 Interview with La Luna
Cigars International
January, 2001 — One
of the most popular “boutique” brands of 2000 was La Luna Maduro
Fuerte from La Luna Cigars International in Miami. With their
smooth yet powerful flavor and reasonable prices, the Maduro Fuerte
line became a big hit with experienced smokers and even developed
a loyal following of enthusiasts called “Lunatics.”
We wanted to better
understand this new force in the cigar business and La Luna Cigars
owner Gael de Courtivron graciously agreed to answer some of our
questions and talk about his latest line: the African Fuertes. Gael
also answers some questions from Cigar Weekly Members.
 Cigar Weekly: Please give us a little background, how did
you get started in the cigar business? How long
have you been in the cigar business?
Gael de Courtivron: That’s a
long, long story. I guess it’s fair to say that as far as this industry
is concerned, I’m one of the new kids on the block. I’ve been making
cigars since the early 90s, but do not come from a cigar family.
My background includes some 20 years as a professional Rock n’ Roll
drummer/vocalist, and several years as the owner/President of a
successful Graphic Art company. I do however come from a prominent
French Wine family, LOL! I began my career in the cigar industry
by sheer happenstance, but my previous life experiences have helped
me greatly. I suppose that my biggest asset is that I have a very
refined palate. I know what I like, so I set off to create exactly
what I think an enjoyable cigar should be like. In the early
days, I was making cigars strictly for myself and for some of my
friends. One thing led to another, and the rest is history.
CW: What are the brands
currently in production for La Luna?
Gael de Courtivron: La Luna is
currently producing the Maduro Fuerte, African Fuerte, and Little
Havana Blend lines. In the spring of 2001, we will introduce the
Natural Fuerte line. The three Fuerte lines will be our flagship
lines, while the Little Havana Blend line is designed to be a budget
conscious line that will probably only be available in bundles.
CW: You have discontinued
a few lines. Why?
Gael de Courtivron: I have discontinued
several La Luna lines for a multitude of reasons. One of the main
reasons is simply because producing cigars in Miami has become far
too cost intensive. Another important reason is that the availability
of superior tobaccos is much, much better in Central America.
The La Luna Reserva line however, was not discontinued, but since
it was a 1996 reserve, the line just sold out.
CW: You are in the process
of releasing a new line: the African Fuerte. What prompted
you to release this new line and what can you tell us about it?
When will it be released?
Gael de Courtivron: The African
Fuerte line is really my “baby.” I’ve always loved Cameroon wrapper,
and firmly believe that if you blend a cigar correctly, you can
produce a full-bodied Cameroon cigar, never having to sacrifice
the delicate, spicy, flavor of Cameroon wrapper. I’ve been experimenting
with the AF blend for well over a year. The reason the AF, in my
opinion, is so good, lies in part with the quality of the wrapper.
We are using a genuine, East Cameroon Kétté wrapper. This is the
finest wrapper in the world. I have refined this blend over the
past few months, and now consider it to be one of the finest Cameroon
cigars on the market. The African Fuerte is without a doubt the
fullest bodied Cameroon out there. Of course, aficionados will have
to be the ultimate judges. The African Fuertes will be available
in early January, and will be presented in beautiful chests of 30
cigars.
CW: What are the sizes
and costs for these new cigars?
Gael de Courtivron: I firmly
believe that cigar smokers shouldn’t have to pay unreasonable prices
for cigars in today’s market. All La Luna cigars are very competitively
priced. The La Luna African Fuertes, and Maduro Fuertes retail between
$2.50-$5.00. Unfortunately, some people mistake our low prices with
low quality. These people mistakenly think that if a cigar is low
priced, it isn’t really any good. However, being a small company,
and keeping our overhead low, we are able to bring La Luna cigars
to the market at very competitive prices. We believe that keeping
our prices reasonable, and not getting greedy, will eventually pay
off.
The sizes of the African Fuertes are as follows:
-
Perfecto (4 X 52) “AFP No.4”
-
Perfecto (5 X 56) “AFP No.5”
-
Corona (5.5 X 44) “Camaluna”
-
Rothschild (4 ¾ X 50) “Bantu”
-
Torpedo Corto (5 ½ X 52) “Tusk”
-
Robusto Largo (6 X 52) “Luna Park”
The East Cameroon Kétté wrapper leaves are
small, therefore I had size restrictions to consider. For example,
the longest cigar that can be made with this wrapper is the 6” “Luna
Park”.
