FABRICA DE TABACOS PARTAGÁS

Founded in 1845, it is one of the oldest factories in the capital, where production has never been interrupted. Unfortunately, the premises that you will have the opportunity to visit are not the historical premises of the factory. The space is currently being renovated to become the Tobacco Museum (Calle Industria, 520), and if you go to the new, more modern site, you may not have the historical setting, but the spectacle of cigar making remains unchanged, and has for over a century and a half (the factory was founded in 1845). You'll find that the 700 employees listen to a 45-minute political speech every morning, and then have newspaper articles and chapters of a novel read to them in the afternoon. The reading to the workers dates back to the end of the 19th century, and titles of successful novels have become names of famous cigar brands, such as Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) or Romeo y Julieta (Shakespeare). Beyond the anecdote, one will be amazed by the manual agility of the tobacco workers. Each position has its own speciality, and the work chain is well oiled! The fundamental and most impressive step in the making of a puro is the process of selecting the leaves, rolling them and cutting them. Experienced torcedores, doing this work at an insane speed, manage to roll between 120 and 150 havanas a day. Great art!