So, naturally, plans were ramped up for this year’s event – which was hauled over to the Pennsylvania Expo Center in nearby Allentown rather than the cramped cigar warehouse. Meier urged all of the “big guns” from each cigar company to personally attend, and invited nearly a dozen microbreweries and liquor companies to sample and whipping up a traditional pig roast lunch. When ticket sales surged to 1,500 eager cigar fans after only three weeks, the event was declared “sold out”, and anticipation for the big day swelled. By the time the doors of “CigarFest ‘05” opened on the sunny Saturday afternoon of April 9th, two lines of cigar fanatics stretched clear around the building in opposite directions, the scene looking more like the opening night of a blockbuster movie or a playoff game than a cigar herf.

“This is pretty wild”, noted one attendee who’d already been tailgating with friends for hours before queuing up. Despite a fairly challenging breeze, many tried their luck at a “longest cigar ash” contest held outside the hall. Even though everyone would be taking home dozens of cigar samples from the event, many brought stogies with them anyway to enjoy while waiting for the doors to open. Now that’s dedication to a cause.

Cigar herfs are nothing new, of course, but traditionally they have been home-grown affairs, more along the lines of a “local guys night out” than a full-blown cigar festival. In an age when their personal freedoms are constantly under attack, any excuse for cigar fans to get together and have some fun – free from the scowls of a largely disapproving public – is welcome. But there’s something exciting about strength in numbers. It’s almost startling and a bit cathartic to see well over a thousand people all lighting up cigars.

While fancy jacket-and-tie evenings may have their place in the comic scheme of things, let’s face it; it’s a hell of a lot more fun just hanging out and relaxing. Herfs drop all of the stuffy pretenses and just let cigar fans be themselves.

“This event is the real deal – not some overly glitzy affair with a bunch of comp corporate tickets and people who couldn’t give a damn about cigars, “says, Meier, a young gun in the world of cigar retailing whose cigar shop on Main Street in historic downtown Bethlehem is the cornerstone of a highly successful mail order catalog and Internet trinity. “I happen to love it around here”, he says of the former steel mill region, “but the cigar nuts making this trip were true enthusiasts.” Meier tracked ticket sales from all over the country, proving there’s plenty of interest in large-scale herfing.

This year’s CigarFest crowd was so big, in fact, it created some traffic jams inside the Expo Center thanks in part to the return of Lindsey Vuolo, who was signing photos as well as several added attractions including “have your picture taken with a famous cigar maker” booths an a bunch of “return your smoked butt for a new cigar” offers. Meier, who notes that his team continues to learn the ropes of throwing big parties after two years, promises to fine-tune the long lines next year but in the end few fans seemed to mind.

If smokers were thrilled to see so many cigar makers all gathered in one place, the makers themselves were equally impressed by the turnout. Certainly the economics were a good deal; a reasonable tickets price ($75) entitled herfers to dozens of cigars, lunch, liquor tastings and entry in numerous raffles (the proceeds of which went to a local organization that serves mentally handicapped children and adults). But to travel hundreds, or even thousands of miles, it takes more than just good bargains. Herfs and cigar events bring something else entirely to the table; access to cigar makers. Unless you’re confident you’ll rub shoulders with the founders of some of your favorite cigar brands down at the local cigar-friendly watering hole, cigar events offer a rare opportunity to meet a whole bunch of these guys one-on-one, all on the same day.

“It’s not easy talking shop with 1,500 enthusiasts” notes Cigars International’s Steve Rowbottom, “but each and every manufacturer was more than willing to take the time to show their appreciation towards each attendee.” Cigar luminaries Rocky Patel (Indian Tabac), Nick Perdomo (Perdomo Cigars), Christian Eiroa (Camacho Cigars), Mike Chiusano (Cusano Cigars) and Philip Wynne (Felipe Gregorio) were among the many luminaries handing out cigars and chatting with fans.

Those who didn’t get their fill of cigars and schmoozing during the expo could also attend a boisterous “after-party” at a local cigar friendly pub and really get some words in with the cigar VIP’s.