenced by uncles. Raffi started smoking cigars 24 years ago, and his first Habanos was the Romeo y Julieta Churchill. He was impressed by the name and even more impressed by the changing flavors. Initially, he was attracted to the smell of his uncle's cigar but soon relished the entire experience from choosing the cigar, cutting and lighting it, to going through the majestic smoking process.

Alexis turned to cigars for two reasons. The first was to assist him with the stress of his work, as the smoke of the cigar calmed him by taking him back to his childhood years when his uncle smoked. The second was attributed to how the cigar influences the mind. He explains that Karl Marx discussed ground breaking economic thinking in cigar filled rooms whilst Winston Churchill took decisions that changed the fate of mankind with a cigar in his hands. Alexis humbly smokes the cigar whilst contemplating the tax problems faced by his clients!

What do you do for a living in Cyprus?

Raffi is a jewelry designer and runs a successful chain of jewelry shops headquartered in Cyprus. He deals in highend jewelry with a focus on diamonds, but also deals in bespoke watches.

Alexis is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA), acting as a tax advisor, specializing in European Value Added Tax (VAT), advising businesses mainly in Cyprus and the rest of Europe.

Does the press-the-buzzer competitive system actually give an extra thrill to the Habanos World Challenge?

Absolutely! For us it added a stressful complexity to the competition that we were not aware would exist. We think certainly the audience enjoyed the buzzer process as it added a physical demand for the teams, in addition to the mental one!

What does it take in terms of knowledge and expertise to participate in a competition like this?

One cannot just enter the competition and expect to do well without putting in significant effort. The theoretical aspects start from the geology of the soil, the process of the growing of the leaves, the picking, the curing, the fermenting, right through to the ageing, the sorting, the blending the rolling and the laying down in the Escaparate.

The 27 brands, their history, their factories, their lines, the shapes and sizes, the special productions – these are all part of the knowledge requirements. The blind tasting is particularly challenging, especially if the vitola is one which different brands use, which is normally the case.

But in our opinion, the presentation is of the utmost importance for this competition, and this is the main difference with the Habano Sommelier. The presentation is the opportunity to show the judges how we, the smokers, enjoy the Habanos in our everyday life. It is the underlying philosophy of why we are so passionate about the Habanos, and ultimately, the purpose of this wonderful competition!