Oh wow — where do I even begin? I recently returned from an incredible week at the ProCigar Festival in the Dominican Republic, and I’m still processing it! 🤯😁

Seven unforgettable days in what many call “Cigar Country,” including four full days packed with festival adventures.

Before the trip, throughout the festival, and after returning to the UK, I documented the journey — explaining what the festival is, sharing live updates, and publishing three in-depth articles about the tobacco fields and factories I visited: Davidoff, La Flor Dominicana, and La Aurora.

In this post, I’m bringing everything together — summarising the trip and reflecting on the overall experience.

The journey there

I flew with Air Europa from London to Madrid, then on to the Dominican Republic.

I’m quickly realising that visiting these cigar-producing countries usually means taking connecting flights — there don’t seem to be any direct options to the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, or Cuba from the UK.

Note: Don’t upgrade to seat 52 K expecting a window — it doesn’t actually have one 😬😯.

As we landed, the plane erupted into applause and not just an applause there was crazy mad cheering too — almost carnival-like — the turbulence weren’t too bad, so I got the sense that these people in DR like to party! You could instantly feel the pride and passion people have for their country… and their cigars.

At customs, a huge image of Carlito Fuente Jr and his father greeted us — a bold reminder of how central cigars are to Dominican identity, even though the Fuente family originally hails from Cuba. It’s a real achievement.

You can pick up an eSIM from the airport upon landing.

Santiago de los Caballeros

I stayed at Hotel Santiago, Curio Collection by Hilton, a lovely hotel in Santiago de los Caballeros, conveniently linked to a shopping mall (think Westfield Shopping Centre) and roughly 25 minutes from Cibao International Airport – which is easy to access via Uber – there are also loads of taxis outside the airport.

This hotel was one of the festival hotels which made it great for transport to and from all the events and field and factory tours. It was also nice as I bumped into Carlos of Tor Imports (UK importer and distributor of New World cigars) who was also staying at the hotel.

The hotel’s cigar lounge, the Arturo Fuente Cigar Club, made it an ideal home base for the week. An absolutely lovely spot for a cigar.

Before the festival officially began, I explored the city, including the Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración, where preparations were already underway for one of the week’s major parties.

The city itself wasn’t as iconic as Havana, but it felt like it was going through a lot of regeneration, with building works happening all over.

Planning Your Trip: Costs

For anyone curious about the cost, here’s a rough guide (flights and accommodation not included), based on tickets purchased from the ProCigar festival website (tickets usually go on sale from the October prior). Prices are listed in US dollars, so I’ve included approximate conversions to UK pounds.

• Warm-up party: $100 → £75
• A time beautifully filled tour by Davidoff Tobacco Field – Cigars & Rum: $300 → £240
• Welcome dinner party: $500 → £400
• La Flor Dominicana factory tour: $300 → £240
• White dinner party: $600 → £480
• La Aurora field & factory tour: $300 → £240
• Auction gala dinner party: $400 → £300

My flight from London cost about £1,000 with Air Europa, and Hotel Santiago runs around £150 per night.

Attending one tour per day plus all dinners comes to roughly £2,000.

Including flights and accommodation, the full trip comes to about £4,000.

What I didn’t realise when choosing which tours and events to attend was that the ProCigar Festival is usually split into two parts. Its first segment, scheduled to take place in La Romana, was cancelled this year. A recent article in L’Amateur de Cigare suggested the cancellation may have been linked to sanctions related to Chen Zhi affecting Tabacalera de García—an issue that has also been noted across several other cigar publications.

Festival kickoff

After a couple of days settling in and adjusting to the time zone, Tuesday arrived—time for registration and the Pre-Welcome Party. That’s when things really started to get going. 🎉

Registration is fairly quick—you pick up your pass along with your first batch of festival cigars.

At each event, you’ll receive a box of cigars, so make sure you have enough luggage to take them home — I even paid extra for an additional suitcase to make room. In the UK, you’re allowed to bring back up to 50 cigars.

Then it’s upstairs to the hotel’s rooftop. 

