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Worlds Longest Cigar in Tampa, Florida (USA)

Whether you call it Cigar City or the Cigar Capital of the World, Ybor City in Tampa, Florida hosted the annual Cigar Heritage Festival on Saturday, Nov. 18th. Although thousands attended to celebrate cigar culture, the main attraction was the making of the biggest cigar in recorded history.

A core team of about 14 volunteers specially trained were supervised by master cigar maker, Wallace Reyes,and his wife Margarita, of the Gonzalez Habano Cigar Company in Tampa, to work on breaking the previous cigar record of 66 feet and 11 inches. After 76 hours of rolling and gluing, this monstrosity of a cigar wound up measuring 101 feet long with a 61 ring gauge. The attempt is also to commemorate the 85th Anniversary of Gonzalez Habano Cigar, Co.

The 53-pound cigar is to be cut into six-inch sections. Each segment will be framed in a shadow box and will sport a band designed by Cigar City Magazine. A reproduction of the Guinness Book of World Records certificate of authenticity will also be included. Each cigar frame will cost $100, with the proceeds benefiting The Humane Society of Tampa Bay and the Ybor City Museum Society. This is the first time that such attempt is made in the United States. Assuming no one creates a longer cigar, the Reyes's record cigar will be acknowledged in the 2008 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. Tampa holds now two records, "Capitol Cigar of the World & World's Longest Cigar."

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