D-Cigars Sky Lounge - A world that opens up to the sense

We first came across it in Talatona, on a terrace from which you can see Mussulo Island. D-Cigars Sky Lounge has an ethos all of its own, bringing together cigar lovers and connoisseurs of fine cuisine.

The word «cigar» is all it takes to conjure up a memory. Let’s try it out: «Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar». The brain is immediately directed back to Sigmund Freud, just as a Cuban cigar will lead you to Fidel Castro and the Romeo y Julieta cigar will remind you of Winston Churchill. The art of savouring, of drawing without pausing, was once an integral part of great business deals and historical gatherings, a faithful companion to deep introspection. Nowadays, its cult transcends hierarchies and classes, the decades having made it universal. You don’t have to be a leading revolutionary to puff on a pensive cigar, nor do you have to be a prime minister. The secret lies in finding the right type in the right place. In this issue, we introduce you to the D-Cigars Sky Lounge in Angola, a place of worship. You find you own personal locker in the entrance. Here you can store your belongings and then pick up your personalised napkin and choose your cigar. The smoking room is waiting to host fruitful conversations, where people and common tastes can be discovered. In a larger space next door, the restaurant completes the lifestyle experience, serving tapas, main courses, cocktails and desserts with views over the south of the city. Dori Wilker is the mastermind behind this project, who spotted a need in the market to improve the experience for cigar lovers. «There aren’t many restaurants in which you can enjoy a cigar while also having a gastronomic experience. Or cigar shops with the comfort to smoke and stay for a while,» says the entrepreneur, as he gently draws on the smoke from his Cuban cigar. Dori has been smoking for 24 years and says it all started with a joke. These days, he has tured his profession into a lifestyle and he already has his third lounge in Angola, while also recently having opened one in Portugal’s capital. The diversity of cigars in any of the D-Cigars is surprising, categorised according to origin, intensity and smoking time. They range goes from Cuban cigars, which are more natural, to Nicaraguan cigars, which are more robust due to the volcanic soil to which they are subjected.

There are three outlets in Angola and one in Portugal

From ten minutes to three hours, there are options for all occasions and situations, and even when the aim is simply to enjoy a meal, there will always be a reference to the product. For example, the burgers, served inside a cigar box, and the Choco Gordito Pátron, a cigar-shaped dessert with a chocolate flavour and a doce de leite and crunchy biscuit filling.

In the future, Dori plans to open another shop in Lisbon. Until then, he will dedicate himself to his business, while cherishing his private cigar collection and devoting himself to restoring 30 classic cars, another passion «on the side».

More than smoked, a cigar is savoured

Text: Joana Rebelo
Photography: Edson Azevedo