Follow Us In Las Vegas
My Sunday began with a 4 a.m. wakeup call to make a bright and early flight from New York to Vegas. It’s a weekend, but today is a workday. After a five-hour flight I zipped straight to the Venetian Hotel and Casino, threw down my bags in the room and grabbed a cup of coffee as I walked to the Sands Convention Center. It was going to be a busy day.
The cigar industry returned to hot Las Vegas this morning as the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailer trade show opened its doors. The show, which is off-limits to the public, brings out most of the players in the world of premium cigars and accessories. I’m here with Cigar Aficionado for the 19th time in a row covering the show.
I’m not alone. Team Cigar Aficionado is very well represented here on the editorial side, with executive editor Gordon Mott, editors Greg Mottola, Andrew Nagy and G. Clay Whittaker. We all have our notebooks and lighters and we’re moving around the floor seeking out all the new products coming to your favorite cigar stores down the road. So far the show is off to a good start. The mood seems bright—everyone seems to enjoy coming back to Vegas, which is a popular place to visit, to say the least—and the floor layout seems better than last year. I’ve seen quite a bit so far and as I’m typing this blog I’m only about four hours in.
I’ve already puffed some very interesting new smokes, such as the Alec Bradley Mundial and El Centurion by the Garcia family. I’ll save the details for later, because even though my internal clock says it’s quitting time my Las Vegas day won’t end for another eight hours or so. There are many more cigars in my future, and a whole notebook to fill.
Check back to this website for updates, and if you really want to keep busy, follow me and the rest of the Cigar Aficionado gang on Twitter. We’ll be out here smoking—let us know what you think.
