Rolling
The tobacco for cigars is unpacked on an as-needed basis and classified once again by the color, size and texture of the fully fermented and aged leaf. After carefully selecting the cured leaves, the workers transfer and organize them in the blending room. They are organized based on the cigars to be made and their specific blend. At this stage of the handmade cigar process as well as others, great precision is required.
The Rollers are highly trained employees and only reach the Master level after many years of on-the-job training. First, the Roller “bunches” the tobacco leaves. Bunching is done by taking a measured handful of leaves to use as the cigar “filler.” These bunches are formed into the desired cigar shape. A binder leaf is then wrapped around the bunches of filler to hold them together. The partially finished cigars are then pressed in a wooden mold. The press is turned by hand until the Roller feels that there is enough pressure on the tobacco leaves to properly form the cigars into perfect, predetermined shapes. After the press is released, each cigar is removed from the mold by hand and passed on to the Master Roller.

Packing
After the labeling, the cigar is individually placed in a cellophane tube. This protects the delicate wrapper as it is transported to the cigar stores and smoke shops, and ultimately to the smoker. After the cellophane wrapper is placed on the premium cigars, they are hand packed, one by one, into the cedar wood cabinet cigar boxes. The cigar box is specially made to enhance the cigars’ aging process.
The boxes are then wrapped in cellophane and sealed to protect the precious cigars from the elements during their long journey to the smoker.

Rolling (Continued)

The Master Roller, who is the most experienced member of the pair, carefully finishes the forming of the cigar and delicately puts on the wrapper leaf by using a chaveta (hand cutter for tobacco leaves), and an all natural tree sap as an adhesive.

The cigars are bundled and labeled by type of cigar, the date that the premium cigar was made, the tobacco blend used, and the code identifying the Roller and Master Roller who made them. These marked bundles of handmade cigars are then carefully placed in the Aging Room – a room that is temperature and humidity controlled to make sure that the different types of tobacco in the rare cigars “marry” perfectly. These walk-in humidors maintain the cigars in the perfect environment.

Sorting
The sorting is done by professionals that are knowledgeable about cigars and in categorizing each leaf by color, size, texture and other qualities.
The stem is discarded and the wholesale tobacco leaves are placed in stacks for a second fermentation. This time the fermentation process is at higher temperatures. Based on the classification of the tobacco leaves, the fermentation period ranges between 45 to 60 days. Impurities are once again eliminated and the tobacco leaves are ready to be aged again.

Tobacco Growing
The tobacco plants are generally harvested for cigars two to three times a year. It takes about 80 to 90 days for a tobacco plant to fully develop from a small seed into tall plants ready for picking.

It also takes constant care of the tobacco plants and fields to achieve perfect tobacco suitable for premium cigars.

After the leaves are picked they are taken to a curing house by tractor. The curing house is a typical Cuban-style “casa de tabacco” with construction specific for drying and curing tobacco.

The combination of the bright sun’s heat and the raw cedar building’s structure creates a sauna-like condition. This perfect condition forces the leaves’ moisture to dissipate and the leaves’ colors to change from rich green to yellow, and then finally to different shades of brown.

Seed and smoke

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