The Procigar Festival is back and Cigar Coop is once again in attendance.

Procigar is an organization of cigar manufacturers based in the Dominican Republic. Each year they put on an annual festival that is a combination of farm and factory tours, seminars, and gala evening events. It is put on for end-consumers and is usually held in February. It is one of three major festivals in the cigar industry with the others being Festival del Habano (Cuba) and Puro Sabor (Nicaragua).

If you oversimplify the cigar industry, you can divide the industry up into two major categories…..production (including agriculture) and distribution. Most cigar events in the U.S. come from the distribution side. Often the company sales teams are involved with these types of cigar events. The three major festivals are more focused on the production end of things. You won’t see a lot of salespeople, but will get to meet some of the people who handle cigar growing.

There are not a ton of new products that debut at Procigar, but some companies have used this platform to do launches. Quesada and La Aurora are two companies that have done this in the past. At the last Procigar, General Cigar showcased the Macunado Inspirado Green.

I imagine at this year’s Procigar, products launches will be secondary.  I expect the “family reunion” theme that we have seen at TPE and PCA in the U.S. to be prominent. This is the first of the three cigar festivals since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out to take place. It is also worth noting that the 2022 PuroSabor and Habanos festivals have both been cancelled.

Procigar has put some strict safety protocol standards in place. This includes proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test 48 hours before the event. The Dominican Republic is also requiring a negative COVID-19 test to leave the country. Procigar will have on-site testing at the host hotels for attendees.

My goal over the next few days will be to give some thoughts and perspectives. I won’t be documenting the cigar-making process from the factory tours as I believe this has been already done by far more knowledgeable people, however there will be observations to note. As much as I like great food pictures, those will be reserved for this author’s social media accounts.