Cigar Aficionado

The Big Smoke returned to Vegas this weekend for an unforgettable, two-day celebration of the handmade cigar industry. It was the 27th time the Big Smoke was in Las Vegas, and it was held at Resorts World Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday. More than 3,000 cigar aficionados, from all corners of the country and beyond, descended upon the entertainment capital of the world to celebrate cigars, meet industry luminaries and bond with fellow cigar lovers. 

The Big Smoke began on Friday evening with a night full of fine spirits, food and premium cigars. The guests started lining up for the evening portion hours before the start time. In the first hall, sat round tables and food stations for guests to debrief, eat food, smoke cigars, sip fine spirits and mingle. Just to the right of the first hall sat the main attraction, the exhibitor space, full with the biggest cigarmakers and brands in the world, along with loads of fine spirits makers ready to wet the beaks of eager attendees. As you headed into the main exhibition hall, another large subset of tables took center stage with a live band on the far side of the room, which served as the pulse of the evenings, pulling out covers of many fan-favorite songs and offering extra jolts of enthusiasm. 

The tables in the middle were flanked by plenty of cigar and drinks stations that spread out as you went further to the room’s edges. There was the ever-popular J.C. Newman El Reloj factory replica station, which never ceases to draw a crowd. Just across the way from the towering display were the heavily-trafficked Padrón Cigars and Caymus Wines stations, who would join together Saturday afternoon for an unforgettable tasting seminar. Caymus was pouring a true treasure, the 2014 Special Selection, on both Friday and Saturday nights, and brand owner Chuck Wagner did much of the pouring himself. 

By 6 p.m. on Friday, many of the tables were already lined with smokes as some quick-moving VIP attendees were admiring their cigar loot, organizing the smokes by brand and beginning the time-honored Big Smoke tradition of bartering cigars with their peers. The general admission group, patiently waiting in the room over, would soon follow suit, bringing an extra dose of energy along with them. 

In addition to a somewhat different layout, this year also saw many new cigar vendors in attendance, joining the typical industry powerhouses and giving attendees greater exposure to the industry’s best. This year, there was once again a diverse body of attendees, which seems to get more varied each year. Guests at the 2023 Big Smoke Las Vegas were notably younger than previous years, representative of an industry that continues to expand to new audiences. Many women were in attendance at the show, with seemingly more and more in the crowd each year.

While there was some refreshing evolution at the 2023 Big Smoke Las Vegas, there were also some elements that hadn’t changed a bit, including the many eccentric outfits that provide constant entertainment. It’s no secret that people who come to the Big Smoke love to come dressed in various extravagant getups, but it still never gets old. This year, it seemed as if the recent Halloween spirit was lingering in the air. Two men on Friday had walked right out of the 1970s, as they proudly sported bright patterned shirts, bell bottom pants and curly hair wigs. Many could be seen in full-length bathrobes, cigar in hand, reminiscent of Tony Soprano’s famous morning look. A few even took it up a notch, dressed to the nines in tuxedos.

There were many cigarmakers and cigar brands in attendance: Aging Room, Arturo Fuente, Artesano del Tobacco (handing out a choice of El Pulpo or Viva La Vida cigars), Alec Bradley, Cavalier Genève, Cohiba, Crowned Heads, Crux, Cuba Aliados, Diamond Crown and Julius Caesar from J.C. Newman, Diesel, E.P. Carrillo La Historia, Luciano, Fonseca and El Centurion by My Father Cigars, Illusione OneOff, Joya Silver, La Aroma de Cuba, La Aurora, La Flor Dominicana, La Palina, Montecristo, Nub, Oliva Serie O, Olmec by Foundation Cigars, Ozgener Family Cigars, Padrón, Plasencia, Rocky Patel, Romeo y Julieta, Room101, SP1014 by Sanj Patel, Serino, Tatuaje, Trinidad, Warped and West Tampa.

Guests also had plenty of fine spirits and drinks to pair with their cigars. The companies and brands pouring out drinks included Angel’s Envy Bourbon, Santa Teresa Rum, Caymus Wines, many varieties of Dewar's Scotch, Don Julio Tequila (even the company’s 1942 variety), Guinness Stout, Johnnie Walker (including the Blue), Santa Teresa, Teeling Irish Whisky, Uncle Nearest Tennessee Whiskey, Tequila Indianos Tequila and Waterford Whisky. 

There were also cigar accessory and other industry vendors present, such as Boveda (passing out their handy bags and systems built to keep cigars humidified) along with Rabbit Air and Newair smoke eaters, plus the upscale Pivat Cigar Lounge at Agua Caliente Casino. 

