Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic led the premium cigar world through the boom of the 1990s and still rolls a huge share of it. Most of the factories sit in and around Santiago de los Caballeros, in the fertile Cibao Valley in the north.

Where it grows

The Cibao Valley does the heavy lifting, with growing areas around Villa González, Navarrete and Tamboril. The two classic local varieties are Piloto Cubano, a Cuban-seed leaf that brings strength, and Olor Dominicano, prized for its aroma and the way it burns.

The style

Dominican cigars built their reputation on smooth, elegant blends, often under Connecticut or Ecuadorian shade wrapper. Plenty of full-bodied cigars come out of Santiago now too.

Names you'll see

Arturo Fuente, Davidoff, La Flor Dominicana and La Aurora are all Dominican. Fuente's OpusX, first released in 1995, proved that Dominican soil could grow a first-rate wrapper, which people had doubted for years.