| To look at the rankings, the world's best cigars seem | | | | but the country is one of the world's oldest sources |
| to come from only a few countries: Nicaragua, the | | | | of tobacco. The crop has been cultivated in the |
| Dominican Republic, Honduras, and (unfortunately for | | | | Dominican Republic for many centuries, especially in |
| Americans, who can't buy the country's products) | | | | the fertile Cibao Valley. For many decades its |
| Cuba. But excellence actually comes from all over the | | | | produced-in-country cigars were overshadowed by |
| world-and in fact, some of the tobacco that makes | | | | the worldwide dominance of the Cuban cigar. But the |
| many of the most highly-ranked cigars comes from | | | | Dominican Republic benefited from the same |
| places you might not immediately think of: Mexico, | | | | Castro-era stogie diaspora that lifted the cigar |
| Brazil, the Middle East, Connecticut, and the American | | | | industries of Nicaragua and Honduras. In 1959, as Fidel |
| South. Here, for example, we look at two | | | | Castro and Che Guevara, with their revolutionary |
| cigar-producing countries-one of them not well-known | | | | guerilla army, overthrew the Juan Battista dictatorship |
| for its wares, the other perhaps the world's leading | | | | that had dominated Cuban politics for decades, many |
| cigar powerhouse, not excluding Cuba. But both | | | | of the island's most prominent cigar-producing families, |
| countries deserve the attention of cigar aficionados. | | | | fearing that Castro's state-socialist regime would |
| Bahamas This former British protectorate, a | | | | expropriate their homes, companies and fortunes, |
| world-class tourist destination with an impressively | | | | departed in search of new and politically safer places |
| high literacy rate of ninety-five percent, has a | | | | to live. Between the departure of many of Cuba's |
| world-class cigar to match. Though the island's own | | | | best cigar makers, several of whom chose the |
| smoking population is low (eleven percent), smokers | | | | Dominican Republic as their new home, and the |
| looking to sample Bahaman cigar craftsmanship should | | | | soon-in-coming United States embargo on trade with |
| start with Graycliff cigars. Associated with the | | | | Cuba, which put an end to that country's US sales, |
| famous Graycliff resort hotel, this unique company | | | | the cigars of the Dominican Republic had a chance to |
| makes a small line of well-crafted handrolled luxury | | | | attract notice. The embargo outlasted generations of |
| cigars. This odd combination-resort hotel and cigar | | | | activist efforts to change it, even becoming federal |
| company?-resulted from the purchase of the | | | | law due to the 1992 Cuban Democracy Act and the |
| sprawling Graycliff property by the Garzaroli family in | | | | 1996 Helms-Burton Act, all of which allowed the |
| 1973. As a resort, Graycliff was a more than sensible | | | | Cuban cigar industry to be challenged, some might |
| investment for the Garzarolis-with its | | | | even say eclipsed, by cigar makers in neighboring |
| eighteenth-century colonial house, its restaurant with | | | | countries. Some of the Dominican cigar makers thus |
| an internationally-famous 250,000-bottle wine cellar. In | | | | enabled to win dedicated United States fans included |
| 1997, the Garzaroli family decided their profitable | | | | here include La Aurora (the oldest |
| resort needed its own line of luxury premium cigars, | | | | continuously-operating factory in the Dominican |
| and they contracted with Avelino Lara, a Cuban cigar | | | | Republic), Arturo Fuente, Davidoff, La Flor |
| legend who once rolled cigars for Fidel Castro himself, | | | | Dominicana, and La Gloria Cubana. Three strains of |
| to assist in the creation of a line of six cigars that, | | | | tobacco are used by most of these Dominican cigar |
| say aficionados, vary in taste but not in excellence. | | | | makers-the native Olor Domicano, a mild salty leaf |
| The red-banded Graycliff and blue-banded Graycliff | | | | seen most recently as the wrapper for Davidoff's |
| Professionale are recommended for new smokers, | | | | Dominican puro; Piloto Cubano, a strong strain derived |
| while the Graycliff Crystal, Graycliff Emerald, Graycliff | | | | from Cuban seeds stolen by Carlos Torano on his |
| Espresso, and Graycliff Chateau Grand (all identifiable | | | | way out of that country in 1959, and used now |
| by corresponding-colored bands; the Chateau Grand is | | | | often as filler; and light, slightly acidic San Vicente, |
| purple-banded) are recommended for those who | | | | used for both binder and filler. |
| prefer a fuller taste and more aged tobacco. | | | | CigarFox provides you the opportunity to build your |
| Dominican Republic Twenty percent of the population | | | | own sampler of the finest cigars that include cigar |
| of this Latin American nation uses tobacco. But | | | | brands like Montecristo, Romeo & Julieta, H Upmann, |
| probably near one hundred percent of serious | | | | Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Gurkha and many more. |
| premium cigar smokers in the United States have | | | | Choose from more than 1200 different cigars! Other |
| enjoyed cigars from the Dominican Republic. The | | | | cigar products include cigar humidors, cigar boxes, and |
| FuenteFuente Opus X is one of its more recent hits, | | | | cigar accessories like Zippo Lighters. |