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HAVANA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Famous Cuban cigar roller, Jose Castelar, on Friday finished off his quest to break his own Guinness Record and rolled a 90-meter cigar dedicated to former president, Fidel Castro, on the eve of his 90th birthday.
After 10 days of hard work, Castelar reached a new accomplishment in a career full of world records and rolled the last few centimeters of the cigar in front of guests and the press.
"I feel very proud of this record which I dedicate to our leader Fidel Castro for his 90th birthday. He has been our guide for over 50 years and he has sacrificed for the freedom we can enjoy today," said Castelar.
Dressed in a bright red Cuban typical guayabera shirt, Castelar, also known as Cueto, cut off the cigar at exactly 90 meters although he rolled almost a meter more.
The length of the giant cigar was a very well-kept secret until Friday as Cueto never told reporters his determination to reach 90 meters in order to honor Castro on his birthday.
"This is a great day for me and all Cuban cigar rollers because, once again, we have made our country stand out in the world through one of its most famous products," he added.
To make the giant cigar, Cueto used about 80 kilograms of dry tobacco leaves from Pinar del Rio, west of Havana, where the famous aromatic plant is cultivated.
His previous Guinness Record, with a cigar of 81.8 meters long, was established in 2011.
A team of about 100 collaborators including a physiotherapist helped the cigar roller to accomplish this new feat in the vaults of the fortress San Carlos de la Cabana in Havana.
This cigar roller scored his first Guinness world record by rolling a cigar of 11.4 meters in 2001, before topping his record by extending it to 14.86 meters in 2003, 20.41 meters in 2005 and to 45.38 meters in 2009.
