Big Smoke Rolls Into Vegas (Part 3)

Now that the first night of the Big Smoke event had passed in Las Vegas, Michael Moretti of Cigar Aficionado has provided us with a recap of the Saturday Seminars. It turned out for all who attended, a special treat was in store for the Saturday cigar tasting, three rare cigars, one of each from Altadis, Daniel Nunez and Carlos Fuente Jr. Here’s some of what the roughly 400 enthusiasts were treated to:

"The first cigar lit was from Seijas, the Altadis U.S.A. Inc. cigar authority who heads the world's largest premium cigar factory… All the components in the Signature have been aged for three years and reserved for the best rollers in the factory to assemble. Once rolled, the cigars are kept for three months in order to marry the various flavors of the tobaccos, which hail from various regions and countries."

"The Daniel Nunez Selección Especial," said Menendez, "is a cigar that a master blender has put together -- it's Daniel's cigar." The Nicaraguan filler is especially interesting in that is comes from a volcanic island in the center of Lake Nicaragua called Ometepe."

"The last man to take the stage was Carlos Fuente Jr., creator of the Fuente Fuente OpusX cigar and head of Arturo Fuente y Cia. He introduced his latest creation to the crowd, the Fuente Fuente OpusX Rising X."

After the introductions and tasting, it was on to another highlight, showcasing how to blend a cigar:

"As the audience smoked their first anniversary cigar, David Savona, senior editor of Cigar Aficionado, began his seminar on blending by discussing the difficulties and nuances of balancing tobacco to make the perfect cigar. He was joined on stage by master blenders Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, famous for La Gloria Cubana cigars, and José Seijas of Altadis U.S.A Inc."

"Seijas and Perez-Carrillo each elucidated on the difference between a cigar with strong flavor and a harsh one, noting that often times harsh blends are mistakenly referred to as strong. The term strength refers, more aptly, to full-body, depth of flavor, and complexity. A cigar could very well be harsh and at the same time weak and unbalanced. It is elegance and balance, not harshness, that the true master blender strives to achieve."

It’s always a treat to read such detailed accounts of the events, and for those of us unable to attend this year’s event, Michael Moretti makes it feel like we were there. Head over to Cigar Aficionado to read the articles Michael has put together in their entirety, and look out for yet another update tomorrow.