[Editor's note: the following interview was conducted via email in Spanish and translated by me. Any errors in grammar, syntax, or word usage are mine and are a product of my own limitations. ~Doc]

In recent weeks, I have been introduced to Don Lucas Cigars and the brand owner, Lucas de Meester. With so many new brands coming into the cigar market these days it is not unusual that I would come across a new brand, however there are few new brands that have garnered my attention and respect, as have Don Lucas Cigars.

Below: Doc with Don Lucas

Prior to my latest trip to the Dominican Republic, I had tried the Don Lucas Gold Series and the C4. But while visiting the DR in February 2009, I had the great pleasure of meeting Don Lucas himself and smoking an even newer, unreleased, cigar. That meeting (and smoking) tipped the scale for me as I went from "interested party" to "confirmed believer."

I sat and chatted with Don Lucas and marveled at his newest cigar and came away with the distinct impression that cigars and tobacco are not only a passion for this man, but a lifestyle. There was intensity and wistful pleasure in his eyes as he talked about the tobacco and his cigars. It is truly a pleasure to spend time with someone so committed to excellence.

After returning home, I wrote to Don Lucas and asked if he would be interested in sharing some of his passion with the readers of Stogie Fresh and he happily agreed to this interview.

DOC: How did you make the transition from lounge owner to making your own cigars? Can you tell us a little about your lounge and what a visitor might expect to see and do there?

DON LUCAS: Really, there wasn't much of a transition from managing the Cigar Home and Lounge Punta Cana to making cigars. For 16 years I have dedicated myself to the making of cigars, both the creation of the Don Lucas brand as well as the Don Lucas Cigars S.A company. 

It all began in my home in Bavaro, where I started with only one roller. People came to visit to learn more about the rolling processes. The people felt comfortable, like family, sharing with us. During this time I wanted to show something very different, I put an emphasis on the quality of the cigar and its presentation.

When making cigars I always tried to choose the best materials available, so as to achieve uniformity of color and flavors… in short, I wanted to make the best cigars that I could make.

Later, I decided to move the operations to another site in Bavaro to allow me to receive more visitors. The new operation functioned well but was missing something, primarily the sense of "sharing with the people." The new operation began to function like a commercial machine, in which nobody could feel the heart, the warmth, the sense of ambiance that still exists in the actual lounge.

After that, I decided to return to the way it had been in the beginning where we spent extraordinary moments with our visitors, again like family, making the people feel as though they were in their own home. I began to feel like my old self again, with a renewed passion for cigars and sharing that passion with all the visitors, smoking with them and sharing a drink in the lounge. I would speak of the history of tobacco, about the farms, the manufacturing processes, and the curing and aging of tobacco. These were unforgettable moments with all the visitors who came to the lounge. I have noticed that people enjoy having this special relationship with the manufacturer, not necessarily with the retailer.

This is life in the world of cigars, in my opinion. The most important thing is the relationship between two people and the enjoyment of a common bond. Cigar Home and Lounge in Punta Cana is the only place that works in this way. All is done by the owner (myself), even driving visitors in a private vehicle both to and from their hotel.

When you visit the Lounge, you will find wines from seven different countries and the finest rums. The tropical patios are a place where many stop to enjoy the peaceful surroundings and use wireless internet access.

On the walls of the Lounge you will find many testimonies from the cigar enthusiasts that have visited. The Lounge even has a permanent exhibit of the Dominican painter Guillo Perez.

Cigar Home and Lounge is also the only place that organizes (in limited groups) visits to a cigar factory in Santiago (Cigar Export Corp.) as well as the farms of Navarette. This special tour includes the flight to Santiago in a private plane, a visit to the factory and farms, a visit to the city of Carazon (Santiago), tastings, lunch in the center of Santiago: in all, one full day. This visit isn’t a commercial tourist product but an exclusive service of Lucas De Meester for the cigar enthusiast. 

Many cigar enthusiasts are looking for high quality cigars, or rather, the guarantee of high quality when it comes to purchasing cigars. Tourists in Punta Cana find it difficult to make quality purchases since there are many people selling counterfeit cigars (i.e., Cuban cigars), especially in the beach areas. Cigar Home and Lounge is definitely something apart - I want to say that perhaps it has been destined for the cigar smoker.

