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Rodriguez and Menendez has been a fixture in the historic West Tampa cigar manufacturing community for decades. Steeped in tradition, our cigars are handmade. Selected with care and assembled with unmatched skill, our master rollers produce only the finest cigars in the traditional Cuban style.
Our Cigars
Our tobacco is hand selected from only the highest quality leaf. We select tobacco cured to produce the finest character, strengths in flavor, and body in the construction of our blends.
Our Blends
1. The Rodriguez and Menendez “House Blend”.
Our flagship cigar, made with Honduran and Dominican fillers with an Ecuadorian wrapper. With an effortless draw, there is sweetness to the smoke with an overall earthy, crisp flavor with a medium bodied finish.
2. The Rodriguez and Menendez “Premium Blend”
A mainstay and longtime costumer favorite, this fine selection is rolled with Dominican fillers with a flavorful Ecuadorian wrapper. A smooth draw, even burn with a spicy, earthy aroma with a well balanced smooth character.
3. The Rodriguez and Menendez “Exhibit Blend”
Our popular selection for special events and occasions. Constructed with handwork fillers and an Ecuadorian wrapper, a sweet start, with an easy draw and even burn the whole way through. Some toast and nuttiness in the aroma. An easy going smoke.
Our cigars are manufactured in the most popular sizes and styles in both natural and madura wrappers.
Our Factory
We offer Rodriguez and Menendez hand made high quality cigars at factory prices to the public.
Crafted in the “Habano” style, our cigars are hand made by master Cuban cigar rollers. Our featured roller has over 40 years experience. Completing her education and apprenticeship in Cuba and emigrating to the U.S., she overseas the selection of the leaf and the production of all of our blends.
Cigars are dried and cured in our factory in humidity and tempature controlled environment before they are packaged for sale.
Our Store
Located at 3608 N Armenia Ave in the heart of West Tampa, our store features our hand made blends; in addition we offer Camacho, Monte Cristo, Arturo Fuente and other
national brands at discount prices. In addition to quality cigars we also carry a wide variety of accessories, including humidors, travel cases, cutters, lighters and ashtrays at outlet prices.
Our experienced team members offer courteous personalized service.
Our Services
- Custom Cigar Rings For Any Occasion
Provide us your logo or bring us your ideas and we will assist you in developing a cigar ring to suit any occasion. Whether you are promoting a special product, your business, a special event, or celebrating a special occasion (wedding, birth, and birthday); we can develop a commemorative ring to memorialize any occasion. Creating a ring with your business logo, favorite customer, or vendor logo is a great way to promote your business relationships, and they make a unique and memorable gift.
- Cigar Rolling Demonstrations
Add to the memories of your special occasion featuring a cigar rolling exhibition as an enhancement to your event. Our master roller will demonstrate the “Habano” style of traditional cigar rolling and we will be available to discuss the history of traditional practice
- Private Label Production
Add your own label to our quality, handcrafted cigars. Great ideas for cigar lounges, restaurants, and golf clubs. Custom design your rings and select from various blends and sizes to create your own signature line.
Understanding Cigars
Cigar smoker’s preferences are highly subjective to their taste. Construction, body, flavor and complexity all combine for the overall” Smoking experience”
Ring Gauge or “Vitola”
Size refers to the dimension of the cigar. Typically this is measured in 2 dimensions:
girth or “ring gauge” and length. Small ring gauge cigars have a ring gauge of 42 or less. Smaller ring gauges typically offer a different smoking experience from the larger gauges. We blend each cigar size to allow for the difference in size (which can change the profile of our blends). Large ring gauges are very popular and usually feature a ring gauge of 50 or more.
Pairing
To enhance the enjoyment of their smoke, many cigar enthusiasts “pair” their favorite smoke with a beverage. While taste is individual and subjective, there are two schools of thought when pairing with a drink. Some people will match a drink with a flavor similar to the aroma or flavor of the cigar to enhance the taste experience. Others look to compliment the flavor of the cigar by adding additional flavor. For example, if you are smoking a cigar with an earthy or woody flavor, you may compliment it with a sweet beverage like a rum or amaretto. Favorites for pairing include espresso, wine, rum, whisky, and cognac. Experimenting with both approaches to pairing may lead you to varied taste experience and additional enjoyment of your favorite smoke.
Cigar Smokers Glossary
“Smoke Related Terms”
Aroma- The smell of the smoke
Burn- A cigar should burn evenly so the blends taste the way they were intended. An uneven burn indicates flaws in construction.
Complex- Cigars where the flavor of the smoke changes throughout the smoking.
Draw-The resistance you encounter when you pull smoke through the cigar.
Finish-The flavors left on your palate.
Flavor-The taste of the smoke.
“Manufacturing” Related Terms
Blend- combination of wrapper, binder and filler leaves.
Body- The texture of the cigar.
Character-The overall sense you get from the cigar.
Foot- End of the cigar you light.
Head-Part of the cigar you clip.
Wrapper-Outer layer of the cigar may be the natural or medura.
Filler-Interior leaves, three types: Strong, Dry, Dry and Strong.
Binder- Leaf wrapped around filler.
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