Weekend Package:
Saturday daytime seminars focus on cigars with leading cigar producers on stage and lunch hosted by a well-known cigar company. Sunday seminars begin with a cigar-oriented breakfast and two other seminars created just for cigar lovers. Each attendee receives special cigars to smoke during the seminars. Your weekend ticket includes a Big Smoke evening of your choice. $550
Big Smoke Seminars
Saturday and Sunday daytime hours will be filled with a series of seminars geared to the varied interests of our readers. These will be taught by experts in each field and are designed to be interesting, fun and instructive.
Seminar Highlights
Saturday, November 10
9 — 9:30 a.m. • Cigar Aficionado’s Top Three Cigars of 2011 Tasting. The top 25 cigars of 2011 were selected by our senior editors and announced on the Cigar Aficionado website in January, 2012. When you enter, you will be given a packet containing the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 cigars of 2011. At each of the cigar breaks this morning, we will designate one cigar to smoke. Each is presented by the cigar maker on-stage. At this first cigar break we smoke Cigar Aficionado’s No. 3 cigar of 2011, Illusione Epernay Le Taureau presented by the owner, Dion Giolito, a retail cigar shop owner in Reno.
9:30 — 9:45 a.m. Cigar Aficionado—A Visit Through the Years. Gordon Mott and David Savona present a video looking back at 20 years of Cigar Aficionado magazine.
9:45 — 10:25 a.m. • The "Veterans" of the Cigar Business. A chance to pay tribute to the people who are the original movers and shakers of the cigar business. Each person listed below will talk about the old days of the cigar business ... how they began their love of cigars. When the presentations conclude there will be questions from the audience. A partial list of cigar dignitaries appearing on-stage throughout the morning:
- Carlos Fuente Sr., Tabacalera A. Fuente
- Robert Levin, Ashton Distributors
- Benjamin Menendez, General Cigar Co.
- Eric Newman, J.C. Newman Cigar Co.
- Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, EPC Cigar Co.
- Manuel Quesada, MATASA
- José M. Seijas
10:25 — 10:45 a.m. • Second Cigar Break, No. 2 Cigar. In this cigar break, Sathya Levin, vice president, Ashton Distributors Inc., presents Cigar Aficionado’s No. 2 cigar of 2011, La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Belicoso.
10:45 — 11:25 a.m. • The “Veterans” Continues.
11:25 — 11:45 a.m. • Third Cigar Break, No. 1 Cigar. At this third cigar break we smoke Cigar Aficionado’s No. 1 cigar of 2011, Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill. Onstage is Alan Rubin, owner, Alec Bradley Cigar Co., to discuss his cigar.
11:45 — 12:30 p.m. • Nicaraguan Tobacco. A look into the past, present and future for tobacco from Nicaragua. On our panel of Nicaraguan experts are Eduardo Fernández, Aganorsa S.A.; Alejandro Martinez-Cuenca, Joya de Nicaragua; Nestor Andres Plasencia, Plasencia Tobacco and John Oliva Jr., Oliva Tobacco Co. You will receive some Nicaraguan cigars to help you enjoy this discussion.
12:30 — 3:00 p.m. • Lunch with Davidoff. Enjoy a delicious seated lunch hosted by Davidoff of Geneva Distribution. Greeting you and sharing casual cigar stories are Jim Young, president; Rich Krutick, head of marketing for Davidoff/Avo/Zino Platinum; Dylan Austin, head of marketing for Camacho/The Grifffin’s/Room 101; JT Guagliardo, head of marketing for Cusano and Matt Booth, CEO/Designer, Room 101 Cigars. In this open forum, you can ask questions or comment. There will be cigars for everyone.
Sunday, November 11
9:30 — 10:30 a.m. • Cigar Lovers Breakfast. Start the day with a real cigar aficionado’s breakfast. Luciano Pellegrini, executive chef and partner of Valentino Las Vegas, has created a breakfast menu specifically designed for this cigar-loving crowd. Chef will share many of his cooking tales and techniques. Of course, we will find the perfect cigar to match this breakfast.
10:45 — 11:45 a.m. • Roll Your Own, Seminar No. 15. Michael Giannini and Leo Peraza of General Cigar Co. bring everything you need to create your own cigar including real tobacco filler and wrapper as used in a premium cigar factory. Follow along with one of La Gloria Cubana’s most experienced premium cigar makers. Whether you’ve done this before or you are a new roller, everyone enjoys the opportunity to roll and create his own cigar and perhaps win a prize.
12:00 noon — 1:00 p.m. • RUM-BUNCTIOUS. Rums, with their shared origins and sweet character, have always made some of finest pairings with cigars. But a recent flood of excellent aged examples means there’s never been a better time to do it. Spirits writer Jack Bettridge will bring together the best of both worlds in one scintillating presentation. We will provide the cigar to enjoy with these rums.
Tickets are $550 each.
Click here to order tickets!
You will receive an immediate e-ticket
Must be 21 to attend.
All tickets are subject to availability. Event sponsor reserves the right to refuse admission to any applicant.
No phone orders.
A portion of net proceeds from these events will benefit Prostate Cancer Research, the research organization seeking a cure for prostate cancer, a disease that eventually touches 50% of all men.
Cancellation policy: A full refund is available until November 1, 2012. From November 2 – 8, a 50% refund is available. After that date there are no refunds for any weekend packages or tickets.
For questions email events@mshanken.com.