The 2024 Big Smoke Las Vegas Evenings
It was a lively, cigar-filled weekend at the Paris Hotel and Casino for the 28th Big Smoke Las Vegas. Cigar Aficionado last held the Big Smoke at the famous venue in 2005, and the return lived up to the hype. It was quite the star-studded weekend, with appearances by Guy Fieri on Saturday night, Ray Parker Jr. in the crowd over the two-day event. The stars were ed by industry luminaries and more than 3,000 aficionados from all corners of the country and beyond to celebrate cigars and fine spirits in the entertainment capital of the world.
While seminar tickets sold out in the summer, heading into the weekend there was still limited availability for the shows on Friday and Saturday night. But after an unforgettable start to the Big Smoke Las Vegas weekend on Friday, the Saturday evening portion would ultimately sell out.
As the early evening hours of Friday night rolled around, guests could hardly temper their enthusiasm. A long line of eager cigar lovers formed well before the 5:30 p.m. VIP start time, stretching past the conference hall and around the corner of the new Montecristo Cigar Bar. Guests mingled and talked cigars as they waited in an area of the hotel and casino that was reminiscent of the French Riviera. In the chandelier-lined main ballroom of the hotel, with soaring ceilings and walls decorated with mirrors and large paintings, the ambiance shifted, reflecting that of the world-famous Palace of Versailles.
Once guests entered the main hall of the Big Smoke Las Vegas, the game was on. Many quickly moved to get cigars from their favorite cigarmakers, before taking a seat at one of the many large round tables, sandwiched between cigar and spirit stations. Some overeager Big Smoke veterans rushed to the first available tables unable to contain themselves. Like children after trick-or-treating, they dumped their Cigar Aficionado tote bags and assessed the loot. The debriefing, which inevitably includes a bit of bartering among peers, is common at Big Smokes. This year, the situation seemed particularly fitting, as Halloween was only the night before.
Others took a more patient approach to the event, heading first for the many food stations lining the back of the room near a stage where a live band performed all night. The main hall was elegant and spacious, with high ceilings and plenty of room for guests to mingle as they lit up one of their many newly-acquired cigars and sipped on a refreshing beverage, such as a single-malt Scotch, a glass of wine or just a cold soda.
The classic J.C. Newman El Reloj factory replica took center stage, and the display was even grander with a pair of large replicas of their recently-unveiled and revamped Diamond Crown cigars, which made their debut at the event. The new smoke was handed out to aficionados all weekend, even though the cigars wouldn’t ship to retailers until after the show.
The general ission group, patiently waiting just outside the main hall, would soon follow suit, bringing an extra dose of energy along with them as they entered the hall around 6:30 p.m.
This year saw a lot of first-time guests, particularly on the VIP side, who quickly learned the ropes from the many veterans who attend year after year. The trend of an increasingly diverse crowd seemed to hold true once more, as a growing number of young people and women attended Big Smoke for the first time. The new attendees were lucky to see an eclectic assortment of outfits, which, as always, did not disappoint. One group was particularly hard to miss, dressed as caddies from the Masters Tournament, with all-white jumpsuits, green hats and names of cigar brands on their backs in place of where the golfer’s name would be for a caddy. There seemed to be even more matching group outfits this year, from smoking jackets to local cigar clubs with their own branded clothing.
The guests came from a host of places: California, Florida, New York, Connecticut, Oregon, Idaho, Texas, Arizona, South Dakota, Hawaii, Missouri, Canada, Mexico and several other areas.
There were numerous cigar brands in attendance: Alec Bradley, Aging Room, Artesano del Tobacco, Arturo Fuente, C.L.E., Cohiba, Crux, Cuba Aliados, Diesel, Drew Estate, E. P. Carrillo, Gran Habano, H. Upmann, J.C. Newman, Joya de Nicaragua, Knuckle Sandwich, La Aroma de Cuba, La Aurora, La Flor Dominicana, La Palina, Montecristo, My Father Cigars, Nub, Oliva, OZ Family Cigars, Padrón, Plasencia, Quesada, Rocky Patel, Room101, Romeo y Julieta and SP1014 by Sanj Patel.
Guests also had plenty of fine spirits and drinks to pair with their cigars. The companies and brands pouring drinks included Oban, Crown Royal, The Singleton, Lagavulin, Dewar's, Foley Johnson Cabernet, Minden Mill, Flecha Azul, Bardstown Bourbon, Johnnie Walker, Santa Teresa, PATRÓN, D'USSÉ, Bacardi, Grey Goose, Bulleit, Partida Family, Adictivo Tequila, Cava de Oro Tequila and Bandido Tequila.
