Roll Your Own

Ernesto Perez-Carrillo examines an impressive effort at rolling a cigar.

The Real Roll Your Own III was set to begin.

No Cigar Aficionado seminar entertains a more passionate, devoted crowd than the Roll Your Own seminar, where everyday Joes try their hands at rolling a premium cigar. Always under the expert eye of master cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, the man who makes La Gloria Cubanas, this year's crowd of around 220 did their best to put a wrapper leaf around a finished bunch.

Some things are harder than they look -- cigar making is hard and it looks hard. One of Carrillo's veteran cigar rollers, Leonardo Percaza, effortlessly wrapped a cigar on stage as a video crew broadcast his efforts on the large screen at the front of the room. Even though the roller was moving much slower than he normally would, the ease at which he turned a half-leaf of tobacco into a beautiful, wrinkle-free wrapper brought sounds of awe from the crowd.

"Look at how he uses his fingers to stretch the wrapper," advised Carrillo, glasses on his nose as he stood over the shoulder of the cigarmaker. "Put even pressure."

The dry air of Las Vegas conspired against the wannabe cigarmakers, who wet the leaves as best they could before using a razor blade to trim the leaf into shape. Then they rolled the leaf around a finished bunch and applied the cap.

Carrillo imparted a few basics: roll the cigar with the wrapper's vein side up, which makes the outside leaf more even in appearance, and roll from the butt of the cigar to the head.

Many in the crowd were veteran Big Smoke rollers, having attended the seminar in years past. European Editor James Suckling, who has been touring cigar factories for more than a decade, tried his hand at rolling. He proved that it might be easier to write about cigars than to actually roll them.

The anticipation was heavy as Suckling and other editors from the magazine strode the aisles looking for cigars to bring up to the podium for judging.

Led by moderator George Brightman, special contributor to Cigar Aficionado Online, the awards weren't limited to top-rate efforts. Brightman presented the "Taliban Cigar" award to Father H Setter of Wichita, Kansas. Brightman tried to move on without displaying the cigar. "You don't really want to put this on camera," he said, but the crowd begged for it to be revealed. Shrugging his shoulders, Brightman held up the multicolored horror to the camera.

The crowd gasped in disgust, and Father H had a hearty laugh. He was given a box of La Glorias as a comfort prize.

Several noteworthy efforts were turned out by the rollers, new and experienced alike. The Rookie of the Year award went to Rolf Tornow from Schofield, Wisconsin. He won two tickets to the 2002 Big Smoke for his clean, well-made cigar.

First place went to Fletcher E. Wells II, a four-year Big Smoke veteran. The Maryland Heights, Missouri, resident created a beautiful cigar almost good enough to wrap with a La Gloria band. "It was a great time," said a beaming Wells, who won tickets for the complete 2002 Big Smoke Weekend. He said he will be there to defend his crown.

The entire crowd left happy, La Gloria Cubanas in their mouths and their own freshly made cigars in their hands.

--David Savona