A Day At ProCigar
Santiago, Dominican Republic, is the cigar capital of this Caribbean country. Many years ago the cigarmakers here joined together to form an organization called ProCigar. This week is when they welcome the world to their home, opening up their cigar factories and tobacco fields to tours. I’m here reporting on the scene.
The group—hundreds are here—is a mix of cigar consumers and people in the trade. If you’re a cigar fan, this is a lovely trip, the chance to see firsthand how cigars are made and how tobacco is grown. There are tours each day, lively parties every night and plenty of cigars.
You choose your own schedule. I’m joined on this trip by managing editor Greg Mottola, and we went separate ways yesterday. I spent the day at La Flor Dominicana, starting in the company’s tobacco fields out in La Canela. My first cigar of the day was the La Flor Dominicana Oro No. 7, which I loved.
The farm is a beautiful place and it even has several horses. Take a look at this video to get an idea of what you can see:
We spent a few hours in the fields, seeing everything from seedlings to nearly mature tobacco plants, as well as tobacco in the barn. Then we moved on to the La Flor Dominicana factory for a very energetic and delicious lunch before heading into the factory to see cigars being rolled, and the company’s recently expanded footprint.
Litto Gomez, co-founder of La Flor, is a passionate speaker who shared his methodology with the tour group. Standing among bales and bales of tobacco, a multi-year inventory, he spoke about his humble beginnings and how much things have changed. He called this a “Golden Age of Cigars,” a time when so many great companies make so many great cigars. I agree. It’s a wonderful time to be a cigar smoker.
That evening, the entire group dressed up and headed out to a gala dinner. The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, was in attendance, a show of presidential support for this industry, which is a worldwide ambassador of the Dominican Republic.
There’s much more to come. As I write this, I am headed out to go see the Arturo Fuente cigar factory. There are many more cigars in my immediate future.
To see more from the festival, visit Cigar Aficionado’s Instagram page.
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