There were also cigar accessory and other industry vendors present, such as Boveda (ing out their handy bags built to keep cigars humidified) along with Rabbit Air and Newair smoke eaters, plus Accutron Watches and Cigar Rights of America.
One of the thrills of the weekend is the opportunity for guests to meet some of the world’s most famous cigarmakers. This year, the cigar stars included Carlos Fuente Jr. and his son Carlos Fuente III; Ernesto Perez-Carrillo; Jorge Padrón and his son Jorge Luis Padrón; Litto Gomez, Ines Lorenzo-Gomez, Tony Gomez and Litto Gomez Jr. of La Flor Dominicana; Rocky Patel, Nish Patel and Nimish Desai of Rocky Patel cigars; José Oliva and Cory Bappert of Oliva Cigars; Javier Estades and Rafael Nodal of Altadis USA; Erik Espinosa and Guy Fieri of Knuckle Sandwich; Nestor Andrés Plasencia of Plasencia Cigars; Drew Newman of J.C. Newman; Tim Ozgener of OZ Family Cigars; Manuel Inoa of La Aurora; Bradley Rubin of Alec Bradley; Matt Booth of Room101; Christian Eiroa of CLE Cigar Co.; Sam Philips and Clay Roberts of La Palina; Sanj Patel of SP1014; Billy and Gus Fakih of Artesano del Tobacco; George Rico of Gran Habano and Jeff Haugen of Crux Cigar Co.
The Big Smoke returned on Saturday with an afternoon filled with illuminating seminars for those with VIP tickets (look for coverage of the seminars beginning on Wednesday). Guests of the seminars had time to kill or refresh after the afternoon portion, but in true Big Smoke fashion, many opted not to do so, and quickly got in line over an hour before the 5:30 VIP ission began. Saturday 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. Guy Fieri, who was with Espinosa Cigars promoting his Knuckle Sandwich brand, was in attendance Saturday evening, which added an extra dose of enthusiasm to the mix. For hours, guests lined up to meet the famous chef and television personality as he ed them a Knuckle Sandwich smoke.
One of the best parts of the Big Smoke is the well-traveled crowd from various domestic and international locations. Some are attending for the first time, while others are consistent veterans or are returning after years away. Donald Klarich was attending his first-ever Big Smoke this past weekend. Klarich splits time between Fort Worth, Texas and Thailand, and he made the journey with his buddy Ernie Holmberg of Alberta, Canada (who some readers may from his beautiful cigar room featured in Cigar Aficionado). Klarich and Holmberg made the choice to finally attend after many years of the Big Smoke being on their bucket list. A close, shared friend between the two recently ed away, and the friends decided they must attend this year to honor their cigar-loving buddy. Thankfully, the weekend didn’t disappoint. “Holy smokes,” says Klarich. “This is unbelievable, I’m coming back and I’m bringing others with me.”
Jenelle and Kellen Willert were attending their first Big Smoke together (Kellen was in Vegas last year with his buddy). The married couple hails from Belle Fourche, South Dakota and made sure grandma could handle babysitting duties so they could have a weekend together celebrating cigars in Las Vegas. “My favorite part is the people—everyone is amazing,” says Jenelle. As more of a novice cigar smoker herself, she found the seminars to be particularly educational. “I loved all the little bits of knowledge they gave us,” she says. The couple hopes to be back again next year.
The married pair represented one of the many couples in attendance, which also included John Sabo and Sophina Morris from Phoenix, Arizona. Morris was attending her first-ever Big Smoke, while Sabo was making his return after many years away. His last Big Smoke was 15 years ago in Las Vegas. He, too, was struck by the seminars held earlier on Saturday. “Fuente inspired and motivated me as I also have my own business that I recently started,” says Sabo. He’s referring to the legendary cigarmaker Carlos Fuente Jr., who gave an emotional, ionate speech at an earlier seminar about his OpusX brand, the cigar industry and how family and the customers drive him day-in and day-out. It was a powerful moment.
The next Big Smoke will come this spring with the Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest. Stay tuned for a date and a location. You can learn more at bigsmokewhiskyfest.com.
Big Smoke Las Vegas 2024 Coverage
Big Smoke All-Access Party
