Currently, the only form of quality control is through visual observation of the rollers by floor managers as well as limited weighing of bundles of 50 cigars from each roller and the periodic smoking of a few cigars by quality control personnel. I can't say how rigorously these simple forms of quality control are carried out, but if my recent bad experiences with plugged cigars are any indication, they need improvement. Factory quality control people I know in Havana say that rollers can be put on probation and can even lose their jobs if they continually make poor quality cigars. I am sure that this happens. However, I have to wonder if the average cigar roller in Cuba, particularly the younger ones, really cares that much about the craft.
Salaries are extremely low.
Life is not easy. The incentive to do well isn't there. Nevertheless, no one can say that Cuba doesn't have the best cigar rollers in the world. Some of the old masters of the craft, the men and women who have sat at their worktables for decades, are true artists in the way they roll their cigars. They are the best in the business.