Cigars form the Dominican Republic
In the 1970s, cigar production began in the Dominican Republic, triggered by Cubans in exile, who began to cultivate tobacco there with seeds from their home country. Among them were well-known personalities from the cigar world such as Arturo Fuente, Alonso Menendez, Carlos Torano and Manuel “Manolo” Quesada. These personalities created the myth about Dominican cigars within a few decades, from which the country and many manufacturers still benefit today. Neither smoking cigars nor tobacco cultivation is a new phenomenon in the Dominican Republic, because the Taino Indians already consumed tobacco in the time of Christopher Columbus, which they rolled into cigars.
The largest and most famous tobacco growing area in the country is located in the northwest and is called Valle del Cibao. Here you will find particularly fertile soils along the river Yaque del Norte, which rises in the west of the country and flows through the Valle del Cibao. The landscape is characterized by tobacco plantations, palm trees, mango trees and banana plantations. For a long time, the two well-known Dominican Olor - and Piloto tobacco varieties, which are mainly processed as insert tobacco, were primarily grown here. These two types of tobacco have had a lasting impact on the image of Dominican cigars. Both tobaccos have a mild sweetness and a medium - to full-bodied aroma. Other growing areas in the area are Moca, La Vega and Bonao, which are also located near the Yaque del Norte. The production center of the cigar industry in the Dominican Republic is located in the provincial capital Santiago de los Caballeros and in La Romana. Here you can find the well-known tabacaleras by Arturo Fuente, Davidoff and Macanudo.
