Views from a Smoke-Filled Room

If you’re thinking of a spring vacation, the ProCigar Festival may be worth considering.

LOS ANGELES – The cigar industry moves slowly, but it does move.

From February 25-29 in Havana, the Cuban cigar industry will hold its 10th annual "Festival del Habano," complete with a Gala opening, tours of factories and fields, contests, awards and a final dinner that features the live auction of a series of one-of-a-kind humidors.

It took ten years, but ProCigar, the association of Dominican cigar manufacturers, will host its first "ProCigar Festival" soon after, from March 5-7.

It includes many of the same elements, but focuses on the world’s largest producer of cigars: the Dominican Republic:

The three-day program will showcase four of the Dominican’s leading factories: (1) TabaDom, run by Hendrik Kelner, maker of the Avo, Davidoff and many other lines and the head of ProCigar; (2) Manuel Quesada’s MATASA, maker of Fonseca among many, (3) La Aurora, the first Dominican factory, founded in 1903 and (4) General Cigar Dominicana, home of Cohiba, Macanudo, Partagas and many, many more.

Plantation visits will concentrate on General’s Dominican fields and the Jicome plantation, whose leaves are used in Davidoff cigars, among others.

Themed events will be held each evening, featuring the pairing of cigars and spirits, the roots of tobacco in Dominican history and a final evening party.

Sound familiar? Sure, but why not? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and as the Dominican tobacco industry has expanded over time, it’s fully appropriate to showcase itself to enthusiasts in its own program.

Compared to the Cuban program, the ProCigar Festival is a bargain. Registration for the Festival del Habano costs about $1,260, but the ProCigar event is just $595. Neither fee includes the cost of hotel or airfare.

And unlike the Havana program, which is quite tight with cigars for the attendees, there will be a special box of cigars for each registrant, valued at $300, that comes with the price of admission.

There’s also an add-on program for golf at the Casa de Campo resort that a tour of the world’s largest cigar factory, Altadis U.S.A.’s Tabacalera de Garcia.

If you’re thinking of a spring vacation, the ProCigar Festival may be worth considering. At least you won’t have to lie to U.S. Customs when asked where you went on your Caribbean vacation!

Rich Perelman is editor-in-chief of CigarCyclopedia.com, offering comprehensive daily coverage of cigars, accessories, issues, people and prices at www.CigarCyclopedia.com.

Rich Perelman

12/17/07

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