La Luna will be releasing a very limited special
edition, AFP No.6 Perfecto, in December of 2001.
 CW: What is next for La Luna? Any other lines planned
after the African Fuerte?
Gael de Courtivron: As I mentioned
earlier, we do have other lines planned for the near future. In
the spring of 2001, we will introduce our third line of Fuertes;
the Natural Fuertes. We are also planning future releases of some
milder, as well as some medium bodied cigars. At this time, I am
also developing some proprietary blends and trademarks for some
other companies.
CW: When we last talked,
you were moving your production to Honduras and changing manufacturers
as well. Can you tell us about that? Do you plan to keep any
production in Miami?
Gael de Courtivron: I moved my entire
production operation to Danli, Honduras in late 1999, but let me
clarify this; it is possible that we may start producing a limited
amount of cigars in Miami again in the future. I have not ruled
that out. However, for the time being, my focus is on my production
from Honduras.
CW: What percentage
of your cigars do you sell direct versus through retailers? What
are your future distribution plans?
Gael de Courtivron: 2000 was
really a re-structuring year for La Luna Cigars. This year, we have
picked up a substantial amount of new retailers, and La Luna now
has a national sales manager and several sales reps in place. Our
product will shortly be represented in every state. At this time,
approximately 80% of our sales are through retailers, and the other
20% are from the internet, and are primarily to Lunatics. Our main
reason for selling direct is for market penetration, and in the
future, the only direct sales we will have will be to the Lunatics.
CW: What is the approximate
production of La Luna Cigars?
Gael de Courtivron: Our current
production capabilities are just about unlimited, however, because
of my commitment to quality, I have decided to limit the total La
Luna production to 40,000 cigars per month at this time. These numbers
will most likely increase in 2001. We are projecting that we will
manufacture some 500,000 cigars in 2001.
CW: I’ve seen pictures
of Marta and seen her name mentioned often on your website. Who
is this Latina beauty?
Gael de Courtivron: Who is Marta?
Hmmm. This “Latina beauty” is simply the most incredible woman I
have ever met. J. Marta Peréz is my partner, my “pareja”, a world
class roller, and La Luna’s Grand Master. Marta is from Honduras,
and she has 27 years of experience in the cigar industry. In the
early days, Marta worked under, and was mentored by, Estelo Padron.
She has worked in several different factories, including a fairly
long stint at Consolidated Cigars of Honduras, before coming to
the U.S. in 1996. At the urging of some of her friends, Marta came
to Miami specifically to start working for La Luna Cigars. I met
her, fell in love with her, and the rest is history. Marta is proficient
in all schools of cigar making, including the Cuban method. Her
vast experience and knowledge of cigar making has been a vital part
of our success. And, like you say, Marta is a beautiful woman to
boot. She is graceful and mesmerizing, and is always a pleasure
to watch when she is making cigars.
Member Questions
 BrianCombs
asks, “What are your favorite non-La Luna cigars?”
Gael de Courtivron: Brian,
that’s a really tough question because there are many cigars out
there that I enjoy. Which ones are my favorites? I suppose that
a good barometer of this would be to focus on what cigars I have
made an effort to procure for myself. I do have several boxes
of Fuente products, Padron Anniversarios, Carlos Toraños, El Originals,
Camacho Corojos, aged LGCs, Nick Perdomos, and a fair amount of
Cubans cigars which were legally imported into the country (directly
from Havana by Cuban-Americans here in Miami). I will tell
you however, that for the most part, the outstanding Cubans cigars
I was smoking several years ago, are now few and far between. Just
because they’re Cuban does not necessarily make them good anymore.
dfrjr30 asks, “Is it
possible that we may see the La Luna cigars in more local cigar
shops soon?”
Gael de Courtivron: dfrjr30,
You can count on it.
IronBar asks, “Although
Gael has told me the story before, I think others might like to
hear about the very early history of £a £una Cigars and how Gael
transitioned from what he was doing, into making cigars.”
Gael de Courtivron: Ironbar,
That’s a long, long story, which I’m saving for my memoirs, LOL!
JGIORD asks, “What type
of flavor changes were you searching for when you changed the blend
of the Maduro Fuerte from the pre-release blend to the current existing
blend, and are you happy with this blend and plan on keeping it?
Do you see the discontinuation of some lines (e.g. the Java Reserve
and Reserva lines) and the blend changing of others as detrimental
to the brand name’s credibility or do you still considerate it a
part of the growing process?”
