Soil. Sun. Scale.

By Wednesday, the pace feels real. I don’t know, maybe the giant buses lined up in front of the hotel are a big clue (to be honest, the late nights are already catching up with me).

The dinners are fun. The receptions are loud. But today is where you remember this entire industry begins in dirt.

Out front, everyone finds the bus that will take them off into another world. A field. A Factory. Often both.

I have been to almost every Pro Cigar, and I am always impressed at how well-run the event is. Behind the scenes is a mad scramble to pull it off, but you would not know it as a guest.

Field and factory tour with De Los Reyes.

Today, for me, started with De Los Reyes.

Out to the fields first. Rows of tobacco stretching in disciplined lines under the Dominican sun. You hear about primings, crop timing, and how one week of bad weather can ripple into next year’s production numbers. This is agriculture with consequences.

It is easy to talk about flavor profiles in air-conditioned lounges. It is harder to talk about soil conditions and curing barns. Out here, there is less romance and perfect Instagram shots. There is planning, labor, and patience. The kind of thing that De Los Reyes has dialed in.

Then lunch.

Well…one thing first.

You think you know chocolate? What about a cigar pairing WITH chocolate?

Sure, we have all paired cigars with coffee and other drinks, but this was truly next level. We smoked the Ambar and worked through a flight of chocolate. Hey, we do what we can for you.

There is no coincidence that I ended up back at SAGA for another meal… it is part of today’s tour. It is a family affair that is fully self-contained, offering not only tobacco but also gourmet dining, and it never disappoints.

Inside the factory, the tone shifts, but the discipline stays.

Sorting tables stacked with leaf. Rollers in steady rhythm. Supervisors scanning for consistency the way traders watch markets. Every cigar that eventually lands in a humidor back home passes through hands that do this every single day.

You start to understand scale. Not a few hundred cigars. Not a few thousand. Production at levels most consumers never see.

Nirka Reyes guides the group through the entire process with a depth of knowledge that amazes even the most educated cigar fan (see an interview with Nirka here). If De Los Reyes is not on your cigar-smoking radar, it should be.

Wednesday strips away any illusion that this business runs on vibes. It runs on a process, passion, and decades of work.

The Pro Cigar Welcome Dinner

By the time the Welcome Dinner in the park begins, the mood changes yet again. There is no such thing as “all work and no play.”

Outdoor lights. Music in the background. People relaxed but not sloppy. You have now seen the roots of the product everyone is holding.

This is the first of three very different dinners…but all amazing in their own right. It is tough to pick a favorite.

The conversations carry more weight because you have seen the work.

One highlight was the presence of the Dominican Republic’s President, Luis Abinader. I can’t recall a past president ever attending…so that was a big deal.

Cigar Count: Steady and deliberate.
Hydration Level: Hanging in there.
Respect for the Process: Significantly higher.

Ok, one more thing…

Yes, I ended up back at the Fuente lounge for some late-night after-party conversation. I always say I will stay for one cigar, and then I’m sucked into the wonderful vortex that is industry talk. This might be the moments where I learn the most.

If Monday was calibration and Tuesday was momentum, Wednesday is perspective.