Dominican Republic and at Las Vegas Cigar Co. is that "here, the money is better." Like most of Galdieri's rollers, Rosario learned about Las Vegas Cigar Co. from a friend who also rolled cigars. Four of Galdieri's rollers are from the same family -- three brothers and their father.

Rosario prefers to make Las Vegas Cigar Co.'s Montefino and Punch sizes, both of which are rolled to a 52 ring gauge. "That's the most comfortable size to work with," he says.

Rosario also doesn't hesitate to label Las Vegas Cigar Co's blend as superior. "The best cigar I've ever smoked has come out of this factory," Rosario says. "I've smoked different cigars all my life. the blend here is very desirable to me."

Partly that is because of the experience of Galdieri's employees. The factory's production manager, Rene Montejo, worked 24 years at the H. Upmann factory in Cuba before coming to the United States. Montejo primary job is to see that rollers are consistent, both in the tobacco they choose for each cigar and in the construction of the cigar itself.

The rollers arrive each morning at 7 A.M. Their daily production -- 150 to 300 cigars each -- is gathered in bundles of 50 cigars wrapped in plain brown paper, dated, and signed by the roller. The bundles are then transported to Galdieri's warehouse near the Las Vegas airport where they are aged a minimum of 30 to 60 days. Each day, bundles that have matured long enough to be sold are brought to the store where they are either used to stock humidor bins for single sales or packed in cardboard boxes. Galdieri keeps a stock of between 120,000 and 150,000 cigars in the warehouse most of the time.

"I like to keep a stock that will last between 60 and 90 days. Churchills move fast, and so do our Punch and Coron Largo sizes. I try to keep 2,000 to 3,000 Nix in inventory. With Churchills, I want to be ahead at least 20,000 so that I can age them."

The store carries a small selection of medium-priced humidors, carry cases, and pipes. Caldieri doesn't sell cigarettes. to augment its mail order business, Las Vegas Cigar Co. maintains a Web page (http://www.lvcc.com).

Galdieri stores bulk tobacco at the warehouse where eight other rolling stations are set up. Although the warehouse is only three months old, it already is crowded with the inventory of aging cigars and bulk tobacco, which Galdieri receives two-to-four ton orders. Tobacco being rolled this year was harvested at least one year ago.

Because a majority of his customers are out-of-town visitors to the Las Vegas strip, Galdieri's mail-order business is burgeoning. "I have shipped to just about every country in the world except China," Galdieri says. He also provides cigars wholesale to a handful of stores in the United States. He occasionally supplies cigars for dinners and private parties at local casinos, but doesn't emphasize that part of the business because of the hassles involved. Although mail order accounts for 50% of his business, Galdieri says, "Without these doors being open, I wouldn't have that."

Until recently Galdieri purchased his tobacco from a broker in Miami. In order to keep costs low during the summer of 1995 Galdieri began to explore importing directly from tobacco plantations in the Dominican Republic. Just like many cigar smokers, however, Galdieri has to deal with the popularity of cigars and the pressure that puts on tobacco supplies. After a recent shortage of Dominican binder, Galdieri's company manager, John Rodriguez, could be heard on the telephone negotiating with a grower in the Dominican Republic for an emergency shipment of tobacco.

Rodriguez, 24, is a recent accounting graduate of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Besides managing the factory, Rodriguez directs the factory's mail order. Fluent in Spanish, he also acts as translator for Las Vegas Cigar's cadre of rollers, who speak little or no English, and also instrumental in negotiations over the telephone with cigar growers and exporters in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador.

While the company strives for a consistent taste for its cigars, Rodriguez says the formula varies depending on a given crop. "You can't control the way a crop shows up," Rodriguez says. "Nature is

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