Dominican Republic: Puerto Plata – Monsenor Cigar Factory

When in Dominican Republic – you gotta visit a cigar factory. The tiny establishment in Puerto Plata is nothing compared to the megafactories in Santiago, but everything here is manual – leaf cutting, rolling the cigars, keeping them under heavy press, then rolling them tighter again. It’s a messy little factory with cigar boxes, tobacco leaves, metal presses, and shelves overloaded with cigars everywhere. Add the tobacco and cigar smell that almost eats your eyes out, and you get the full picture.