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Cigar Rolling Continues in Ybor City
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TAMPA, Fla., - - The artistry of cigar making continues in Ybor City at the
Gonzalez y Martinez Cigar Factory, located on 7th Avenue and 21st Street, next door to the historic Columbia Restaurant. Visitors and cigar aficionados can stop by the cigar factory to observe the work of professional cigar rollers who demonstrate their trade Monday - Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. You can also purchase our cigars on the Columbia Restaurant website at www.columbiarestaurant.com.
“Our cigars are 100% handmade with a blend of Caribbean tobacco, consisting of Dominican and Honduran tobacco and Ecuadorian wrappers,” explained Richard Gonzmart, CEO of the Gonzalez y Martinez Cigar Company. The name Gonzmart is a derivative of the names Gonzalez and Martinez. “We started this venture to bring back the lost art of cigar hand-rolling as it was known in Ybor City over 100 years ago,” Gonzmart added. Gonzmart is also the 4th generation owner/operator of the world-famous Columbia Restaurant.
The Gonzalez y Martinez line of cigars began at the turn-of-the-century, shortly after Francisco “Don Pancho” Martinez and Marcelino Gonzalez arrived from Cuba. Gonzalez married Martinez’ daughter, and the family tradition of cigar-making was born. They combined their knowledge and talent of tobacco and cigars to produce some of the finest cigars in Ybor City. Today, four generations later, Richard Gonzmart, Don Pancho’s great-grandson, continues the family tradition, producing 100% handmade cigars using the finest tobacco blends.
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