Havana - The emblematic Casa del Habano de Partagas will celebrate its 15th anniversary with an international meeting that will be attended by more than 400 delegates from nine countries.

Considered one of the best businesses of its kind, Casa del Habano de Partagas hosts yearly meetings with regular costumers and fonds of cigars from all over the world. On this occasion, the meeting will take place from November 17-21.

The Havana-based business was the second shop created under the La Casa del Habano franchise (owned by Habanos S.A.).

There are more than 140 stores of that kind in the world to sell Cuban Premium cigars and other products, such as rum and coffee.

The first Casa del Habano opened in Cancun, Mexico, and the second one was Partagas, which was the first sho of this kind in Cuba, and has been the top seller of all.

The shop is inside the Partagas factory, founded by Spanish citizen Jaime Partagas in 1845, across from Havana's Capitol.

It has been visited by world-famous politicians, artists and intellectuals, including French actor Gerard Depardieu and US moviemaker Steven Spielberg.

Cigar aficionados from Italy, Spain, France, Canada, Great Britain, the United States, Belgium and Switzerland, in addition to Cuba, will attend the 15th-anniversary celebrations and the 17th Meeting of Friends.

On this occasion, tobacco roller Leopoldina Gutierrez has made very special cigars, including the vitolas Mareva, Robusto, Piramide, Julieta and Corona Gorda, which the participants will smoke during the meeting.

The welcome ceremony will be held at the Havana Cafe Salon of the Melia Cohiba Hotel.

Guests will tour Havana, take a countryside excursion and attend the closing gala, during which an auction and an artistic show will be held.