How to Roll a Cigar, New York Style
August 14th, 2006
Bert Shapiro, of Pheasant’s Eye Productions, is a very talented independent filmaker. He makes short films about real people, doing real things.
And he concentrates on ways of life that are vanishing.
Ways of life like rolling cigars by hand in New York City.
Here, courtesy of Pheasant’s Eye, is a look at how a torcedor — a cigar roller — turns a pile of leaves into a work of art in the award winning short film Hand Rolled on 29th Street.
The film takes less than three minutes to view. If you have never had a chance to see how a cigar is rolled, you should find this especially fascinating.
More on Bert Shapiro, the filmaker, below the fold.
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You’ll have a chance to learn everything you need to know in a Cigar Aficionado certification course that is used to train people to hand roll cigars for the tourist trade there. According to the Chamber of Commerce, three cigar shops and six cigar factories have opened for business in Ybor City in the last six months. Business is booming.