Gael de Courtivron: JGIORD, The
Maduro Fuerte blend was never changed. The simple truth is that
my previous factory did not effect the Maduro Fuerte blend precisely;
nothing more. We just were not on the same page. This is a difficult
and precise blend to make. The cigars however are now being made
correctly. Yes, of course I intend on keeping my blend the way it
is.
The ’98 Java Reserve, and the limited ’96
La Luna Reserva line are no longer available because these lines
have sold out.
I do not consider any changes or discontinuations
of lines as a credibility issue, but rather as a testament to my
growing experience and maturing talent as a cigar blender and maker.
Keith_S asks, “I’m interested
in more about your operation I know that there has been some discussions
or maybe even expressions of concern on the various BBs about the
length of time it takes from the placement of an order until it
is received and I think that it might be helpful for customers to
have some idea of the size and make-up of La Luna Cigars.”
Gael de Courtivron: Keith S.
We are a small company, and being a small company does have it’s
drawbacks. It is true that we sometimes take a little longer than
we would like to process and ship an order. I am well aware of this,
and here is one reason:
I do not believe in keeping cigars already
boxed in my humidor. All the Miami made La Luna cigars are kept
in Mazos of 50. Therefore, when we receive an order, we select and
inspect the cigars, color sort them, band them, cello them, and
box them for the particular order. This insures that the cigars
are fresh and perfect. La Luna cigars are more like a “home cooked
meal”, versus fast food. However, since the Honduran produced Fuerte
cigars are boxed at the factory, shipping in the future will be
far more expeditious.
Keith_S asks, “The loyal
group of £unatics out there feel a personal connection to Gael and
Gael's relationship to his customers strikes me as somewhat unique
in the business, so it might be interesting to discuss that.”
Gael de Courtivron: Keith S,
Although I strive to have a personal relationship with both my customers
and retailers alike, the relationship I have with the Lunatics really
is unique. I can’t really explain how it came to be; it’s one of
those magical things that just happened. The Lunatics are the heart-beat
of La Luna Cigars.
 RedRock
asks, “Gael, have any of your cigars ever been produced entubado?”
Gael de Courtivron: Red Rock,
of course they have. I have often utilized the “entubado” process
to produce cigars. It really depends on the blend and what characteristics
I want from the cigar. Unfortunately this subject has become moot.
I really don’t get all the BS that this subject has created.
puffman asks, “Gael,
could you comment on the state of the evolving H2000 wrapper and
whether or not you plan on making a La Luna cigar with it?”
Gael de Courtivron: Puffman, I have
been experimenting with H2000 for over 18 months. If H2000 wrapper
is properly fermented and selected, it can be quite good. At the
present time I use it for binder, but don’t be surprised to see
a La Luna H2000 cigar in the future. It can be very good, if blended
properly.
WDENT asks, “Is the
La Luna Little Habana Blend and the de la habana a current production
cigar? Are there any plans on making another shape in the Maduro
Fuerte line?”
Gael de Courtivron: WDENT, the
Miami made “La Luna Little Havana Blend” is no longer a current
production cigar, although we have resurrected this trademark for
production in Honduras. The “de la Habana” trademark on the
other hand, has been permanently abandoned.
Yes, we have just introduced a new Maduro
Fuerte Vitola; the “Hoyo Negro”. This 4 ¾ X 50 Rothschild is guaranteed
to be a real ass-kicker!
BogieMan asks, “I would
like to hear a bit about his early days as a studio musician and
touring with Robin Trower, Alice Cooper and the like.”
Gael de Courtivron: Bogie Man,
You know, my memory of those early days is now becoming quite blurry,
LOL! I wonder why? I spent some time with Procol Harum in
1967, and as I recall, it was Robin Trower’s first professional
tour. I remember Robin as a skinny little Brit who’s SG seemed gigantic.
I also recall that he had an enormous affinity for Jimi Hendrix.
As young as he was, he was already a very promising guitar player.
I met Vincent Fournier, aka Alice Cooper in
early 1971. Vincent was a really normal guy, and since he’s French
like me, we hit it off very well. Alice on the other hand, was an
entirely different story, LOL! He told me many times, “ when
Alice takes over, I have absolutely no control over what he does!”
And that was the truth, LOL!
Lux asks, “Which of
the bands you toured with had the best groupies (and why)?”
Gael de Courtivron: Lux,
I cannot discuss my past indiscretions on this forum. I’m sorry,
but it wouldn’t be prudent, LOL!
CW: Many thanks to Gael
de Courtivron for answering our questions.
|
