Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.
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"Little Havana" : Folklife in Miami Slide/Tape Program
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Accompanying note: "Cigar-rolling is a traditional skill, learned in Cuba, that has enriched Miami's small industries. Rafael Martinez is perhaps typical of the many skilled craftsmen of 'Little Havana.'"
"'My name is Rafael Martinez. I was born in Havana, Cuba. My father was a cigar-roller in Cuba and I worked for La Carona Cigar Factory before I came from Cuba. I learned the art right there at the factory. The best cigars are made right now in Miami. Because we, the experts, the cigar rollers are here, and we have really tried very hard...
A new cigar-roller has to sit down for many days with an expert and watch everything and learn how to pick each piece. That's the first thing you have to learn. It's a very slow process, it takes a long while to learn. Here we have molds and that helps a lot. The cigar is much more perfect here. A cigar is in the press for 25 to 30 minutes. This makes a bunch. And then you have to roll it and then you have to finish off the end, you make sure that they're well finished.'"
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Chicago Manual of Style
Bulger, Peggy A. Cigars in a mold being pressed at Ramar Cigars - Miami, Florida. 1980 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/120418>, accessed 12 June 2026.
MLA
Bulger, Peggy A. Cigars in a mold being pressed at Ramar Cigars - Miami, Florida. 1980 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/120418>
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(State Archives of Florida/Bulger)
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