Next week, the Dominican cigar industry will gather for the annual Procigar Festival in Santiago de los Caballeros, the heart of the Dominican cigar industry.
As is tradition for Procigar, the event will conclude with the gala and charity auction on Friday evening. Proceeds from this year’s auction will be donated to three different charities: A Home for My Family, Hospicio San Vicente de Paúl and Voluntariado Jesús con los Niños.
This year’s auction differs a bit from the previous year in that there is a wide range of non-humidor auction items donated by cigar manufacturers. That being said, Procigar members each donated humidors for the auction.
Hat job
Often called a “Panama hat”, this hat actually comes from Ecuador. It is handmade by weavers and finished with a black ribbon.
Starting bid: $400
“Tobacco heals the world” by Fabian Barrantes
For the second consecutive Procigar Festival, Fabian Barrantes has an artwork included in the auction. This year’s item is a 30 x 40 inch painting that uses acrylic and 24 karat gold dust. An “NFT video of its creation” is also included.
It is described:
As the world has gone through difficult months during this pandemic, the tobacco world has come together to serve its aficionados with one of our most beloved products, cigars! This painting symbolizes the unity of tobacco leaves surrounding the world with the focal point in Santiago the epicenter of tobacco manufacturing.
Starting bid: $1,000
“Connection with the Ancestors” by Lizander Jiménez
Lizander Jiménez is a graduate of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design. This paint was used to help create the design of the cigar box which will be given to each attendee of the gala dinner on Friday evening.
The mixed media painting measures 19 x 14 inches.
Starting bid: $1,000
Humidor Perez-Carrillo Series Honored Generations
This humidor from EP Carrillo will come with 198 cigars in total from these three brands:
- Perez-Carillo La Historia
- Perez-Carrillo Again
- Pérez-Carrillo Promise
Starting bid: $1,000
Nueva Cosecha cigar humidor
The Quesada family item is a cedar humidor that features an acrylic painting by Pragmy Marichal, whose art was included in the Vega Magna box.
Inside the humidor will be 120 Casa Magna Liga F cigars.
Starting bid: $1,800
Brizard & Co. The Positano Collection Humidor
One of two sets from Brizard & Co., the Positano Collection Humidor uses African mahogany and white leather. The Positano collection itself is inspired by “Italy’s Amalfi Coast lifestyle”, although this special humidor has a debossed Procigar logo.
Starting bid: $2,000
Brizard & Co. The travel bag from the Positano collection
Brizard & Co. has also included a matching Positano Collection travel bag, also with a debossed Procigar logo. Inside are a matching cigar case, a Venezia lighter and an Elite Series 2 cigar cutter.
Starting bid: $1,500
PDR Balthazar cigar humidor
Alex Goldman of Quality Importers Trading Co. donated the Supreme Balthazar Humidor used for this lot. This version uses the walnut finish with a PDR logo on the front. The humidor measures 22 inches x 15 x 33.5 and is capable of holding approximately 542 toros or 1,024 crowns.
It will come with 80 7 x 52 cigars from the A. Flores Connecticut Valley Reserve Azul and Rosa lines.
Starting bid: $2,500
“Orgullosamente, Patria.” by Evaristo Angurria
This painting will measure 60 x 66 inches and is an acrylic and resin spray paint on canvas. I write “will measure” because this piece will be painted during the White Party on Thursday night, an annual Procigar tradition that takes place at Santiago’s iconic Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración.
It is described as:
To all these anonymous heroines, to the women who day after day by their silent work create the fatherland.
Starting price: $3,000
Fernando León 100th Anniversary Humidor
Fernando León’s 100th birthday would have been in 2022, so La Aurora pays tribute to León, the late father of current owner Guillermo León. The company commissioned Iris de Mondesert, a Dominican architect known for her work in conservation and the plastic arts, to create this humidor. The artist’s choice is to pay homage to one of Fernando León’s favorite causes, the preservation of the environment and more specifically, the attempt to protect bird habitats. A white-fronted quail, one of his favorite birds, is depicted on the cellar.
Inside the humidor are 180 cigars named after Fernando León, ranging from regular production items, future cigars, an exclusive cigar, and the cigar that Fernando blended for himself:
- La Aurora Fernando León Legacy: Lancero (6 7/8 x 40) — Limited Edition Coming Soon
- La Aurora Fernando León Founder’s Choice (5 1/2 x 42) – Formerly known as Leon Jimenes Don Fernando No. 4, Fernando León’s personal cigar.
