Cigar Aficionado

Thousands of cigar lovers came to Sin City last weekend for Cigar Aficionado's Big Smoke Las Vegas. Held at The Mirage Hotel and Casino, the cigar-centric weekend revolved around two evening cigar parties, where guests collected more than 35 handmade cigars, indulged in fine food and beverage, and chatted it up with some of the biggest cigarmakers in the world. 

On Saturday morning, a sold-out crowd of aficionados gathered inside The Mirage events center for a series of educational cigar seminars. Cigar Aficionado's Top 3 Cigars of 2017 were presented by their creators while the audience listened—and smoked—alongside them. A panel of Nicaraguan cigarmakers discussed the country's prosperity on the American market. And a panel of "cult" cigar brand owners talked about branding efforts that challenge social norms. After an engaging panel on Cuban cigars with Fernando Domínguez, CEO of Tabacalera and head of the worldwide premium cigars division of Imperial Brands, guests were treated to a lunch with Micallef Cigar. 

Saturday evening was marked by another celebration of cigars on the Big Smoke showroom floor, and by Sunday morning, the guests had worked up quite an appetite. Thankfully, Nicole Brisson, executive chef for Eataly Las Vegas, was on hand to serve up a Cuban-style breakfast for the seminar crowd. The weekend concluded with a lively Roll Your Own seminar, where guests took their best shot at rolling a handmade cigar of their own, followed by a rum and cigar pairing. 

The gallery below captures moments from the evening parties, as well as the daytime seminars. For more coverage of the 2018 Big Smoke Las Vegas, click here.