2018 Big Smoke Las Vegas: Photo Gallery

Nov 16, 2018 | By CA Editors

The legendary Carlos Fuente Jr. takes time to greet and pose for pictures with fans at the Big Smoke Las Vegas.

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 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 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.

Cigar Aficionado's 2018 Big Smoke Las Vegas Weekend

Jason Blain and Pete Kaczkofsky from Grand Rapids, Michigan, eagerly await entrance to the Big Smoke evening.

Pete Johnson of Tatuaje speaks with a fan at his booth.

Brian Coerver and Rob Satake looking dapper as they puff away on cigars.

Friends Cliff Abney, Al Bertieri, Ben Laparne, Theron Tilgner, Kaare Hunt and Mike DeWitt toast to the Big Smoke.

Geoff Malais, Greg Malais and Paul Gallegos are all cheers as they relax with cigars.

Rick Denison and Santino Failla look like kids on Halloween with all the new cigars in their bags.

The ECF cigar crew, who traveled all the way from Hungary to attend the Big Smoke, don sharp shirts and Panama hats.

Buck Bahm and Anyda Aquino enjoy fine cigars and libations.

James Duplisea, Eric Trammel and David Villalobos come to the Big Smoke dressed to the nines.

Cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo greets fans at the E.P. Carrillo booth.

The Rietueld family—Kyle, Katie, Patty and Bob—come from Idaho to sip wine and smoke cigars.

Dewar's brings a little smoke of its own. These vapors emit the aroma of its fine Scotch.

Ventura Cigar Co. allows guests to roll their own cigars at its booth.

Executive editor David Savona welcomes guests to the Saturday morning seminars.

Fred Vandermarliere from J. Cortès Cigars speaks on his relationship with the Oliva family.

A guest puffs on an Oliva Serie V Belicoso, the No. 3 cigar of 2017, while listening to Fred Vandermarliere from J. Cortès Cigars, Oliva's parent company, talk about the cigar.

The sold-out crowd listens intently as Vandermarliere talks about Nicaraguan tobacco.

Jorge Padrón, president of Padrón Cigars, discusses his father's legacy.

Carlos Fuente Jr. speaks about the 2017 Cigar of the Year: the Don Carlos Eye of the Shark.

The Nicaraguan cigars seminar, from left: senior editor Greg Mottola, Alejandro Martinez Cuenca of Joya de Nicaragua cigars, Rocky Patel of Rocky Patel Cigar, Nestor Andres Plasencia of Plasencia Cigars and associate editor Andrew Nagy.

Alejandro Martinez Cuenca talks about the legacy of Joya de Nicaragua, which celebrates its 50th year in 2018.

Rocky Patel explains the unique character of Nicaraguan tobacco.

Nestor Andres Plasencia and his family grow 1,600 acres of tobacco in Nicaragua.

Fernando Domínguez, center, speaks with editors David Savona and Gordon Mott about Cuban cigars.

Domínguez speaks candidly to Savona about the unique challenges of the Cuban cigar business.

Domínguez stresses the importance of the La Casa del Habano franchise cigar shops, which Habanos S.A. installs around the world.

Mott, who covers Cuba for Cigar Aficionado, asks Domínguez about some of the problematic crop years the nation has faced in the past.

The on Cult Cigars featuring Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars, Dion Giolito of Illusione Cigars, and Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars.

Dion Giolito, center right, draws on conspiracy theories as the inspiration for his Illusione Cigars brand.

Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars once established a paintball company under the same name.

Next, Big Smoke attendees fill into the Mirage convention hall for a hearty steak lunch hosted by Micallef Cigar.

Steven Henrickson addresses the audience on behalf of company owner Al Micallef.

The crowd then receives a Micallef Migdalia Toro, a new cigar that is not yet on the market.

Micallef partner Delicia Silva on hand to sign calendars.

After another evening of cigar smoking, our seminar crowd is treated to a Cuban-style breakfast on Sunday morning.

The meal is prepared by Chef Nicole Brisson, the executive chef at Eataly Las Vegas.

The Big Smoke breakfast is a hash of pulled-pork and mashed plantains topped with two poached eggs that oozed unctuously over the hash once you pierced them.

Michael Giannini of Ventura Cigar Co. welcomes guests to the Roll Your Own Seminar.

From left: Indiana Ortez, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Michael Giannini and guest Bill McLean, who presented the hosts with his homemade cigar tray.

As the crowd begins to apply the wrapper, the room goes from lively to focused and silent.

The guests quickly learn that cigar rolling is not as easy as it looks.

The final seminar, a rum and cigars pairing, features five aged rum selections from Bacardi and two Nicaraguan cigars: the Montecristo Nicaragua Toro and the Aging Room Pura Cepa Mezzo.