The Cigar Maker
We went to dinner at Havana Alma de Cuba on Christopher Street in the West Village. Mary ordered the Hemingway- mussels, shrimp, calamari, scallops in a green sauce. I had the green plantain crusted red snapper, avocado and sofrito sauce with black beans and yellow rice. Flan for dessert.
Right next to our table in the front of the restaurant, a man came with a wooden box, a press, some tools. Tools for cigar making.
He unfurled large leaves of tobacco and began to roll cigars and cut them. The insides were in the wooden molds.
His hands were a blur. I asked if I might photograph him and he agreed. He told us the leaves were from the Dominican Republic. The cigar pile grew. As we prepared to leave he gave us a few cigars and matches in a bag which I gave to my son for some celebration or occasion. Our grandfather smoked cigars on the front porch when I was a kid. The smell of cigar smoke is strong but nostalgic. One whiff and I can be in that memory. See him in a straw hat. No one was smoking cigars on Tuesday night but it was fascinating to watch the hands of a master roll and cut them.
Truly fascinating! Thank you Ruth.
August 23, 2012 at 12:38 am
Amazing. Nice shots.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
August 23, 2012 at 6:48 am
You post such interesting items.
August 23, 2012 at 7:07 am
Didn’t you want to smoke one?
August 23, 2012 at 7:42 am
I saw this being done in Tampa,FL. The man was Cuban. Amazing!
August 23, 2012 at 7:50 am
Nice series, Ruth.
August 23, 2012 at 9:32 am
This must have been fascinating to watch, although I cannot stop thinking about the I Love Lucy episode where she rolled cigars during a visit to Havana. As much as I smoked, I never enjoyed cigars. I even tried Cubans when in Amsterdam one year. They just cost more for the same, to me, awful taste.
August 23, 2012 at 10:05 am
I have never smoked one but was mesmerized by a master cigar maker, rolling so smoothly and quickly. I was probably about 3 feet from him and couldn’t stop watching his using the cigar making tools so skillfully. Cool that you tried a Cuban in Amsterdam. THanks for always adding interesting and fun comments.
August 23, 2012 at 9:16 pm
Really interesting!
August 23, 2012 at 12:18 pm
You have inspired me to remember one of the best plays I have seen with the Pittsburgh Public Theater. An evening performance of “Anna in the Tropics” was magical. The setting was a cuban cigar factory in Tampa, FL set in the 1920′s. It is quite a few years ago but it was my favorite of the season. Thank you Ruth.
August 23, 2012 at 12:24 pm
It’s so amazing how you find these people. Such interesting subjects. Thanks for the history lesson.
August 23, 2012 at 2:16 pm
Your blog is inspiring!
August 23, 2012 at 9:45 pm
I love this cigar post
August 25, 2012 at 9:37 am
Thanks for sharing. It must have been a very interesting demonstration, Ruth.
August 26, 2012 at 12:55 am
It’s amazing how something so poisonous can also be so beautiful. The man has definitely mastered his craft. I can’t handle the smell of cigar smoke, but the smell of pipe smoke has the same nostalgic/memory effect on me. (My mom’s dad.)
September 3, 2012 at 9:05 am