Under normal circumstances this time of year would be firmly marked in the calendars of cigar aficionados across the globe.
Since 1999 the last week of February has seen Havana host the annual Habanos festival, a celebration of Cuba’s most famous export and a chance for distributors, journalists and keen collectors to descend on the spiritual home of cigars to find out what new releases are planned for the year ahead.
As with so many other large gatherings, the 2021 edition has been scrapped, leaving those of us with an interest in the traditional announcements in a bit of confusion.
The festival has not been the only aspect of the cigar industry to be affected by the events of the last 12 months.