BIG SMOKE FESTIVAL VII

The VIIth Big Smoke Festival, organized by Cigar Clan Magazine, was held on July 14, 2005 at the Moscow City Golf Club

The Big Smoke Festival began in the afternoon, when the first guests gathered for a programme of seminars and master classes. It was opened by Senor Cabana, a leading expert from the Tabacalera Company, who read a lecture on the finer points of tobacco growing and cigar production in Nicaragua.

This lecture was followed by Vyacheslav Kirsanov (Geins-2000) with a seminar on how to store sugar correctly, and Senor Alvero (Habanos S.A.) who gave a talk on the legendary creator of the Vegas Robaina brand, Alejandro Robaina, known as the ‘Cuban Stakhanovite’.

In the breaks between the seminar and the talks, those attending could watch a cigar golf tournament held within the framework of the festival. This tournament was for members of the Moscow City Golf Club, but those attending the festival could also take part, while the players in their turn could attend the Big Smoke Seminars.

The festival’s day programme ended with the comparative degustation of Hardy Cognac and Black Label 5 Whisky accompanied by Jose L. Piedra Cuban cigars. The degustation, which was held by Alexei Tyurin (range trainer at the Luding Company) and Senor Alvero (general representative of the Habanos S.A. Company), aroused unfeigned interest in those attending, who bombarded the presenters with questions and their own observations.

After the official ending of the Big Smoke Seminars, the guests and the invited speakers were able to continue socializing informally on the sun-drenched terrace of the Golf Club, where final preparations were being completed for the traditional evening Big Smoke Party.

This year, the guests spent several hours, transported as it were from Moscow to sunny Spain. At the entrance, there were Flamenco dancers who gave each lady and gentleman guest a straw hat with the Big Smoke Festival logo on it and a pair of castanets.

At the party, they were offered a special cigar and alcohol menu, which included more than thirty types of handmade cigars, Hardy Cognac of various ages, Black Label Whisky, Marie Duffau Armagnac, Havana Club Rum together with a number of summer cocktails based on it, and a variety of Jacob’s Creek Wines.

The evening began with an award ceremony for the winners of the cigar golf tournament (the prizes – Hardy Cognac and Black Label 5 Whisky, provided by the Luding Company – were presented by Alexander Yarunin, General Director of the Moscow City Golf Club) and the annual Best of the Best cigar awards. This year, for the first time, the nominations included a Creative Brand Advancement award – which went to Dunhill.

The Cigar Smoker of the Year award went to Yuri Kobaladze, Managing Director of Renaissance Capital, for whom the companies attending the festival had prepared two gifts. Uomo Collezioni presented him with a gift certificate for a suit handmade by the salon’s finest tailors and Eastern Express gave him a unique Harold Riley Loch Lomond lighter by Dunhill. The lighter was made in a limited edition of 288 models and dedicated to the famous European golfing championship at Loch Lomond.

When the ‘official’ part of the evening was over, the guests threw themselves wholeheartedly into the atmosphere of a rousing Spanish festivity – with a real fiery show, passionate Flamenco dancing performed by the Espanola and Almas del Fuego groups, Spanish music and numerous competitions.

The competition for the Best Spanish Style Costume was confidently won by three ladies: Yelena Tyurina (Uomo Collezioni), Maria Rebrova (Novikombank) and Yelena Moskalenko (Venetsia Wellness Club). They all received prizes from Pernod Ricard, the sponsoring company: seven-year Havana Club Rum, Jacob’s Creek Wine and a unique illustrated album, entitled Rum.

At the same time as the Best Spanish Style Costume competition was in progress, another competition for the longest ash was being held. The number of those wishing to demonstrate their virtuosity with a cigar was, as usual, high and the end result was that four competitors were declared winners.

First place – with a length of 7.5cms – was taken by Kirill Kosolapov; second place – with a length of 6.5cms – was shared by Sergei Klichanovsky and German Koshelyov; and third place – with a length of 6cms – went to Samvel Avetisyan (Tinkoff). They all received prizes from the Luding Company and from Bossner.

The culmination of the festivities was a brilliant display of Cuban dancing by the Ley Cubana Group, to whose music the dancing master class and the competition for the best dance were held. Then, led by Ley Cubana, even the most serious guests at the Big Smoke Party got up and danced. And for those, who put a special amount of effort into their dancing, there were pleasant surprises awaiting: Vyacheslav Kirsanov (Geins-2000) and Roberto D’Agostino (De Stal Advisors) were given prizes by the Uomo Collezioni Company; Inga Agibalova (Venetsia Wellness Club) was given an elegant seven-year rum from Pernod Ricard; Alexander Sobolev (Bank Moskvy) and Olga Tumasyan received prizes from Bossner; and Yekaterina Ponomaryova (Gubernatorsky Restaurant) was given a prize from the Tabacalera Company. The last gift that the party organizers had arranged for their guests was a lottery with prizes given by Habanos S.A., Bossner and Kondi-2000.

The summer festival came to an end after midnight, leaving behind an aroma of fine cigars and an atmosphere of easy-going friendliness – the unforgettable atmosphere of the Big Smoke Festival.

For more details:
Maria Santos | special projects director | santos@arkmedia.ru
Natali Braslavsky | advertising sales director | braslavsky@arkmedia.ru
Contacts: +7 (095) 931-9196, 430-8423, 430-8438.