The Best Tour Of A Tobacco Factory In DR?

Is it possible to tour a tobacco factory in DR? Do they use large barns to dry the tobacco as they use to do in Florida, US? I appreciatte any info. Thanks, Joyce

L'll be back.

You can tour the front of the L. Leon Jimenes factory in Santiago on a regular basis.

Or you can e-mail me and we can set up a tour that will take you from the leaf to the cigar inn about an hour, with coffee in between. Not nearly as big a place as Aurora, but we think we're nicer (LOL!)

Since the major factories are located in Free Zones the access is limited to the public in general...

As for curing: After harvesting the tobacco spends six weeks (approx.) in a 'rancho' a thatched roofed structure seen in every tobacco field. (Here I am talking about cigar tobacco, not cigarette tobacco which is cured differently-today no one uses big barns for it either), then off to the warehouses for further curing...

Lemme know, y'all hear?

HB

Hillbilly,
thank you very much for your reply. I will e-mail you very soon. The majority of tobacco that was grown here for many years was "shade tobacco" for cigar wrappers. There were small crops of "bright tobacco" grown for cigarettes I guess. I only worked in it some in the summer as a young person quite a few years ago, I don't know too much about the history etc. of tobacco. But tobacco was very popular here in our county in North Florida for many years. Knowing the popularity of it in the DR peaked our interest about it there. Until later..........Joyce

I will be in Punta Cana in September but I take it there are no factories anywhere nearby. How far would I have to go to visit a factory? Sorry for the threadjack Joyce.