At the pre-welcome party, you get the chance to meet the makers in a more informal setting. I had the opportunity to meet industry figures such as Hendrik “Henke” Kelner Sr., formerly of Davidoff, who sold his land to the company years ago.

I also met cigar makers from Dominican brands, including Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana, the team behind La Galera, and Carlito Fuente Jr. of Arturo Fuente, among others. I also spent some time chatting with David Savona of Cigar Aficionado.

Looking back, I realise that all these events — including the pre-welcome party — are really opportunities to meet other cigar enthusiasts at the festival. It makes forming friendships incredibly easy, as the people you chat with one evening might well end up on your tour bus the next day. This is great if you go on your own like a lot of folk out there.

Factory Tours & Highlights

The festival was impeccably organized, with smooth transport to factories — most drives under an hour, a very different experience from Havana trips I’ve done before where it can take a couple of hours to get too.

Our factory tour started with Davidoff (you can read my full post about it here), and it was extraordinary. Walking through the production lines and seeing the precision and care that goes into every cigar really highlighted the craftsmanship and dedication behind the brand.

I even got to plant my own tobacco – which I jumped at the chance at doing!

Also someone on our tour accidentally set off the fire alarms so everyone had to be evacuated 🙈.

Overall it was a brilliant tour!

Next up was La Flor Dominicana (you can read my full post about it here). Litto Gomez was the ultimate showman — charismatic, outspoken, passionate.

Touring the factory with him felt personal and inspiring, and the barbecue might have been the best I’ve ever had.

A surprise appearance by Jonathan Drew made the day even more memorable.

Later, we visited La Aurora (you can read my full post about it here), exploring stunning tobacco fields under perfect blue skies.

The highlight was rolling our own cigars alongside the torcedores.

Packing and banding our creations to take home gave me a whole new respect for their speed and skill.

I even bought one of the largest cigars I’ve ever seen — an iconic oversized format from La Aurora. How I’ll smoke it remains a mystery.

The Parties

The Welcome Party set the tone — complete with heavy security as the country’s president, Luis Abinader Corona, attended.

His presence made it clear just how important the cigar industry is to the Dominican Republic, both economically and culturally.

The White Party was the main highlight for the parties I think, bringing together guests dressed in white for an unforgettable evening of elegance, music, and fellowship.

It was held at the most iconic setting and felt like New Years Eve – especially when the fireworks went off!

I think it’s the biggest party I’ve ever been too!

And then came the final Gala Dinner and Charity Auction.

The evening opened with a fun and creative audiovisual show featuring Procigar members, which immediately set a celebratory, communal tone.

Litto Gomez gave a moving speech about friendship, passion, and culture — and the festival’s slogan, “Our Soil and Soul,” really hit home. It’s all about honoring the land that grows this incredible tobacco and the people whose dedication transforms it into world-class cigars.

The auction was great — and record-breaking for DR! Together, they raised over US$618,000 for charitable causes.

Some standout bids included:

• US$150,000 for “Les Chaînes de L’Amour” by Tabacalera Fuente
• US$51,000 for “Espejo de Litto” by La Flor Dominicana
• US$44,000 for “Family Creed: Fuerte Sol” by La Aurora

The money goes to organisations like Voluntariado Jesús con Los Niños and Hospicio San Vicente de Paúl, plus Procigar’s social initiative, “A Home for My Family”, which provides dignified housing for employees of member factories.

One of the big bidders of the night turned out to be Abel Fernandez of AJ Fernandez who was sat a few seats behind me! Was a very surreal moment.

The evening ended with a spectacular musical performance celebrating the rhythm, color, and heritage of the Dominican Republic.

It was energetic, joyful, and emotional — a perfect finale to an unforgettable week.

At the end of the night, everyone transitioned onto the dance floor, and that’s when the real party began.

The cigars

Every event came with a box of cigars. I even ended up having to leave some behind in the Dominican Republic, which meant making some tough choices about which ones to take — definitely not my proudest moment.

