by Ryan O’Shea

As we departed from Canada on a Monday morning, the adventure ahead would mark the very first Pro Cigar Festival experience for most of us. Our House of Horvath contingent, which consisted of Cathy Horvath-O’Shea, Colm O’Shea, Nelson Ferreira, Joanna Liriano, and myself, watched Pearson International Airport fade in the distance.

We were bound for Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Landing in Puerto Plata in the late afternoon, we exited Gregorio Luperón International Airport to a wave of Caribbean heat. Through squinted eyes, we spotted the driver of our chartered ride, who was soon gesturing for us to release the bags from our tired shoulders. Piling in through the sliding door, the heavily tinted windows masked some of the sun’s oppressive heat while soft merengue music played from the van’s speakers. Departing from the airport lot, Joanna Liriano (the lone Spanish speaking member of our group who was born in the Dominican Republic) quickly slipped into a verbal cadence suited to the Dominican, matching the driver’s smooth-spoken Spanish at a pace we couldn’t begin to comprehend. Throughout the trip, her familiarity with our surroundings would prove invaluable as she navigated her home country on our behalf.

Almost immediately, motorcycles with an occupancy which ranged from anywhere between one to five people – buzzed past the windows of our bus and deftly threaded through the tightly packed cars travelling Puerto Plata’s narrow streets. Road lines functioned as more of a recommendation, with many cars passing into oncoming traffic with no discernible restraint coming from either occupant of the lane. A brief exchange of horns came in place of any drama. Soon, after a big left turn, our bus began barreling up a winding mountain road, en route to the city of Santiago.

As our entourage slowly rolled under the covered entrance of our hotel, the sound of soft car horns occupied the background like crickets at night – a soundtrack to a city teeming with activity. Across the hood of the van, I could see a stretching horizon that sat behind silhouettes of the high rises that protruded from the landscape, adorned with the blinking lights of apartments.

Rolling mountains filled the spaces behind them, kissed by the orange of a setting sun. No more than 15 years ago, most of these buildings were not there. The numerous cranes emerging from the foundations of the soon-to-be buildings told the story; Santiago was changing and growing quickly. After a visit to our rooftop patio for a cigar and a few drinks, our arrival day was done.

We’d found our new home for the next five days.

Day 1

Instead of mourning doves, the sound of car horns marked the arrival of the day. Joanna arrived in an SUV, a vehicle that was remarkably visibly unscathed, unlike many of the other vehicles found in Santiago which bore the scars of bumper-to-bumper encounters. On this day, we were driving to the Swisher Factory. For decades, our company has sold Swisher products in Canada. My late Grandfather, Joseph Horvath, Jr., once did an internship at Swisher (at the Jacksonville, FL headquarters) before long establishing House of Horvath.

Though the visit was not on the official schedule of our Pro Cigar agenda, it marked the beginning of our list of events. It also represented the first visit to a Swisher facility for any of our team members. Through the bustling streets of Santiago, we emerged to find ourselves outside the walls of a massive industrial complex. Lining a nest of warehouses and factories within the boundaries of the compound was the foundational beginnings of a monorail system on its way to completion.

Progress was steady and everywhere in Santiago.

Struggling to navigate the maze of buildings, we eventually found a massive facility adorned with the name Swisher Dominicana. From one floor to the next, we marched on a journey through the production and packaging facilities, seeing every step and angle in the process of making a Swisher cigar. Some of the machines, the total of which approached a thousand, could roll two thousand cigars a minute at full tilt. Collectively, this resulted in a staggering 40 million cigars a day. By sheer coincidence, it was stickering day for the packages for our Canadian products. The familiar, drab-colored standardized Canadian plain packaging hue flashed into view as a worker placed a salmon-colored excise tax stamp on the foil package. For the workers, these procedures were an extra process, but one Swisher maintains a willingness to complete for us.

We’d leave the factory with an entirely new appreciation for all that goes into the Swisher-made Pom Pom brand cigars we had thought we knew.

