Dear editors,

I'm a college student as well as a fan of a good cigar and am currently researching tobacco (my focus is cigars) growth in the Dominican Republic. Part of this research will have to do with the embargo on Cuba and how that's affected Dominican cigars (made them more popular, etc.). I was hoping you would have some sources of information you could refer me to like books or scholarly articles. A book on the history of cigars would even be helpful. Thanks very much.

quote:

Originally posted by aar1on2:
Dear editors,

I'm a college student as well as a fan of a good cigar and am currently researching tobacco (my focus is cigars) growth in the Dominican Republic. Part of this research will have to do with the embargo on Cuba and how that's affected Dominican cigars (made them more popular, etc.). I was hoping you would have some sources of information you could refer me to like books or scholarly articles. A book on the history of cigars would even be helpful. Thanks very much.

The Cuban embargo essentially created the non-Cuban cigar industry. The cigarmakers from Cuba left the island, spread across the world and tried to recreate the tastes they had left behind.

I wrote a very long article on this subject called "The Exodus" for our 10th Anniversary issue. It describes the birth of cigar production in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Canary Islands and elsewhere in the wake of the embargo. I interviewed dozens of cigarmakers, pioneers who left Cuba and created the non-Cuban cigar industry, including several who sadly are no longer alive today. It sounds like it's perfectly tailored to what you're researching.

Here's the link:
http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Archives/CA_Sho.../0,2322,1326,00.html

For more modern info on what's going on in the DR, this site is loaded with it. I'd use the search function on the main website (go to the home page) and search for keyword "dominican" "imports" and "cigar boom." You may also wish to subscribe to our Cigar Insider newsletter (www.cigarinsider.com) which has the most comprehensive information on cigar news available anywhere.

Thanks a lot the article was very helpful