Via David Savona,, at Cigar Aficionado:

Tobacco growers in the Dominican Republic are reporting an outstanding year in terms of overall yield.

A consistently sunny climate, cool nights and perfectly timed rain have combined for what some are calling the best crop in recent history.

The extensive sunshine produced larger, thicker leaves, which require more time for curing and fermentation, but end up with more flavor.

Dominican tobacco is critical to the health of the entire premium cigar industry. The leaf is a major component in the production of virtually all the cigars made in the Dominican Republic, which is the world’s largest producer of premium cigars, and it is also exported to various other cigar-producing countries.

For more on this story, see the May 9 issue of Cigar Insider.