Ybor is known for it’s rich history in the cigar community. After all, this was a city within a city that was built on the backs of it’s cigar workers. No matter where you go in Ybor (or much of Tampa, for that matter), you’ll see remnants of a time gone by, where tobacco workers were skilled laborers and the craft was tedious, but ultimately rewarding.
Much of this craftsmanship has faded throughout the world. You wouldn’t know it after seeing Wallace Reyes at work. Sitting at a booth every Saturday in the Ybor Farmers market, he and associate Steve Tabak play to the crowd. Using the traditional tools of the trade, Reyes crafts cigars there for live audiences weekend after weekend. Starting with tobacco aged 4 years, he crafts cigars that look so perfect a machine couldn’t replicate this precision. It’s obvious that his 30+ years as a cigar craftsman make his every move second nature.
“We still use all the same tools that were used back when this started. This knife used to be the most dangerous weapon in town. You could slash a neck with it, a wrist. It’s great for cutting tobacco.” he explained as he continued working.
To watch him is a real treat. He tells me that they are a blend of tobaccos from Nicaragua, The Dominican Republics and Honduras. Taking a bunch of the long-cut leaves in his hands, he bunches them together, packing them into his right hand.
Then, using his left hand, he daftly pushes them together and prepares the binder.
Using the old style molding presses, heat and pressure are applied to his bound leaves and kept locked down for 20 minutes.
When they’re ready, he begins the “rolling” part of cigar making that most are familiar with.
The binder, now sealed with a natural glue that is the only one approved for cigar making, is rolled skillfully and gently with the wrapper.
Everything is so ornate at this point, it’s amazing that this man built this with so few tools in so little time.
He finishes off the stogie with a cap he carefully cut from the finishing leaf, making a perfect cigar.
I encourage everyone to come see him. He assures me that he’ll be there every Saturday. They’re one of the first tents when you walk in, right outside the Ybor Museum.
If you can’t come to meet the man himself, you can email him at cigarman@cigarsoftampa.com. His website is http://www.cigarsoftampa.com.
Related Listing
-
Free Latin Rhythms dance class at Patel Conservatory
For those interested in learning Latin Dance, there's a free class for adults opening up at the ...