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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...

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. When we have fifty cigars, that's a bunch. We wrap them together with a little bow tie.

Some of the big factories, they import. They do not make everything here. Not me, though. Everyone who's tried the handmade cigars here in Miami, they certainly like them better than the machine-made ones. When a cigar is handmade the human element is there. And if there is something wrong, you can correct it right away. But with a machine it may turn out too soft or too hard and there is nothing you can do about it. But if you have the expert right there, he can correct the problem. And, of course, the cigar is superior. Since I was a very young man, I started learning this and I really love my work. I'm in love with my work."