As you may have known, Cigars International puts together an annual herf up in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. Over the last couple of years I have been fortunate enough to attend and this year was no different. Mike and I were able to get press passes to check out the event and report back on it here at Stogie Review.
Cigarfest is technically a one-day event taking place on a Saturday but there are a few things going on the day before (Friday). With this in mind, Mike and I arrived early to take part in the parties and smoke a few cigars.
seems like you were a little disappointed mike…I have got to make it out there eventually…good reporting as always fellas
Honestly, I was.
Dont get me wrong, it is great to sit around and herf with great guys but there was nothing there that impressed me.
I figure a RP event would have RP product/swag/etc – you had a sampler you could get, that was it.
boy you guys are real excitable watching the grass grow is a better time than watching this video i was at the rocky event and had a blast i dont think ill be visiting this site very often if ever again
I don’t drink and there was nothing of Rocky Pates there to buy except the sampler, so for me, it was a big herf to sit and smoke. Hardly any seating till people pulled picnic tables over, food and drink was priced high. Parking was literally hell as we just barely were even able to get out of the lot.
With my neck the way it is, a 4 hour drive to get there was also part of the problem.
I hate to see people leave but I will not change my opinion of the event.
It sounds like you went to a funeral – not a cigar event. Why go if it sucks so bad???
Maybe your basement is a better place to smoke??
I’ve followed you guys for years – this video has to be the worst you have ever done….
Like I said above – if you are a drinker it may have been a blast, but for me it was a herf with a band.
Thanks for posting your thoughts on the pre-events. Maybe StogieReview can do their own pre-party in the future, that way you can control what goes on.
I am looking forward to hearing about the rest of the event.
to be honest I would be disappointed for sure if that was all that was there…I mean why go if there isnt something special there…Id rather enjoy my sticks at home …Mike I appreciate your honesty I didnt mean to spark the anger amongst other viewers…I think we have all had that moment where we are excited for something and it completely lets us down
LOL, no problem 🙂
hah, well, I’d probably still go but it sounds like they are going to have to expand the locale and plan a bit better. Sounds like they just got swamped. Hopefully Day 2 is better 🙂
I should caveate my statement of going. I’d only go if it was to hang with StogieReview members. Create-a-clique.com.
Hey fellas. Thanks for the insight. Makes me feel better about having not gone, but since I live in CA wasnt really an option anyways….. Look forward to hearing about the rest of the event. Long ashes…
Dave, Keith, Vern, and…Ray! It was great meeting you guys, but I have to agree with your assessment of the Rocky Patel event. Way too many people for far too small a space. It was bad enough that the four of us ended up just skipping out on the next night’s Nub event at the same location because there would probably be 2 to 3 times the number of people there.
We enjoyed the AJ Fernandez event, though. Again, I agree…it was like an event at a local shop, but the space was far bigger and there were a bunch more people. The Man O War Ruination is fast becoming one of my new favorites, too, so that doesn’t hurt. It didn’t seem like there were too many people at that event that you couldn’t talk or hang out comfortably. So…thumbs up on AJ, thumbs down on Rocky…for me, anyway.
I enjoyed the event. I do agree it was very crowded and more space would of been better. With that said, I had a lot of fun. I met alot of folks there that were very friendly. It was nice that you could share a smoke with a total stranger and have that connection like you’ve always known them.
As far as the vendors, The Perdoma gang were outstanding. I found them very friendly and took the time to talk and let you know they appreciate our business. Oliva was a good guy as well. He remembered me from see him at the downtown store and came over and shook my hand to see how I was making out that day. I thought that was pretty cool of him.
Unfortunately, I found Rocky Patel to be a bit full of himself. Maybe that is just his personality. Either way I found it to be a bother to him to be friendly to people. Totally turn off from a consumer perspective, I still love the smokes. His brother was a decent guy. I’m sure Rocky is as well.
Looking forward to next year..Try the Perdoma Patriarchs. I really enjoyed them.