Private party · Lehigh Valley, PA

A Kentucky Derby party at a private club, with a cigar roller on the terrace

Derby jackets and hats on a brick terrace, and the table set up outdoors under the umbrellas.

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A guest in a Derby hat lighting a cigar at the table

1 of ~28hands trusted with the Opus X — the same ones at your partyCigar Journal, 2016

6 minfrom loose leaf to a cigar in your guest’s handHis own words

150+nights that ended with the room around his tableFranklin’s own count

Derby day

Not Churchill Downs

Not Churchill Downs: a Kentucky Derby party at a private club in the Lehigh Valley, in May 2026. The guests came dressed for the Derby — pink and red jackets, Panama hats — and his table went out on the brick terrace under the green umbrellas, dressed in the Arturo Fuente cloth.

The club

The same club, asking again

He knew the place. The same host had invited him to a Halloween party at the club in October 2025 — the same brick terrace, the same white-trimmed brick clubhouse, the same green umbrellas. This was the second invitation in seven months.

In his clip the table stands at the terrace rail with the grounds rolling away behind it, while inside the dining room is laid with long red tables for the party.

It was an honor to bring my cigar rolling experience and share this special moment with everyone. Appreciate all the love and great energy—cheers to good people and great cigars.

Franklin PichardoPosted May 2, 2026

The terrace

His table at the terrace rail, and the dining room set for the party, May 2026.

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How he works a private party

Trusted with the Fuente Opus X—At the Fuente table since 1995—Formula 1 Miami’s official roller—Featured in Cigar Journal—Chosen by Hublot, Tudor and Bell & Ross—

The same hands can be at your event

Franklin Pichardo has been rolling since 1995, the year Arturo Fuente released the first Opus X — and he is one of the few in the world the family cleared to roll it.

See how he earned them