Manufacturing

The torcedor is trained cigar roller. Can roll up to 150 cigars/day. Most skilled roll the difficult shapes: torpedos & pyramids. Torcedor takes filer leaf and creates a bunch. Leaves are stacked one top of another and scrunched together like an accordion. This ensures an even burn and even distribution of the right leaves in the blend. Then the binder is wrapped around the cinched bundle and placed in a wooden mold that will shape the cigar to the correct size. It is in the mold for 30 minutes, turned once a quarter turn so no ridge from the mold halves is formed. The torcedor takes it out, and trims it with a chaveta: a flat, rounded blade without a handle. then the bunched is rolled from foot to head, and the cap for the cigar is secured with vegetable resin. The cigar is then trimmed to the correct length with a tuck cutter.

La tabla: the small, wooden cutting-board-like surface on which the cigars are actually rolled.

El curtador: The table-size guillotine that rollers use to trim the finished product to the correct size, also called a tuck roller.

fermentation: 3 times, then
bales of leaves are wrapped in palm leaves or stored in barrels for 1-3 years or more.