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ProCigar Festival
Dominican
Republic
There’s no better way to get up close and
personal with the world of Dominican
cigars than the ProCigar Festival. This
year’s event, which began in the resort
town of Casa de Campo and culminated in
Santiago de los Caballeros, represented
more growth for the organization, with
Litto Gómez’s La Flor Dominicana and
Jochi Blanco’s Tabacalera Palma participating as full ProCigar members for the
first time. Other members include Altadis,
General Cigar, Davidoff, MATASA, La Aurora, Corporación Cigar Export, Tabacalera
La Alianza, and Arturo Fuente.
Hendrik Kelner, Michael Herklots and Samuel Méndez
Arielle Ditkowich with the Leons and Mirandas
Chateau de la Fuente
After a visit to Tabacalera de Garcia and
some R&R in Casa de Campo, participants
were transported to Santiago where tours
of tobacco farms and cigar factories were
followed each night by great dinners,
dancing, and live music. If you left the
D.R. feeling like you hadn’t smoked, drank,
and danced enough, you’ve got issues we
just don’t know how to fix.
A new look for Henke
There were too many tours and other
events for us to attend (though we wish
we could have done it all). This year, we
took tours of Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo’s
Tabacalera La Alianza factory, the La
Flor Dominicana farm and factory, and
the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation’s
incredible complex, which is serving an
impoverished area with education, medicine, and all-around empowerment for
children.
We also enjoyed an intimate dinner party
at the MATASA factory, where Manuel
Quesada and the “Young Ones” unveiled
the Quesada 40th Anniversary cigar’s
funkiest vitola: a Salomon that is only
box-pressed in the center, leaving a “bulb”
at each end of the cigar. Unlike anything
we’ve seen.
The ProCigar parties are by now legendary and for good reason. There was
the “white dinner” at the Monumento a
los Héroes de la Restauración, where
the city’s most iconic landmark and a
breathtaking view of the city served as
the backdrop for one of the best parties
we’ve attended in a long time. Finally, the
closing gala featured live merengue music, a riveting live auction (which raised
thousand of dollars for local charities),
and Henke Kelner with a fake mustache.
That was probably worth the price of
admission right there.
60 | Cigar Snob | MAR / APR 2014
Fabián Barrantes with La Sirena herself
Nirka Reyes
Carlito Fuente enjoys a post tour cigar with guests
E.P. Carrillo factory tour freebies
Who knew Belgians partied so hard?
Party time!
La Flor Dominicana courtyard gazebo
Litto Gómez leading his farm tour
Elissa Noyes and Frank Herrera
Angel Elizalde getting jiggy!
Manny Iriarte and Albert Montserrat
MAR / APR 2014
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