My Father Factory Pics

[T.G]

Originally Posted by wayner123

Pepin's right hand man told me that the best roller's can do 300 a day. So to do the math:

8 hour work day = 480 minutes
480 / 300 = 1.6 minutes for each cigar.

He said they try not to make them do this many as quality can sometimes suffer though. So that leads me to believe they can roll them much faster. However that is starting with the leaves already bunched and pressed. To blend, bunch, roll, finish might take a great deal longer.

They work in teams, so the bunchero bunches the tripa (filler) and applies the capote (binder) and loads the cigar into molds that are taken by a pressman and, well, pressed. The rollera is applying capas to the cigars that have already been pressed and brought to her by the pressman. And, this all happens simultaneously. So, no the times don't change because its not a one person operation.

You are correct about the rolling speeds and numbers as they can be much higher, and sometimes are depending on the complexity, or lack thereof, of the shape being produced.