Greetings:

Just getting back from a fun filled afternoon of watching NFL and smoking a good Cuban or two at LCDH Tijuana.

Taboada will NOT be coming to LCDH as previously announced now or in the forseeable future due to age and health reasons. In his place, Carlos Fernandez--a level 9 torcedor--from the Partagas Factory in Havana will be rolling custom made cigars using the same tobacco leaf that had previously been selected for Taboada and arrived at the store earlier. Joining Carlos and sampling product along the way will be the legendary "Ochin" who is the Quality Control Manager for the Partagas Factory and is 1 of only 10 people who is selected to blind taste test all new Cuban brands or sizes brought to market. For those of you interested, there remain 120 bundles previously rolled by Taboada for sale that can still be purchased by contacting Moises Vargas--once these bundles are sold, there will no longer be any Taboada's available on the market.

A second piece of good news involves the expansion of the LCDH Tijuana. The owner is taking over the building next to him and will convert it into a "La Casa del Vin" which will serve some of the finest wines available in Mexico and host a lounge that will double the size of the existing LCDH. It will also feature new plasma TV's and comfortable sofas. In addition, LCDH TJ will be offering direct shuttle service from San Diego (exact location to be determined) that will take customers directly to the LCDH on Revolucion !!! Shuttle will be available for monthly special events. This will be an excellent service for those of you who have had safety concerns visiting Tijuana in recent years--no more. The new La Casa del Vino is expected to be open on or before Thanksgiving.

wow, a shuttle that takes you to a LCDH in tijuana from san diego? that is so cool!

Awesome!!! I cant wait till it is finished. I will probably go by in the next few days just to stop by and for sure will go by wen they are finished. Wine is my wifes favorite and cigars are mine, now we have somewhere we can both go and enjoy together.

Jose

quote:

there remain 120 bundles previously rolled by Taboada for sale

That's a load of mierda...again telling people what they want to hear. Chances are...and I'll go with greater than 99.99998%...that the cigars were not rolled by Taboada, but by anyone or someone else. Even in Cuba, when you're buying "custom" rolled cigars from this or that roller at this or that facility, they're usually not what you think they are or from whom you think rolled them.

The woman you speak of is a great lady, but her name is Ochun, not Ochin, named for the goddess of love and one of the "orishas" but not of the singing group.

Sounds great. Once the shuttle is up and running we should all head down!

Jose when are you going to LCDH. I feel a lot better and I am at about 80%.

PS: Although not likely to have been rolled by Taboada, they'll still be good cigars made with top shelf materials with similar consistency in terms of construction. Just because the watch says 'Rolex' in Tijuana does not mean it's the real deal no matter the price.

Following article written about her (in Spanish) refers to her as Ochin:


ELLA CONTINUÓ LA TRADICIÓN FAMILIAR



Por Regla Zulueta



Si usted llega a la fábrica Francisco Pérez Germán, (antigua Partagás) y pregunta por Ledys Mora Lao, seguramente le responderán que no la conocen, pero si menciona a Ochín, de inmediato tendrá la respuesta: una de las especialistas de control de la calidad y la secretaria general del sindicato de este importantísimo centro en la historia del tabaco cubano.



Desde 1989 se incorporó a la industria del torcido donde se producen varias de las marcas internacionalmente más reconocidas. Con ella se continuó la tradición familiar. Su mamá trató de que sus hijos siguieran sus pasos. Ochín se hizo tecnóloga en la escuela de química y hoy sueña que por lo menos una de sus descendientes no pierda la cultura del tabaco.



UNA DESTACADA REPRESENTANTE AL CONGRESO



Ochín, fue elegida por los trabajadores y trabajadoras de Partagás, delegada al IX Congreso del Sindicato Nacional del Tabaco que se efectuará durante los días 28, 29 y 30 de mayo del presente año. Elección que representó un reconocimiento para ella, una apasionada de la labor del movimiento obrero.



Por sus resultados como dirigente fue promovida a miembro del Comité Provincial y ha cursado las escuelas sindicales Lázaro Peña y Julio Antonio Mella. Su capacidad política ha sido demostrada en su quehacer cotidiano.



Dentro de las tareas del trabajo sindical prefiere las de la esfera de Asuntos Laborales y Sociales, porque fue representante del Órgano de Justicia Laboral, sin embargo se mantiene en el cargo de secretaria general, porque está consciente de su influencia entre quienes la eligieron para representarlos hace cinco años.



Tú eres controladora de la calidad de la empresa, pero conoces cómo se confeccionan los distintos tipos de puros.

“Nosotras tenemos una preparación previa en el taller donde nos cultivamos en todo el proceso de elaboración del tabaco. Este paso es muy importante: aprendemos a escoger, a anillar, a filetear, o sea nos hacemos más integrales.



¿En cuanto a la calidad, cómo se supervisa?

“Mira en los talleres nosotros desarrollamos diferentes tipos de trabajo. Por ejemplo, en el departamento de la moja el papel nuestro es chequear que llegan las pacas a ver si se corresponde con la calidad de la hoja.



“En el taller de rezagado medimos el despalillo y hay que lograr que esté bien despalillado, planchado y que a la hora de rezagar cada capa esté en la pila que se corresponde con el tipo de tabaco.



“Cuando entramos en la liga nos corresponde evaluar el punteo, el ordenamiento y que cada ligada vaya con el peso correspondiente a cada tipo de producto que se va a elaborar. Todo está normado y respetamos los parámetros establecidos a fin de mantener la calidad.



El producto terminado (tabaco), debe quedar uniforme y se revisa en todos sus detalles para la exportación. Este paso es responsabilidad de un grupo de controladores de la calidad.





“Por último pasan al departamento de anilla y luego al área de fileteado donde se aseguran todos los aditamentos: la anilla, el sello de garantía colocado correctamente, así como el cuño de la fábrica. Ahí se termina el proceso tecnológico de nuestra industria”.



UNA INDUSTRIA POR DENTRO



Partagás cuenta con 706 trabajadores, de los cuales 380 son mujeres, cifra que representa el 54 por ciento del total general. Ha sido vanguardia nacional durante cinco años

Then I again stand corrected.

so true..they have changed there story...this guy isn't there..another roller and some women inspecter are....they say you can buy his rolled massive torpedo's...and that 's the only vitola availible...i think they have been very misleading....it has really put a bad taste in my mouth...and not from the cigars...i was all set to try....now i am pissed.

Fathead
I'll probably go Tue or Wednesday after 4pm, or maybe Sunday. Let me know if you are available. I will also find out when the new side opens and go then as well as it should fall around my Bday.


Jose

FYI...Moises takes Tuesday's off...others will be able to assist you, but I am sharing this information in case you wish to go when he will be at the shop.

OK then Wednesday or Thursaday or Sunday.

Ive been there a few times and he has not been there. Jorge was always a welcoming substitute.

When do you plan on going again Roy?
Sorry I couldn't go yesterday but I was On-Call and couldn't leave San Diego.

Jose

Sounds great for the Tiajuana shop!

Sounds like Moises and David are "doin' it up"!

Ok, where did that link go for the pictures from him being there... it was a black screen and some LCDH pictures?

Anyone...

he wasn't they had another rolled..got some cigars in the 3 shapes i requested...they are amazing...much cheaper then taboada..had 25 cigars in petite robusto,reg robusto and super robustos...all better then expected...