A well-appointed Burlington dining room may be the last place, and Lizzie Keating the last person you'd expect to see cigar-rolling. Keating chuckles, "The Irish, private-school thing usually throws them off!"

But this business owner does roll cigars, by the dozen, through her 4-year-old company, Vermont Cigar Factory. She beams, "I just love the process! It's nice to know it's probably the freshest cigar in the state!"

She learned this craft from a Cuban master cigar roller now living in Key West, Fla. Keating recalls, "He told me to basically not be too confident because it's always a learning process."

Keating has discovered different kinds of tobaccos and the skill it takes to make a tightly-rolled, long-lasting cigar. Using seasoned tobacco grown in the Dominican Republic and Connecticut, she sells online and more commonly, shows off her talents in live demonstrations at weddings and golf tournaments.

She's a sort of entertainer who provides custom-labeled products to party-goers. Keating explains, "It's just that unusual thing people don't know you can have at an event."

Smoking in general is on the decline, but cigars remain a popular tobacco niche following a boom in the 1990s that saw celebrities lighting up and cigar bars opening. Still, Lizzie Keating will be the first one to tell you cigars are not a healthy alternative to cigarettes. There are serious health risks to any tobacco use. She says, "There is a time and place people like to enjoy cigars."

So for customers who enjoy an occasional indulgence, this businesswoman is on a "roll" with these traditions from Cuba, now "Made in Vermont."

Lizzie Keating runs the Vermont Cigar Factory as a sideline to her other business, Burlington taxi service Green Cab.