DOC: Where do you source the tobacco for your Don Lucas blends?

DON LUCAS: The tobaccos used for Don Lucas and Lucas De Meester Premium Cigars comes from the farms of Navarrete in the Dominican Republic. The farm manager is engineer Leonardo Reyes. He is a master of curing the tobacco in Navarrete and specialist of the Cuban seed tobacco harvested in the Dominican Republic.

All the tobacco comes from only one farm. This allows the process of cultivation, harvesting, curing and aging, to always be the same. This is what guarantees the consistency of all Lucas De Meester lines of cigars.

Below: Leonardo Reyes

DON LUCAS:  My relationship with Augusto Reyes can be described as a friendship that has lasted many years. Augusto and Leonardo Reyes have always helped me with advice for making products of the highest quality.

The two brothers complement one another perfectly. Augusto is the manufacturer (with Cigar Export Corporation) and his brother Leonardo is the one that “lives” at the farms assuring top quality raw materials. (Leonardo has supplied tobacco for some of the best cigars at La Aurora and Camacho, among others). Nowadays, Nicaragua and Honduras buy more of this tobacco than our own Dominican Republic.

Augusto Reyes is the one that has always helped me to understand what it takes to produce a product worthy of the international market. Thanks to him and his brother I have learned the complexities of producing a great cigar, from the seed to the rolling. The natural methods that Leonardo uses to cultivate his tobaccos still fascinate me and when I go to the curing barn to see how the curing process is progressing, I am still as captivated as I was on the very first day.

I consider Augusto and Leonardo Reyes my mentors. Never worrying about the time, they always teach with the same dedication to the basics of the tradition of making cigars, as they have done for six generations.

DOC: Can you talk about your current cigar blends and their flavor and body profile?

DON LUCAS: The actual names of these “blends” are: Don Lucas Pearl Series, Don Lucas Premium, Lucas De Meester Gold series, and  Havana Vuelta Abajo. The four blends have been created based on what we've heard from our clients. Effectively some prefer the smooth blends, Dominincan cigars with a light wrapper, while others opt for a medium-to-full or full-bodied blend.

The Pearl Series is the smoothest of our blends. It has a filler of Olor Dominicano and Piloto Cubano tobaccos, the binder is Dominican, and the wrapper is a Connecticut Shade seed grown in Ecuador.

The Don Lucas Premium is very similar. The major difference appears at the level of the wrapper, which, in this case, is a Connecticut Shade leaf grown in the USA.

My favorites are the two lines that appear under the name of Lucas De Meester. We would say that the decision has been to make a “signature” series for what we consider the best for the aficionado. In the Lucas De Meester Gold Series and Lucas De Meester Havana Vuelta Abajo, we have created two lines of cigars: the first is a medium-to-full (Gold Series) and the second, full-bodied (Lucas De Meester Vuelta Abajo).  We work exclusively with Cuban seeds grown in Dominican Republic. The curing of the tobacco is controlled by Leonardo Reyes and he gives us a tobacco of high quality that possesses no hot after taste, even in the last 2-inches. All our clients smoke these cigars until the last inch without ever noting any effect of the cigar heating up. These cigars have delighted the lovers of Habanos, since they have the strength but are never overpowering.

Below: Havana Vuelta Abajo tobacco

Our clients always say “I want something strong but I don’t want it to be harsh.” They can tell the difference between strength and fullness of flavor.

DOC: What can you tell us about your latest cigar project?

DON LUCAS: The latest creation is a new preferido cigar with a ring gauge of 54 and a length of 6 ¾ inches. These will be packaged in boxes of 24 cigars (the box is more humidor than standard box). This cigar (full Havana Vuelta Abajo) will appear within a few weeks in the North American market in two choices of wrappers (natural and maduro). A cigar created for those looking for a consistently full-bodied cigar. 

This is the first cigar that is made entirely with the same seed for wrapper, binder and filler: Havana Vuelta Abajo. This cigar is definitively reserved for experienced smokers and will surprise the lovers of Habanos.

Contact Information: Lucas De Meester Cigars

Website: http://www.donlucascigarsoriginal.com

Interview conducted by: David "Doc" Diaz from Stogie Fresh