- Family Reserve La Aurora Fernando León Robusto (5 x 50)
- La Aurora Family Reserve Fernando León Belicoso (6 1/4 x 52)
- La Aurora Fernando León 100th Anniversary Pigtail (5 3/4 x 52) – This cigar is exclusive for Procigar 2022
Montecristo Cincuenta humidor by Elie Bleu
This appears to be the same Elie Bleu humidor that Altadis USA released in 2019, although the cigars inside are not the same. These humidors come with the Montecristo Cincuenta No. 2, a belicoso 6 x 52. This humidor is listed as coming with 100 Montecristo Cincuenta Toros, which is an Altadis USA size sold in boxes outside the humidor. These cigars have been rolled by Lucrecia Valdez, a master roller with over 40 years of experience.
The Montecristo Cincuenta was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tabacalera de García, the huge factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic, which produces cigars for Altadis USA. In terms of blending, it uses an Ecuadorian wrapper from Sumatra on a Dominican binder and loads from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
Starting bid: $5,000
Raices
De Los Reyes’ article this year is described as a “massive tabletop humidor” designed by Rene León using more than 1,700 pieces of coconut shells. It does not stop there, the rest of the description is as follows:
The path in the drawer is a silver handle, decorated with the magic of Joarla Caridad, in a piece that combines Dominican amber, colored from bright yellow to the very rare blue amber, found only in the Dominican Republic.
Precious stones, metal, cedar, coconut shell, the “Raìces” are the perfect accommodation for our exclusively selected Saga cigars that beautifully deliver a bottle of Sir Chill Gin, a Belgian specialty made with tobacco extracts.
Inside are 110 Saga cigars.
Starting bid: $5,000
STG Assembled Cigar Humidor
The cigar humidor from General Cigar Dominicana, part of Scandinavian Tobacco Group, has a globe on top. The concept is twofold. First, that the pandemic meant many people couldn’t see each other, but now they can; second, that humans need to better protect the environment.
Inside the humidor are 60 cigars, Silencio Red Dot and Silencio Black. (Silencio is the name STG uses to sell its Dominican Cohiba brand in international markets.)
Starting bid: $5,000
Four night stay at Villa Tres Amarras
A four-night stay at Villa Tres Amarras, located on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The beachfront villa is located on a secluded beach and this package includes:
- Accommodation for 18 to 24 people.
- 9 King Rooms with Private Terrace and Sea View
- Direct BeachFront access to a secluded sandy beach
- Infinity pool and whirlpool
- Amarra Spa Private spa just for the villa
- Movie theater
- Spanish Patio
- Fully equipped gym
- Entertainment area with Bar
- Full staff
- Host, Private Gourmet Chef and his team, Barman, waiters, housekeeper, Masseur & Beautician, Gardener, Maintenance, 24/7 security guards.
Starting bid: $8,000
Fuente Fuente OpusX 25th Anniversary Humidor
This is Elie Bleu’s Fuente Fuente OpusX 25th Anniversary humidor which began shipping to stores late last year, specifically humidor #3 of 225.
It measures 15.15 inches x 6.69 x 9.84 and uses red gumwood with marquetry and rose gold accents. Inside are 25 Fuente Fuente OpusX 25th Anniversary Churchill Cigars, currently the only way to get these cigars is to purchase one of these humidors.
Starting bid: $10,000
The Golden Bull humidifier
La Flor Dominicana’s humidor this year contains 100 La Flor Dominicana The Golden Bull cigars, a 6 1/4 x 42 version of the Andalusian bull smoked by Tony Gomez and not available for purchase.
Starting bid: $10,000
Davidoff Winston Churchill Humidor London Ambassador
This is the larger of the two Winston Churchill humidors, measuring 15.083 inches x 9.42 x 5.5, designed to hold between 70 and 90 cigars.
Inside are 70 cigars:
Starting bid: $2,500
Tabacalera Palma
Details on this humidifier have not been announced, but it looks pretty cool.
A Home for My Family is Procigar’s own charitable initiative. It aims to build new housing for the less fortunate employees.
The Hospicio San Vincente de Paul is a non-profit association dedicated to the care of the elderly in Santiago. Proceeds will help complete the Golden Age Residential Center, an area that will house 26 full-time residents and another 12 day patients. The project is created so that the organization can charge for care to help pay for its charitable costs.
Voluntariado Jesus con los Niños is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children and their facilities. It includes a children’s oncology unit, a children’s burns unit and a nutritional program that helps offset the effects of chemotherapy treatments.
Charlie Minato
I am publisher and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of halfwheel’s two predecessors. I manage the editing of our written content, the majority of the technical aspects of the site and work with the rest of our staff on content management, business development and more. I have lived in most parts of the country and am now beginning my second stay in Dallas, TX. I like boxing, headphones, the 24 hours of Le Mans, wearing sweatshirts all year round and gyros. echte liebe.
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