Big Smoke Las Vegas Seminars: The Cigar Lineup
There’s going to be a lot of smoking at this year’s Big Smoke Las Vegas afternoon seminars, and the variety of cigars will range from top-scoring selections to huge cigars of enormous (even unthinkable) proportions.
Still considering whether or not to attend the seminar portion of the show? This part of the Big Smoke weekend has always had a seriously dedicated following—some cigars fans have been going for more than a decade straight—and for good reason. It’s a rare opportunity to not only learn about the cigar world but to also see the industry’s luminaries speak frankly about their products and legacies. And with that comes cigars.
Everyone who walks through the seminar doors will be handed a humidified Boveda bag with a series of cigars (including Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year) to smoke along with each seminar. This year in particular, there’s going to be more cigars than usual—seven—including one with a suggested retail price of $45 and four that have achieved Classic status in our blind tastings, with scores of 95 points or higher. Here are the details of what you can expect:
TOP THREE
As is a Big Smoke tradition, everyone will be getting the top three reigning Cigars of the Year. Company owners and brand representatives will also be there to talk you through these acclaimed selections and tell you what makes them special. In the bag this year, you can expect these high-scoring smokes:
No. 1 Cigar of the Year, My Father The Judge Grand Robusto (Nicaragua, 98 points, $13.30). We wrote that “Every puff is certainly a cross section of Nicaragua’s finest soils, but beyond that, it also affirms a passion for tobacco, a strong work ethic and an even stronger belief in the power of family.”
No. 2, Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Espeso (Nicaragua, 97 points, $18). Conceived by Rafael Nodal of Altadis U.S.A. and A.J. Fernandez, the Espeso is a bigger, thicker representation of the brand, not only capturing all the coffee bean, earth and spicy notes of the original sizes, but actually enhancing them.
No. 3, E.P. Carrillo Encore Celestial (Dominican Republic, 96 points, $13.50). After achieving Cigar of the Year status twice, Casa Carrillo continues its streak of excellence with this superb cigar. It isn’t strong, but it’s far from mild and can appeal to smokers of all stripes with its rich layers and exceptional balance.
BIG RING GAUGE SEMINAR
Cigars are only getting thicker. Where 60 ring gauge cigars used to be laughed off as a novelty, they’ve now become mainstream—and they’re just getting bigger. Cigarmakers Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Matt Booth and Christian Eiroa are there to talk about the trend. Here are the huge cigars in the bag:
Casa Carrillo Inch Natural No. 62 (Nicaragua, 5 inches by 62 ring gauge, $11.10). Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is the man we credit for really starting the thick cigar trend. This brand is an embodiment of his philosophy that bigger is indeed better.
Room101 The Big Payback 70s (Honduras, 7 by 70, $8.99). Is 60 ring gauge not big enough? How about 70? Matt Booth guides you through his dark, mammoth cigar covered in a maduro wrapper. Brand owner Scandinavian Tobacco Group gave him carte blanche to push the limits of large ring gauges. And he did.
Asylum April Fools (Honduras, 9 by 90, $45). No, it’s not a joke. This cigar measures 9 inches long and is indeed rolled at jaw-breaking 90 ring gauge. It’s made by CLE Cigars, and Christian Eiroa will tell you why something so gargantuan even exists.
Before the seminars begin, Oliva Cigar Co. is hosting a brunch, and will be handing out an Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Torpedo, Cigar Aficionado’s No. 6 cigar of 2024 (Nicaragua, 95 points, $16.63). With its blend of Mexican San Andrés wrapper and Nicaraguan tobacco, the high-scoring Torpedo is loaded with sweet wood, sea salt and dried fruit, but the tapered head of the Torpedo seems to concentrate the smoke for another dimension of flavor.
To round out the entire afternoon, a final spirits seminar will be featuring a presentation by Bacardi, and everyone will be treated to Bacardi Reserva Ocho, an eight-year-old rum that can pair with any one of the cigars mentioned above.
To order tickets for the Big Smoke Las Vegas Week, click here.
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