HAVANA: Shorter cigars that can be savored more quickly are Cuba's strategic response to global anti-tobacco campaigns.

“With restrictions around the world on where one can smoke, the logical answer is to provide the enjoyment of intense flavour in less time,” Luis Sanchez-Harguindey, the co-president of Habanos SA, said.

“Today's trend is to provide cigars to consumers that have a larger calibre but are shorter precisely so they can be smoked more quickly,” the Spaniard said in an interview on the sidelines of Havana's annual cigar festival.

Habanos SA is a joint venture between Cuban state company Cubatabaco and the Franco-Spanish Altadis that was bought in 2008 by the British Imperial Tobacco Group.

One of the stars of the festival is one such new smoke — the Partagas D6 — that measures just 9 centimetres in length. In contrast, the longest Havanas can traditionally be more than twice that long.

Puffing on the new product takes about 15 minutes, according to Habanos SA.—AFP