HAVANA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from over 50 countries will participate in the 19th Habanos Cigar Festival, the event organizer said on Tuesday.

This year's festival, to be held in Havana from Feb. 27 to March 3, will see a number of star presentations, with the H. Upmann house which received its first Gran Reserva award for its Cosecha 2011 product, the organizer Habanos S.A. said in a statement.

The emblematic Montecristo and Quai d'Orsay and other brands will see their new lines unveiled, said Habanos S.A., the state-owned organ responsible for promoting and exporting Cuban cigars worldwide, except in the United States due to the ongoing economic embargo.

During the five-day event, cigar aficionados will have the opportunity to witness and taste the novelties of the Cuban tobacco industry first-hand.

It has become a tradition that the program of the festival offers visits to the best tobacco plantations in the region of Vuelta Abajo, Pinar del Rio and to historical cigar factories.

There will also be lectures, blind tastings, a cigar rolling master class, special marriages of beverages and cigars, and the XVI International Habano Sommelier Competition, allowing experts to show their knowledge about Cuban cigars paired with wine and fine dining.

The festival will conclude with the delivery of the Habanos 2016 Awards and the traditional Humidor Auction, the proceeds of which will all go to the Cuban public health system.

The annual Habanos Cigar Festival in Cuba is considered one of the world's largest international meeting on fine cigars.