The first official night of the Pro Cigar Festival ended with a party on the top floor of our hotel. As we entered the room, the first of many boxes of cigars were provided for us. Throughout the festival, each of these boxes served as a form of charcuterie to some of the best cigars the island had to offer. Admittedly, I took pride in seeing some familiar brands from our portfolio from within each box.

Cathy Horvath O’Shea and Nirka Reyes of saga Cigars

Throughout the night, we mingled with some familiar faces in attendance, but also many new ones. The night culminated with a fireworks show as the colorful detonations appeared at eye level with our floor stemming from a closed-off street below.

This first taste of the scale of ProCigar festival was quite eye-opening, as the passionate effort behind this event was something that had only been inferred to me thus far. After saying our goodbyes to a handful of faces we’d see several more times throughout the festival, we laid down our cigars and bid farewell to the skyline of Santiago until next morning.

Day 2

Car horns met the morning sun. A bus waited for us downstairs. By 9am, we were bound for our first official daytime event of Pro Cigar 2025. Leaving Santiago, open fields stretched towards distant mountains; a view only interrupted by occasional clusters of stores, homes and lottery stands. Unlike our first experience with chartered transportation in the Dominican Republic, the merengue was not soft this time, and it would remain that way for the next hour and a half as we drove on towards the tobacco fields of General Cigar.

After a short drive, we arrived at the first facility. Entering a small room, we were provided with mesh sun hats, coffee and of course – cigars. As other Canadians might do, I glanced around to confirm that smoking inside was no longer “punishable by death”, before pulling out a light and savoring the freedom that came with being away from home. At the front of the room were two potted tobacco plants, and to our left was an array of machines and petri dishes that demonstrated the process of seed selection. What followed was an in-depth lecture of the tobacco selection process, from seed to stem. Once sufficiently imbued with the context of our upcoming tour, we returned once more to the bus – as well as the loud merengue music.

The fields were massive with an endless sea of green tobacco leaves, with massive barns marking the edges of the plots. Entering the shelters, we immediately encountered bundled tobacco leaf stacked in racks stretching from the dirt floor within a three-storey ceiling. A worker, seemingly unphased by our presence, diligently prepared fresh tobacco leaves for curing. Down the length of the barn, countless rows of tobacco racks filled the room. Doors on the opposite side glowed in a yellow light as the sun beamed through their open slits, half a football field away. Once more, I was struck by the sheer scale of it all.

The author in the fields of General Cigar

Eventually, we arrived at a large gazebo overlooking a hill. Our hosts had prepared a special lunch – and apparently some horses to ride as well. After being enthusiastically handed the reigns and given a quick riding refresher course in a language I didn’t understand, I swung my leg over the majestic beast and began a trip around the compound. Spectacle was a common theme of ProCigar. The grandeur of every event continued to surprise me as my horse trotted around the man-made pond that others were using as a golfing range. Word from veteran attendees of the festival was that each new event is peppered with improvements – with every farm and factory striving to provide increasingly over the top experiences for their patrons year over year. My horse bucked his head as he approached the ridgeline of the hill our siesta occupied. Below us, the Dominican countryside outstretched in green and yellow pastures, dotted with patches of palm trees and disrupted eventually by rolling, hazy mountains in the distance. If the goal was to go over-the-top, they had succeeded. Once lunch finished, we returned to the bus. What a welcome party.

Later that night, we once again made our way into Santiago for our second party of the tour. The ‘Welcome Party’, as it was known – was much larger than the warmup we’d had the night before. Climbing a staircase after passing through a security checkpoint, a massive open-air tent lay before us. Despite the splendor of the first night, the sheer decadence of this event once more caught me off guard. I’d heard stories of the ProCigars of the past, with their late-night trips to hotel casinos and tight-knit insider dinners. This was nothing like that; this felt like Hollywood.

