Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

Bunching and rolling in The New Orleans Cigar Factory.

Status
Not open for further replies.

waikikigun

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2015
Messages
1,441
Points
113
Just got back from a week in the French Quarter in New Orleans where I spent an hour or two every day in one of the New Orleans Cigar Factories on Decatur smoking and watching. Here’re a few minutes of the action, with some of the key moves replayed and slowed down to help get a clue what the heck’s going on. I got a lot of new ideas that I’m going to try in my own bunching and rolling. I really enjoyed the cigars and it was a treat to be able to see how the very sticks I was smoking were bunched and rolled.

https://youtu.be/HjSYfE4TH_I
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
Interesting, down and dirty cigar rolling. No poetry or philosophy here. The buncher, shown at the end, is even more haphazard than me.

I also found it curious that the wrappers are all cut with a straight outer edge, rather than a gently curved one. On my wrapper leaves, the vein angle changes from the tip to the stalk end, and is more readily accommodated by a curved outer edge. I couldn't really see the veins in the video.

You've got to love the ambient humidity there, in New Orleans. The wrappers and binders were just sitting out on the rolling desks.

Thanks for posting.

Bob
 

waikikigun

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2015
Messages
1,441
Points
113
The beauty of it is that the sticks seemed to have a flawless construction and perfect draw.

I did catch a dude spritzing a few leaves in one of his stacks before a bunching session, but it was a light spritz on a few leaves, one time in a week of watching. After he spritz'em he put'em in his hand and gave'em a fold to make sure they wouldn't snap. Then he walked away and had an orange soda. The humidity was unusually low while I was there, hovering around 53.5. The previous time I was there I saw nary a spritz.

You're welcome.
 

Chris A

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Messages
286
Points
28
Location
Central Illinois
My son and I went there a few times during vacation two years ago. Loved the atmosphere, but no AC and it was 95 with 70% humidity. Never did find a blend I liked. But at least you could walk in with a beer!

It it is almost mesmerizing watching rollers work. Takes me forever to do what they do in seconds.
 

Raodwarior

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2014
Messages
276
Points
0
Location
Erie, PA
Great shop each of the rollers will do 200 sticks from start to finish each shift they work. Nice part though is all of the tobacco is pre-prepped for them before hand. Andy the owner is one of the people that helped show me how to case wrapper and fill properly.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
If the YouTube AI algorithms can identify any background music in a posted video, it automatically looks up the international copyrights for that specific performer and/or composition, and the various national permissions and limitations for playing that music. This results in a country-by-country determination of whether or not the video can be shown. The AI is very good at what it does. The person who posts such a video can eliminate all restrictions by muting all audio.

Bob
 

Smokin Harley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
2,573
Points
48
Location
Grant ,Alabama
Just got back from a week in the French Quarter in New Orleans where I spent an hour or two every day in one of the New Orleans Cigar Factories on Decatur smoking and watching. Here’re a few minutes of the action, with some of the key moves replayed and slowed down to help get a clue what the heck’s going on. I got a lot of new ideas that I’m going to try in my own bunching and rolling. I really enjoyed the cigars and it was a treat to be able to see how the very sticks I was smoking were bunched and rolled.

https://youtu.be/HjSYfE4TH_I

Very nice ...especially the occasional slo-mo of certain procedures.
I'd really like to see an over the shoulder of a cap being done. They do it so fast its hard to see just whats going on.
Also , anyone happen to notice these rollers tend to have a round rolling board...is it for any special reason ? I did notice the one guy in the beginning his round board was actually just a sawn log disk,looked like walnut. So the grain would be all end grain and maybe easier on the chavetas edge. Very nice video . I'd like to visit a factory and see whats going on for myself . Envious of you for this trip. Thank you.
 

waikikigun

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2015
Messages
1,441
Points
113
@Marcl No I did not.

@Gdaddy I don't know exactly. I asked one of the sales dudes but he didn't know. Their page lists the usual vague blend of Nica seco viso ligero. They use CT shade, Cameroon, and "maduro" wrappers. The CT shade strikes me as being Ecuadorian. They've added a special $$$ line that has some "Brazilian" in it, but no one seemed to know which leaf. I asked one of the blenders--I speak some Spanish--if all the vitolas and wrapper combos used essentially the same filler blend and he said more or less. One of the sales dudes said yes; but I tasted seemingly very distinct blends across the lines. I need another few weeks there to fully suss it out visually.

@Sorry Ben, that sucks!

@Smokin Harley Re: the round boards, my guess is space efficiency/flow.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top