There is a huge variety of cigar brands in these boxes including:

Tabacalera Fuente / Arturo Fuente
Tabadom Holding / Davidoff
Quesada Cigars
De Los Reyes Cigars
La Flor Dominicana
Tabacalera de García
General Cigar Dominicana
La Aurora
Casa Carrillo (E.P. Carrillo)
PDR Cigars
Tabacalera Palma
Arnold André

One thing that made me chuckle was the Box Bar, designed specifically for your cigar boxes. It’s like a cloakroom, but just for cigars! Definitely not something you see every day 😄. Here’s to more of the Box Bars!

Since coming back to the UK I’ve not had a chance to smoke these just yet but they are nicely stacked away in my humidor.

Final thoughts

Honestly, this trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Despite being close enough to be neighbours in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic and Cuba (where I went last year) feel quite different from one another as an observer in terms of everyday life and economic opportunity. The Dominican Republic has seen significant tourism growth and outside investment, while many Cubans live with economic pressures shaped by history and policy, including the long-standing United States embargo against Cuba. What truly stands out, though, is the resilience, warmth, and creativity of the Cuban people.

Having now visited two cigar-producing countries, it’s been fascinating to see these contrasts firsthand. That said, it’s probably a little unfair to compare them too directly — each place has its own unique character, culture, and magic.

The cities reflect this in their own way too. Havana is iconic — architecturally and culturally unforgettable — whilst a little rough around the edges. Santiago de los Caballeros, while not as visually striking in the same way, was a place I genuinely enjoyed. It feels like a city with real energy and momentum, and I loved spending time there.

What stood out most to me was how differently cigars are celebrated in the Dominican Republic compared to the UK. In the Dominican Republic, cigars feel joyful, innovative, and proudly commercial. There’s visible investment in infrastructure and production, and cigars are openly celebrated as part of the culture. In the UK, by comparison, cigars face far more scrutiny and restrictions.

Interestingly, while conversations back in London often revolve around Cuban cigars, they were hardly mentioned at the festival. At first that surprised me, but it makes sense when you remember that many people from the United States don’t have access to Cuban cigars because of the long-standing United States embargo against Cuba.

What was impossible to miss, though, was the enormous presence of the American market at the festival. It’s something I hadn’t fully appreciated before.

Also from a cigar production perspective walking through the factories in the Dominican Republic, it really felt like the scale of production was huge. I don’t know the official statistics or how it compares directly with Cuba, but from what you can see on the factory floors, the volume being produced in the Dominican Republic today seems incredibly significant. Compared to what I saw last year in Cuba.

I was also surprised by how few Brits were at the festival. For cigar lovers — whether you prefer Cuban or New World cigars — this is absolutely a must-visit event. The chance to visit factories, experience the parties, and meet people from all over the world creates such a special atmosphere. The vibe throughout the week was incredibly welcoming and full of enthusiasm for cigars.
Going on my own was a little intimidating at first. Walking into these big events and parties solo felt quite full-on. But this whole cigar journey has given me a real boost in confidence. Everyone I met was so friendly and welcoming. There’s something really special about being on the other side of the world and instantly connecting with people through a shared passion.

It was also amazing meeting people from the US who actually follow my blog and socials — honestly I was quite literally mind-blown.

Would I go back? Absolutely — 100%. Some people say the festival can feel similar year after year, but as a first-timer it was extraordinary. If you’re a cigar lover, this is the ultimate experience and something you should do at least once in your life.

Next on my radar, I’d love to visit Nicaragua and see how that compares — although financially that might have to wait a little while 🙈😭😬.

Apologies if I flooded your feeds with content from this trip… but it really was incredible 🙏 I still can’t quite believe I was there. I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced it all.

And a special thanks to Sig, Scott, and ProCigar for the advice and guidance leading up to such an amazing week 🫡

ProCigar Festival 2026 — a very special memory I won’t ever forget!

If you’re interested in attending ProCigar Festival 2027 visit: https://procigar.org/procigar-festival/

And if you wanna watch my vlog of this trip, head over to YouTube on the following link: