Cuban seeks to break own record with 70m cigar
古巴捲雪茄專家　挑戰七十公尺雪茄紀錄

A Cuban cigar roller began last Monday rolling a 70m cigar in an attempt to nearly double his previous Guinness world record, a spokesman said.

Working eight hours a day for nine days, 67-year-old Jose Castelar Cairo, better known as Cueto, is hoping to break his 2009 record of a 43.38m stogie.

He hopes to complete his latest feat today and display it at the International Tourism Fair, which runs Monday-Saturday this week. It would be his fifth record in more than half a century of cigar-rolling.

“Cueto said that as long as he lives, the Guinness record has to be in Cuba,” said his spokesman Amado de la Rosa. “He is very lively now and will get tired as the days go by, but he hopes to reach his goal.”

The athletic-looking sexagenarian first learned to make cigars when he was 14 years old.

Hailing from the central province of Villa Clara, Castelar counts among his clients a Saudi prince and a wealthy Mexican businessman. He has two children with his wife Maria Diago.

Handmade Cuban cigars are considered to be the finest in the world. Tobacco is one of the communist island’s top exports, along with nickel, biotech products, sugar, coffee and fruit.

(AFP)

一位發言人說，古巴捲雪茄專家上週一開始捲一支七十公尺長的雪茄，試圖以近兩倍的長度，打破他先前的金氏紀錄。

六十七歲外號為奎托的何賽‧卡斯特拉‧開羅，連續九天每天工作八小時，期望能打破他二零零九年四十三點三八公尺雪茄的紀錄。

他希望能在今天完成他最新的壯舉，並將其傑作展示在本週一到週六舉行的國際旅展上。這可能會是他半百的捲雪茄生涯中，第五度破紀錄。

他的發言人阿瑪多‧德拉羅莎說，「奎托說只要他還有一口氣，金氏世界紀錄非古巴莫屬。」德拉羅莎接著說，「他目前仍精力充沛，但隨著時間流逝，體力也會隨之變差，不過他希望能達到他的目標。」

有運動家體格的這號六十幾歲人物，十四歲時首次學習製作雪茄。

來自中部的比拉喀拉拉省的卡斯特拉，其主顧有一位沙烏地王子與一位墨西哥商業鉅子。他有兩個小孩，還有他的妻子瑪麗亞‧迪亞哥。

手工古巴雪茄被認為是世界上最頂級的。菸草是這個共產島國最大的出口貨品之一，其他包含鎳、生物技術產品、糖、咖啡與水果。

（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）

Warning: Smoking can damage your health.吸菸有害健康