Dominican Cigars

During the past decade the Dominican Republic has become the largest single exporter of premium hand made cigars to the USA. This tremendous growth in tobacco cultivation and cigar production has been fuelled by the presence of both General Cigar and Altadis - two of the largest cigar producers in the World.

The main tobacco growing areas are the Cibao River Valley and the Real Valley close to Santiago, the capital. The modern era of cigar production on the island was in the main due to the arrival of Cuban immigrants following the Revolution in Cuba. Today this is reflected in plethora of brand names that echo their original Cuban counterparts.

Despite the country's importance as a tobacco producer it still imports leaf from such countries as Cameroon and Nicaragua while leaf for wrappers is acquired from Cameroon, Connecticut in the USA as well as Ecuador and Mexico. Many of the blends currently available in the multitude of cigars produced in the island stem from combinations of these core ingredients.

Whilst it may be generally said that Dominican cigars lack the complexity and strength of their Cuban counterparts expert quality control contributes to the very high standard of premium cigars now made by the following companies.