Those who have the chance to visit a cigar factory will absolutely want to take advantage of this amazing opportunity. By simply seeing the process of rolling a cigar and all that goes into this business, you'll be surprised that these smoking cigars don't cost an arm and a leg. The extensive process of manufacturing and rolling a cigar includes many different and unique portions. Those who are wondering about what goes into the creation of a cigar will experience the growing process, harvesting, curing, selecting the perfect leaves, rolling and quality control. After cigars are rolled, manufacturing then goes into banding, packing and creating boxes to store and sell them in. By visiting our retail store during select times of the year, you can catch a glimpse into the world of cigar manufacturing done by professional master rollers from Central America and other popular cigar-producing countries.
Creating the perfect cigar first starts with the preparation of fillers. While some people may expect to see leaves easily being bunched together, there is much more that goes into this process. One professional master roller that you might see at an event is none other than Roberto from Victor Sinclair. He uses a method called entubar that first originated from the country of Cuba. By using this method, smokers will notice a better air flow through the cigar. Each leaf must be folded individually before being bunched into a group. A coarser leaf than the rest is then folded around the others to bind them together and to promote an even burn.
Once the filler has been created, the bunch of cigar leaves is placed into a unique cedar mold. Typically, the leaves should stay in the mold for as long as 45 minutes. While the filler is being molded, wrapper leaves of only the highest standards are prepared. The leaves are actually known to be one of the most expensive parts of the entire cigar.
At this time, the rolling platform will be uncovered and should be cleared off before beginning the step-by-step process of rolling the cigar. This includes removing any loose tobacco, leaves or other debris that may be present. One wrong piece that makes its way into the cigar can destroy the entire flavor and experience. The leaf of the highest quality is then selected, and a roller's knife, also known as a chaveta, is used to sculpt the shape that it should be wrapped into. To secure the wrapper in place, a small drop of vegetable glue can be used.
After the wrapper has finished priming, a high quality shaped bunch is removed from the mold. This step entails cutting the bunch to your desired cigar length. The longer the cigar, the cooler the smoke that you can expect it to produce. The wrapper is then rolled carefully around the bunch of leaves. If any mistakes are made during rolling, it can be unrolled and done again with ease. Next, one of the most important parts of the cigar is created, the cap. A circle-like shape is typically cut out of a wrapper leaf and is applied to the head of the cigar. This cap can be cut with a punch knife.
Of course, no cigar would be complete without its cigar band. The band is applied by using a drop of vegetable glue to hold it in place. After all is said and done, a one-of-a-kind cigar is ready to be smoked.