Hundreds of cigar aficionados participated in the annual 'long-ash' competition on Thursday at the H скачать в хорошем качестве

Hundreds of cigar aficionados participated in the annual 'long-ash' competition on Thursday at the H

(27 Feb 2015) Hundreds of cigar aficionados participated in the annual 'long-ash' competition on Thursday at the Havana Cigar Festival. The annual event brings together some 1,500 buyers to celebrate the iconic stogy, made famous by Cuban Revolutionaries, including former President Fidel Castro. Participants compete to see who can create the longest ash at the end of their cigar. This year's festival comes as new rules grant US visitors to Cuba permission to buy small quantities of cigars, previously banned under Washington's economic embargo on the island. American cigar enthusiast, Patrick Lagried, said he hopes Friday's talks between Cuban and US negotiators will further improve relations between the two countries. "Yeah, Cuban cigars are part of that, but there's also a lot more, and I think ideally it would be great if there were fully normalised diplomatic relations with Cuba and the United States," he said. This year's Havana Cigar Festival began on 23 February and ends on Friday. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...