For most of the guests, one of the thrills of the evenings was seeing and meeting some of the world’s most famous cigarmakers. The cigar stars included Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Carlos Fuente Jr., Jorge Padrón, Litto Gomez, Tony Gomez and Litto Gomez Jr. of La Flor Dominicana, Rocky Patel, Nish Patel and Nimish Desai of Rocky Patel cigars, Drew Newman of J.C. Newman, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje, Jon Huber of Crowned Heads, Cory Bappert and Jose Oliva of Oliva Cigars, Rafael Nodal of Altadis USA, Nick Melillo of Foundation Cigar Co., Tim Ozgener of Ozgener Family Cigars, Dion Giolito of Illusione, Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars, Rick Rodriguez of West Tampa Tobacco Co., José Ortega of My Father Cigars, Manuel Inoa of La Aurora, Bradley Rubin of Alec Bradley, Matt Booth of Room101, Sam Philips and Clay Roberts of La Palina, Luciano Meirelles of Luciano Cigars, Frank Cossio and Mike Dounoulis of Foreign Affair, Justin Andrews of Diesel, Sean Williams for Cohiba, Brian Motola of Cavalier Gèneve, Billy and Gus Fakih of Artesano del Tabaco, Anthony and Carson Serino of Serino Cigars, Javier Carranza of Plasencia Cigars, Jeff Haugen of Crux Cigar Co., Sanj Patel of SP1014, Andy Green of Ashton Cigars and Adan Gaitan of Joya de Nicaragua. 

Following an afternoon full of illuminating seminars on Saturday, the Big Smoke returned once again for another evening that lacked neither cigars, spirits or fun. Once again, the eagerness of the cigar aficionados could not be reeled in, and by 3 p.m.—well before the seminars had concluded and hours before the VIP segment began—guests were already holding down their spot in line for the night’s festivities. That evening brought much of the same scene as the night prior, with perhaps a bit more mingling as familiar faces learned more about their like-minded counterparts. 

People truly come from all over to enjoy Big Smoke, and this year it was no different. Eric Paulson traveled all the way from Juneau, Alaska to be in attendance. He also makes the trip down to Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest in Hollywood, Florida each spring, so this trip was a walk in the park. In fact, Cigar Aficionado could hold the event just about anywhere, anytime and Paulson would be there. “I would give up Thanksgiving and Christmas for this,” said Paulson, with a noted air of sincerity. The passion of the VIP All Access holder radiated off him as he spoke, a true admirer of cigars and Big Smoke events.

It’s not just longtime veterans at Big Smokes though. New people come in droves every year. Identical twins Greg and Craig Brown traveled from Phoenix, Arizona, to attend their first Big Smoke. The brothers matched each other’s looks and energy levels, with smiles on their faces that seemed almost permanently stuck in place as they took in their first Big Smoke. They were particularly taken with the strong familial ties they saw with many of the cigar vendors. “It’s so amazing to see all these second-, third- and fourth-generation cigarmakers here,” the brothers pointed out, noting how uncommon it is in other industries. 

One group of friends, each with VIP All Access tickets, traveled all the way from Tijuana, Mexico. They couldn’t be missed, each wearing burgundy and black smoking jackets on Saturday night that featured a “TJ Cigar Club” moniker and their respective names embroidered onto the front of their jackets, a reference to a club the group formed back in Tijuana. Every week, the men—many of whom have been enjoying cigars for over three decades‚—get together to smoke cigars and share their passion for the industry. What started as a group of six has now morphed into a club of over 20 people from entirely different backgrounds and professions. Every week, they do cigar tastings as a group, and this year, they brought their club to Big Smoke. 

Just a small subset of the club was in attendance, some were even at Big Smoke for the first time. Five of them caught up with Cigar Aficionado Saturday evening: Victor Lizárraga, Mario Aftimos, Jose Solís, Luis Vázquez and Carlos Montejo. The men’s passion for cigars was as authentic as it comes, noting they’ve formed some of their closest bonds in life by way of cigars, which continued at Big Smoke Las Vegas. “Cigars are the best way to connect with people,” said one member of the group as they all reflected on the bond cigars have afforded them.

Read Next: The Big Smoke Brunch: A Morning With Bacardi Spirits and Oliva Cigars

Don’t Miss A Big Smoke: The Big Smoke Returns To Las Vegas On Friday November 1 and Saturday November 2. Save the date.