The Mrs. and I spent the week last week in the Bahamas, along with another couple. While there, I took in a cigar rolling lesson and tour of the Graycliff Cigar Factory, & thought I'd share with y'all.
Graycliff is actually a very nice (and expensive) hotel and restaurant in Nassau. They have beautiful grounds with pools, gardens, etc., and a nice coffee lounge and chocolate shop. The cigar factory is on the premises, but it's really quite small compared to the rest of the place.
Above is the entrance; below is inside the factory. There are approx. 16 cigar rolling stations, but not all are occupied at this time.
Here's Maria, my instructor:
First step, bunching. For a "strong" cigar we used 2 ligero leaves, one seco, and one volado.
Next step, binding and wrapping:
We skipped the molding/pressing step as that would be time-consuming. Maria didn't say what kind of wrapper it was. She had been making Espressos at that station, so maybe it was maduro but it looks a little light to me.
Final product:
Not real pretty
I smoked one that night and it tasted, burned, and drew pretty well. And there was considerable vitamin N!
Graycliff has a 2-step conditioning process, where the new cigars just sit for a month or two in ambient humidity, then for 3 to 6 months in controlled humidity and exposure to infusing fumes (if I understood correctly). Here's their cabinet for the 2nd stage:
Overall it was a good time - they charge $75 for the lesson and tours are free. And you get to keep the 3 cigars you make - they sure don't want them! They have a retail store connected to the factory, where the prices are full retail, ouch. I bought one stick, a platinum, just to be polite.
I'm inspired to try to make cigars at home. I just ordered the "small sampler" from leafonly.com - small amounts of wrapper, binder, and a couple of different types of filler.
Here's a link to my blog entry on the subject if you want a little more detail and some fun reading:
Voice of Bruck News Service
If it's not the first entry, look for the entry entitled, "A Fine Week of Tropical Indulgence."
Graycliff is actually a very nice (and expensive) hotel and restaurant in Nassau. They have beautiful grounds with pools, gardens, etc., and a nice coffee lounge and chocolate shop. The cigar factory is on the premises, but it's really quite small compared to the rest of the place.
Above is the entrance; below is inside the factory. There are approx. 16 cigar rolling stations, but not all are occupied at this time.
Here's Maria, my instructor:
First step, bunching. For a "strong" cigar we used 2 ligero leaves, one seco, and one volado.
Next step, binding and wrapping:
We skipped the molding/pressing step as that would be time-consuming. Maria didn't say what kind of wrapper it was. She had been making Espressos at that station, so maybe it was maduro but it looks a little light to me.
Final product:
Not real pretty
I smoked one that night and it tasted, burned, and drew pretty well. And there was considerable vitamin N!Graycliff has a 2-step conditioning process, where the new cigars just sit for a month or two in ambient humidity, then for 3 to 6 months in controlled humidity and exposure to infusing fumes (if I understood correctly). Here's their cabinet for the 2nd stage:
Overall it was a good time - they charge $75 for the lesson and tours are free. And you get to keep the 3 cigars you make - they sure don't want them! They have a retail store connected to the factory, where the prices are full retail, ouch. I bought one stick, a platinum, just to be polite.
I'm inspired to try to make cigars at home. I just ordered the "small sampler" from leafonly.com - small amounts of wrapper, binder, and a couple of different types of filler.
Here's a link to my blog entry on the subject if you want a little more detail and some fun reading:
Voice of Bruck News Service
If it's not the first entry, look for the entry entitled, "A Fine Week of Tropical Indulgence."