The night went late, with more familiar faces met. Industry veteran and Arturo Fuente Brand Ambassador Josè Blanco, ever a comical ball-buster, made sure to greet us with a set of fittingly backhanded complements. Josè “Jochy” Blanco of La Galera fame made time for us while being life of the party and just before accompanying the other legendary Dominican Cigar makers on the main stage. Though pounding music belabored effective discussions at times, smiles, shoulder slaps and hugs conveyed the emotions all good parties wished to convey. We’d go on to meet several more industry greats as the night went on – a testament to the allure of the event. Alas, knowing that we had more to come in the morning – we bid farewell on yet another night in Santiago.

“Donned in white, everyone from celebrities, to members of the Senate and Congress of the Dominican Republic were in attendance – all commemorating the brands that built the cigar industry in the country. “

Day 3

Again, the cacophony of Santiago car horns marked the arrival of the fourth morning. Today was to be spent at the Tabacalera A. Fuente (the Arturo Fuente factory). As we’d soon find out, “Only Fuente is Fuente” is a fitting motto.

Passing a life sized Carlito Fuente Jr. bobblehead statue, we entered the factory to find ourselves in what reminded me of the Clue mansion; tall ceilings were supported by oak bolstering, with chandeliers resting level with the balcony to the second floor. Fuente memorabilia and historical images filled our vision from every angle. I was handed a coffee from a bar top lifted straight out of Ybor City, Florida along with two highly sought after Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars before the doors to the main concourse opened.

The next room known as the Cathedral, was almost comedically impressive; a central fountain in an open middle section with columns on the outside supporting an upper level and central rotunda met us as we entered.

Around the perimeter of both levels, bustling workstations covered the factory floor as workers busily rolled cigars by hand. All these observations came secondary however, as our immediate attentions was captured by the spectacle unfolding around us. Men and women, dressed from head to toe in Carnival garb, moved through the halls; their Lechón Masks fixing on the guests of the factory as they danced to the pounding drums and horns of the band playing from the second deck. Ciro Cascella, President of Tabacalera A. Fuente, had promised us a surprise before we’d begun our tour. I’d later learn that he was referring to a special video presentation at the end, but for me this may as well have been it.

Once more, spectacle and awe were the prevailing emotions.

As the drums ceased, we moved through the factory floors. Like a Caribbean Winchester House we moved up and down staircases, going room to room in a maze of artwork and memorabilia. Each Fuente line had its own dedicated rollers in their own dedicated rooms – with some workers enjoying their creations while they made them.

Eric Newman, President of J.C Newman Cigar Co. and long-time friend of the Fuente family, accompanied us through the tour. A veteran of the industry, we hung on each word as he effortlessly switched between retelling and recalling invaluable insight into the history of the company.

Cathy Horvath O’Shea & Eric Newman of J.C. Newman

Later in the tour, he and Josè Blanco recalled stories of the Fuente factory and its humble beginnings– a grounding point during an otherwise fantastical experience. The spectacle of ProCigar continued to build upon itself the deeper we travelled down the rabbit hole.

If we’d just come from wonderland, Cinderella’s ball was next.

Santiago on a Wednesday night is buzzing with activity. Through the hectic streets of the city rose a stoic white tower on a hill. Tonight, its walls bore the colours of the Dominican flag. Known as the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration, this imposing tower was built in 1944 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the nation’s independence. Now, as hundreds of ProCigar participants climbed the hill towards the tower in white outfits, a celebration of national pride fittingly found its way into the halls once more.

Colm O’Shea & La Aurora’s Manuel Inoa

Known as the ‘White Party’, this massive gathering is arguably the centerpiece of the entire event. Donned in white, everyone from celebrities, to members of the Senate and Congress of the Dominican Republic were in attendance – all commemorating the brands that built the cigar industry in the country. The box of cigars we received reflected this ethos, which featured artwork designed to celebrate Dominican culture and its intersection with tobacco.

As the night ended, we left with a bittersweet feeling – understanding that this would be the last nighttime event we’d attend. The next morning would feature a visit to the headquarters of a brand that has been intertwined with our company’s history perhaps more than any other.

