Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest Returns To Tampa
Cigars are ingrained in Tampa’s DNA, perhaps moreso than any other city in America. There’s a reason it’s known as Cigar City, so it’s only fitting that it was once again the center of the cigar world this past weekend. The fifth annual Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest returned to Tampa for the second year in a row, and it didn’t disappoint. A sold-out crowd of diehard aficionados traveled from across the country to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for a lively evening to celebrate cigars and fine spirits with some of the biggest names in the cigar industry.
The weekend’s festivities began on Friday evening, when El Reloj cigar factory. The evening started with a cocktail hour across the street from El Reloj at the Cigar Workers Park and ended with a seated dinner in the fully restored El Reloj factory, which doubles as a museum and events space. Both the Fuente and Newman families, long-time business partners who are headquartered in Tampa, spoke and gave thanks at the dinner.
As Saturday evening rolled around at the Hard Rock, the eager crowd of aficionados was hard to contain. Well before the 5:30 VIP entrance time (and then again before the 6:30 general ission gates opened), a long line stretched well onto the casino floor. The Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest attendees, known for their early arrival times, were eventually corralled through a pair of escalators that led up to the convention hall. As they reached the top, they were greeted by a light breeze and live music that streamed through the open doors of the resort’s pool area, which was reserved for the Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest. The sun was still shining as everyone arrived, and the band performed on a big stage across the pool, opposite a sea of tables.
Flanking both sides of the stage were additional tables and food stations, although most people gravitated toward the grill where sliders were sizzling by the dozen. As enticing as this outdoor area was, Big Smoke attendees were intent on handling their business, first and foremost. In the main hall, they were quickly reminded of what they came for, with some big names like Rocky Patel and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo handing out smokes near spirit houses such as Dewar’s and Santa Teresa. Many attendees took advantage of this immediate proximity before entering the main ballroom, which was, of course, packed with a lot more cigars and a slew of whiskies, Bourbons and Scotches.
Inside, a sea of people roamed around with lit smokes, Cigar Aficionado tote bags full of cigars and drinks in-hand. Right away, two powerhouse companies with massive displays drew an immediate crowd—Arturo Fuente and J.C. Newman Cigar Co. with its replica of the El Reloj factory. The pair were right next to each other, which seems only right given their deep familial and Tampa roots. The rest of the room was lined with rows of exhibitors giving out fresh pours and smokes.
There were also a few areas to recharge and reassess inside, particularly in the back, where groups of standing cocktail tables served as a necessary reprieve for attendees to take a load off, strategize on their next move or simply light up a new smoke as they mingled among fellow aficionados. Food and water stations were dispersed throughout the indoor area as well, including a large dessert table that slowly saw its array of sweet treats dwindle down throughout the evening.
As the night went on, most of the attendees slowly ventured outside to find a table and enjoy the beautiful Tampa evening. This is where ionate groups took stock of their newly acquired cigar inventory while the lively band kept the vibe upbeat all night long. Some guests even locked onto NCAA Elite 8 basketball games, which played on TVs in a few cabanas near the stage. The idyllic Tampa weather was surely welcome, as many of the attendees came from all corners of the country.
The diverse crowd is always one of the many marvels of Big Smokes—men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and sons, groups of friends, an aficionado enjoying a night out—and all share a similar, unwavering ion for cigars. The outfits are also part of the fun. There were the usual eccentric displays ranging from friends with matching apparel to the formal dressers to those sporting a casual, tropical look. There were even a few Scottish kilts being worn and what seemed to be an abnormally high volume of cowboy hats as the go-to fashion accessory.
Eric Paulson perhaps made the most impressive journey of them all. Despite residing in Juneau, Alaska, Paulson is a devout Big Smoke attendee. He’s been to 15 Big Smokes in Las Vegas and all five Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest shows in Florida. “I travel 3,700 miles across the country just for this and it’s so worth it,” he says. Paulson said he flew in Friday and would fly out Sunday.
Simon Vasquez traveled from Albuquerque, New Mexico, for his first-ever Big Smoke. He says he checked off two boxes by making the journey. He got to visit a buddy in Clearwater Beach but as a diehard cigar fan, he also was able to finally knock off a bucket-list item by attending his first Big Smoke. “I’ve been considering coming for years and finally I just said screw it, I’m going,” says Vasquez. “This definitely exceeded my expectations.” He hopes to make his attendance an annual trip.
Lorna Day didn’t have quite the same miles to travel as the others, coming from Stuart, Florida, but she surely shared their ion. Day was attending her second-straight Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest. As a chef who also owns a wine and gift store that offers catering, wine tastings and more, Day looks at the experience as both pleasure and a chance to gain knowledge. She was one of many women in attendance and said she hopes to be part of a new generation of women cigar smokers. Day was particularly happy to have met so many cigarmakers and learn about the particulars behind their smokes.
Naturally, there was no shortage of excellent cigar companies and their flagship brands: Alec Bradley, Altadis U.S.A., Arturo Fuente, Artesano del Tobacco, Ashton Distributors Inc., Cavalier Genève, C.L.E., Cohiba, Crux, Cuba Aliados, Davidoff of Geneva, E.P. Carrillo Cigar Co., Espinosa Cigars, J.C. Newman Cigar Co., La Aurora Cigars, La Flor Dominicana, Lucky Cigars, My Father Cigars, Nub, Oliva Cigar Co., OZ Family Cigars, Padrón Cigars, Plasencia Cigars, Quesada Cigars, Redemption by El Titan de Bronze, Rocky Patel Cigars, Serino Cigar Co., Toscano and West Tampa Tobacco Co. were all there.
An important part of this show is meeting the cigarmakers, and many cigar industry stars were there, mingling with guests and handing out cigars, including Carlos Fuente Jr., Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Rafael Nodal (Altadis U.S.A.), Rocky Patel, Bobby and Eric Newman, Tim Ozgener, Bradley Rubin (Alec Bradley brand ambassador), Litto Gomez, Rick Rodriguez (West Tampa Tobacco Co.), Sean Williams (brand ambassador for Cohiba), Nestor Andrés Plasencia and Billy and Gus Fakih (Artesano del Tobacco).
The high-quality selection of spirits is one of the major components of Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest, with plenty of offerings. It’s not hard to find the perfect pairing for a cigar here, with all of the following brands giving out pours: Bacardi, Bardstown Bourbon, Bib & Tucker, Bulleit, Crown Royal, Dewar’s, D’USSÉ, Green River Distilling Co., Hatuey, Holladay Distillery, Johnnie Walker, Lagavulin, Minden Mill, Oban, Patron El Alto, Penelope Bourbon, Redemption, Redwood Empire, Santa Teresa, Stonestreet Bourbon, Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey and Tomatin.
There were also cigar accessory companies and other industry advocates present, such as Boveda (ing out their handy, humidified bags) along with Rabbit Air, Casa de Campo Resort & Villas and Cigar Rights of America (CRA).
The next Big Smoke returns to Sin City once again, on October 31 and November 1, at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. Visit thebigsmokes.com for more information and to order tickets.
