The Dominican Republic produces a large share of the premium cigars sold in the United States. Santiago and the Cibao valley are the most important places to know. A Dominican cigar is often a blend: local filler with an imported wrapper. It can also be a Dominican puro; Fuente Fuente OpusX is the best-known example, proving that wrapper can be grown in the Dominican Republic, at Chateau de la Fuente.
The modern Dominican cigar industry took shape after the Cuban embargo, when families such as the Fuentes started again in Santiago (in 1980). Other companies were already growing tobacco in the Cibao valley before then. Both facts are true.
A Dominican cigar is not guaranteed to be mild. “Dominican” tells you where the cigar was made, and sometimes where its tobacco was grown.