Day 4

La Aurora. With a lion featured in its logo, it stands as the regal representative of the Dominican cigar industry, boasting an impressive 120-year-and-counting legacy. It was also one of the first premium brands our company carried. From all perspectives, the roots were deep as we rolled to the fields in Tamboril. Known by some as the “World Capital of Cigars,” Tamboril is home to several top marques in the Tobacco world. Entering the municipality felt special.

Our group in the La Aurora fields

We rolled through the gates of the La Aurora fields around 9am. My colleague Joanna, who once worked in the La Aurora factory offices, quickly reunited with several staff members as our group graciously accepted cigars and coffee.

We were promptly greeted by Guillermo León Herbert, president of La Aurora. Donning a sun hat and sporting a morning cigar, for a moment it was disarming to be in the presence of such a legendary industry figure. His eyes met mine before he paused momentarily, then made a zipper motion and cracked a wry grin. My fly was down! Apparently, I’d left the White Party but the White Party (and its many drinks) hadn’t left me. We both shared a laugh, and I thanked him for pointing out my embarrassing sartorial blunder. It’s easy to feel intimidated by names carrying so much weight.

It’s reassuring to remember that good, honest and real people are behind these cigars.

Iturbides Zaldívar, Marketing and Sales Director for La Aurora, led the opening speech as we enjoyed cigars commemorating the 120th Anniversary of the Brand. Pointing us forward with a guiding hand, we ventured first to a green house. Within, young tobacco plants started on the journey to their eventual placement in the fields. With the aid of an interpreter, a La Aurora Master Blender guided us through the process of selection, from seed to sapling. After our introduction to their process, we followed their team to the fields. We started with the cigar wrapper leaf. A massive, tent-like cheesecloth shade cover permitted a fraction of the sun’s radiation to reach the tobacco plants below. Rows of perfect leaf, smooth and uniform, filled the space. We approached the filler fields next. Unimpeded, the sun’s heat beat down on us from a topaz-colored sky; below it, the plants responsible for the line of cigars bearing names of gemstones.

Once we’d been acquainted with the tobacco itself, we entered a curing barn to find neat rows of tables, each seating place garnished with a notepad and series of numbered cigars. With a commanding voice, La Aurora Master Blender Manuel Inoa silenced the room chatter to invite everyone to light up the cigar labelled “1.”

This tasting seminar featured four different options all made with different fillers. From a citrusy Cubito to a strong, sweet Ligero – we explored each one guided by Inoa’s expertise. Once the lesson was completed – we’d collect our notes and create our own blend. I chose a mixture of 1, 3, and 4; a Cubita, Viso and Corojo Ligero respectively. Eventually I’d have a chance to sample my handmade product; a cigar which I was pleasantly surprised by. Later however, we’d have an opportunity to try Inoa’s newest creation – a cigar bolstered by a new appreciation for the complexity and skillfulness behind a great blend. As we tried his “baby,” as he coined it – he quickly moved around the room discussing his creation with as many patrons as he could in the time allotted, noting their commendations and criticism with equal care.

His passion was unmistakable.

The experience would end with a lunch outside of the factory in the same complex we had begun our adventure in. After that, I went back to the hotel. Later, the Gala auction event would round out the festival’s itinerary, but our group opted instead for a quiet evening in Santiago. The next day, we’d be back in Puerto Plata preparing to board our flight home. Having missed my chance to enjoy one last cigar before arriving at the airport, I descended an airport staircase to a lounge that permitted smoking in our terminal. I let out a small laugh as I entered to see La Aurora signs and advertisements adorning the walls.

Cigars really were everywhere in the Dominican Republic.

Summary

ProCigar was an eye-opening experience. The jaw-dropping spectacle ever-present at each event was always underpinned by the sincere passion for cigars the hosts and attendees all shared. That balance is what makes it genuine. Nothing ever felt fake, nothing ever felt forced. From start to finish, it was special.

I’d long been aware that ProCigar is a yearly pilgrimage for many of the attendees. Now, having experienced it myself – I understand why. It is a celebration of cigars and the great people behind them – a truly wonderful week in Santiago.