Dominican Cigars

The Dominican Republic exports more cigars than any other country, and the industry is concentrated in the Cibao valley around Santiago and the town of Tamboril, where the soil and climate suit the tobacco and where several of the world's best-known brands are made. Factory tours walk through the whole sequence: the curing barns where leaves hang and change colour, the fermentation piles that drive off ammonia, the sorting of leaves by size and shade, and the rolling floor, where torcedores work in pairs at benches, bunching filler, applying binder and stretching the wrapper leaf with a speed that takes years to acquire. The Tobacco Museum in Santiago covers the history, and the monument on the hill above the city gives the valley view.

What you actually see

• The rolling floor - torcedores bunching, binding and wrapping by hand.
• The curing barns - leaves hanging and changing colour.
• Leaf sorting - grading by size and shade before rolling.
• The Tobacco Museum - the industry's history in Santiago.

When to go

Factories work on weekdays and tours must usually be arranged in advance rather than turning up; some of the biggest names do not admit visitors at all. The harvest and curing are most visible in the first months of the year. Santiago is hot year-round in the valley.

Honest expectations

Access varies enormously: some famous factories are closed to the public entirely, others require booking through a tour operator, and walk-ups are rarely successful. Cigars sold on beaches and by street vendors are frequently counterfeit. Smoking is the point here, and if it does not appeal there is little reason to go.

Nearby

Santiago's monument and old centre are close; Jarabacoa's mountains are two hours south.