Procigar Day 4 – Twenty Miles Away

The surprising thing about this year’s Procigar 2025 was the full house at the blending seminar. It’s not the norm. Procigar attendees, before the big White Party at the Restoration Heroes Monument, take advantage of that time to relax. Plus, you have to get all dressed up, and dressed in white for the party and that, believe me, in some cases takes a lot of time. It’s a lot of work.
However, the poster for this year’s Seminar was very attractive. Presented by Michael Herklots, of Ferio Tego Cigars, who is a great communicator, with the participation of Fito Maruschke, of Jose Mendez & Co, and Ernesto Perez Carrillo, of Casa Carrillo. The expectation alone filled the room. Unusual, because, although it is always interesting and you always learn something new, in Procigar, on the fourth day, a little pillow time tastes like glory. Understandably so.

The speakers did not disappoint. They presented the audience with three cigars, all made with the same blend, but with a slight variation. Ecuardo wrapper, Dominican and Nicaraguan double binder, and, in the filler, a Jalapa viso, a half leaf of ligero Carbonell, Dominican, and three leaves of dry grade Criollo 98 Dominicano. The variation was subtle: the Criollo 98 in number one was from the 19/20 harvest from the Mao area; the one in number 2 was the same harvest, but from Navarrete, which is twenty miles away from Mao… The difference was incredible. Perceptible by everyone. Only twenty miles and the tobacco was totally different.
Then, the third blend, was also from Mao, but from the 22/23 harvest, a year when it rained a lot and the tobacco came out, as they say in the Dominican Republic, washed. Softer.

It was tremendously enlightening. It showed how challenging it is each year to achieve consistency of flavor, apart from the value of “terroir” in tobacco, a concept similar to that used in the wine world. Of course the soil is important, but the soil changes a lot in just twenty miles. The terroir is the soil, but three other factors are also part of it: the climate, the seed and the hand of the harvester.
It was worth sacrificing the rest, although today the tiredness of the whole week is a little more noticeable in the bodies. Procigar is a marathon of activities and you have to enjoy them all, no doubt, but the most spectacular, the one everyone is always waiting for, is the white dinner at the Monument.
For many, this year has been the best in the history of Procigar. Lots of animation, lots of music, lots of enjoyment and a presentation with a very spectacular play of lights and colors. And just in case anyone was thinking of leaving, when it seemed that it began to wane, the dancers of the famous Carnival of La Vega, one of the most famous in the world, appeared and it was the definitive explosion.

The White is Procigar’s big party. The organization knows it and, therefore, the next day’s tours start an hour later. Tonight is the closing, with the gala dinner, which is more solemn and, in addition, with a stricter etiquette: dark suit for men and long dress for women. Informatively, what always attracts the attention of the Gala Dinner, which is held at the Centro Español de Santiago, is the humidor auction. There are thirteen humidors (see the extra article), one for each of the twelve members of the association plus another one donated for the auction by Procigar itself, and a painting by a famous Dominican painter, Yubo Fernandez. The humidors, of course, have been made specifically for the auction and last year reached the not inconsiderable figure of almost half a million dollars, which are destined to charities and social action organizations. That figure is likely to be exceeded again this year. Of course, bidders know that whoever wins the auction will take home a unique and unrepeatable piece. The result will be known tomorrow.