The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-29
ARE BEING
MADE HERE
A Cigar Factory
Running Full
Blast.
STOCK IMPORTED
FROM MANILA
How Leaf is Treated From Pluck.
ing Until it Takes Shape
as a Cigar.

weeks homemade Manila cigars
n will be on sale in Honolulu.
The promoter of the enterprise is II.
j. Nolte, the veteran proprietor of the
Beaver restaurant, on lower Fort street,
whose factory is situated Immediately
over his chop-house.
The factory started running several
weeks ago and is now in full blast,
though operations are considerably him
dered on account of the difficulty in Sc
curing competent help. A man must
have had three years experience as a
cigarmaker before he becomes thor
oughly proficient and there are few
possessing the necessary qualifications
IN Honolulu today. On the pay roll al
present are several Porto Ricans and a
man who used to follow his trade in Ma
Mia.
The new factory is registered as
Factory No. g. District of Hawaii, in
accordance with the requirements of
law. Factories No. / and No are
operated by Chinese who handle Amer
lean or domestic tobacco
The cigar making is superintendent by
Manager Medan, who gave up two fac
tories in San Francisco in order to
come here. Mr.. Medan told an Adyer-
tiser reporter yesterday that he had
enough stock on hand to put thirty men
to work today could he but get them.
signally successful.
Before inspecting the factory the
writer partook of a cigar, which all
though fresh made smoked very agree
ably. 1t possessed a peculiarly indi-
vidual flavor and for an unseasoned
weed burned evenly and well.
Conchas and Londres of four or five
different brands are being turned out.
There is over $4,000 worth of stock
now on hand which was obtained from
Manila six months ago. This represents
the pick of the crop and cannot be du-
plicated. The war in the Philippines
the leaf and as a result the demand at
present greatly exceeds the output.
AS soon as the crudely cured leaf was
received it was found to be too new and
had to be resweated. This was done by
allowing it to stand packed in barrels
for two weeks. The heat thus general
ed is so great as to dissuade a person
from plunging his hand in the tub
After the sweating process is COM
pleted the leaf is subjected to three
different operations before it actually
starts on it's journey cigarwards.
First of all it has to be cased, which
is water treatment devised to facili-
tate the process of stripping Then the
leaf is stripped.
Stripping consists in removing the
great middle vein of the leaf and divid-
ing the leaf into two sections This
must be done without in any way
tearing the leaf. The operation requires
considerable finesse and the grace and
rapidity with which an
expert removes the vein by simple
twist across the back of the hand is
wonderful
Then the lear has to be booked by
it across. a dome shaped
block. after which it. is tied in pads and
after a few days is ready for the cigar
maker
Leaf intended for wrapping and bind
ing purposes is stripped and booked;
stock to be used as filler is stripped and
laid out to dry but is not booked
After the leaf finds it's way into the
makers hands it soon assumes the
shape of a cigar. The wrapper or out
side covering is first cut from selected
stock; then the binder or inner cover
ing of The filler is cut, after which the
filler is introduced and rolled UP ~ the
binder. Lastly, the wrapper is added
and fastened at the end with an almosr
imperceptible atom of gum tragacantn.
to. The gum used is tasteless anI
odorless.
The speed with which a cigar is turn
ed out is surprising. A good man aver
ages $50 cigars a day Recently dr.
MedaR completed the phenomenal num-
Der of 500 in one day.
There are now 1900 cigars maEufac-
tured and being boxed. After boxing
the cigars are left 70 season Cor two
1r three weeks. at the end Of which
lime they are ready for consumption
Manager Medan states that the ell
nate of Honolulu is admirably adapted
'or seasoning purposes Here cigars
season naturally. while in San Francis
20 and elsewhere artificial devices nave
o be resorted TO in order to mature