Our Rollers

Master Roller Addit Brito

Addit was born in Marianao Province of the City of Havana, Cuba in 1980. He is the oldest of 4 children. His mother, Zoe, noticed from an early age that he was unusually adept at making things and working with his hands and predicted that he would make his living by them. Addit went through school with his mother’s words never far from his mind and determined that he would learn how to roll cigars after his graduation in Math Sciences. His focus was on his future as he served his required year of military service in the Cuban Army.

It was during this time in the Army that his plans of working with his hands was put in grave jeopardy due to a serious accident with a machete that completely severed the tendons on the top of his left hand. He suffered extensive surgeries to re-attach his tendons and many months of therapy in order to regain the muscle control necessary to manipulate the tobacco leaf properly for rolling cigars.

When he felt ready, Addit applied for the 9 month apprenticeship program at Fabrica De Tabaco - Torcido A Mano - Francisco Perez Herman ( aka. Partagas ). The apprenticeship program there is known as one of the most discriminating in the World, with a starting class size of 20 and a completion class size of 2-5 people. The program is run by a Master Roller of highest level. Addit’s Mentor, Yane, carried 30 years of cigar rolling experience with him at that time.

Yane took the students over every aspect of cigar production from receiving, grading, de-veining, and preparing the leaves to producing, labeling, and final packaging. However, the majority of the time is spent teaching proper bunching and rolling techniques in building small cigars. By the 6th month, the students must have learned how to produce up to 135 small cigars in an 8 hour day. At this point they become Junior Rollers.

By the 9th Month, the Junior Roller must be producing the required 135 small cigars in an 8 hour day, but they must also pass the rigid inspection parameters of 97% production passing inspection, 100% production number expected, and 100% correct material usage.

If all of the above is achieved every day by the roller at the end of the 9th month, then they are qualified to graduate from the apprenticeship program and are given the title Roller of 7th Category and their own work desk along with the other 400 rollers working on the floor of the factory. Addit completed this program in 4 months!

There are three categories of rollers at the factory. The 7th is the most basic. The rollers in this category build panatelas and corona chicas only. In Addit’s 4th month at Partagas, he was invited to train for The 8th Category and went back into apprenticeship for another 3 months to learn how to make larger ring gauges. He quickly mastered these as well and was invited to train for the 9th Category a mere 14 months after he entered the school.

After 5 months of grueling work learning to make torpedoes and figurados, he reached the highest level of 9th Category and there he remained at the top of his class. After 1 year in the 9th Category, Addit earned the title Master Roller, for he truly mastered every shape and size of cigar made at the factory.

Always in pursuit of excellence in his work, he also notes that he was named every year among the Top 10 Best Rollers in the factory until December 2007 when he left Partagas and emigrated to the United States.

He made his way to Ybor City in downtown Tampa because that is where many Cuban cigar rollers go to find work. After all, Ybor City was The Cigar Capital of the World at the turn of the Century. Addit found work quickly and made friends easily with the other rollers. Soon he began hearing these strange reports and crazy rumors of this little place on the beach that was producing some really radical cigars. He could not believe the stories of this place. He heard that a Puerto Rican, not a Cuban, was creating blends like nobody else in town! People said that this store offered an unbelievable variety of blends that all tasted unique! Others couldn’t believe that it was true that this store could control the tobacco beetle without gassing their product! It was also said that they brought leaves in from all over the free world…

Addit came to the House of Cigars out of pure curiosity. Always one to take on a challenge, he thought to himself that this might be an opportunity for him to continue his education by learning about the leaves and their flavors and how they could be blended so many different ways. The idea of joining a team that breaks every rule he ever learned at school and makes such beautiful cigars was a dream come true. The day he walked in the door of the House of Cigars, he found his home. And he welcomes you with humble pride to smoke one of his exquisitely produced hand rolled cigars and taste the fusion of his classical training taken to an avant-garde level here at the House of Cigars

Alexis Mendez and Arriene Hernandez both received their cigar rolling training from the highest quality factory in Cuba, Partagas.

 
Alexis Mendez preparing the Capa.


Arriena Hernandez preparing the Tripa.