In Vegas, Bet on Vato Cigars!

Everything is special in Las Vegas and cigar smoking is no different. A husband and wife team, Paul and Sara Vato, convinced Binion’s Casino to lease them space to open their own cigar operation. The Vato’s offer 4 of their own different blends in a large variety of shapes (a baseball bat?) and sizes in addition to more traditional national brands. And, if you don’t trust your luck at the gaming tables, Vato offers an “all you can smoke cigar buffet” where for a fixed price ($30) you can pick a smoke from a designated section of the humidor and, win or lose in the casino, come back again and again for another selection until closing. I missed this experience at the 2013 IPCPR but I won’t in 2014.

Vato Cigars supplied me with their own Las Vegas Blend cigar – the Cowboy – a 6 X 50 torpedo shaped stick with a dark shade Connecticut wrapper. The binder is Ecuadorian and the filler is a blend of Dominican and Honduran. The cigar has an average appearance but the construction was quite good. The smoke output was good and the flavor was a very mild medium body of wood and leather. At the halfway point the cigar mellowed even further and included hints of spice. This cigar had an easy draw and flavor all the way to the very end – I smoked it right up to my fingertips. It took 1 hour to finish it and the quality ash confirmed the good construction. The SRP for the Cowboy is $10.50 to $13 depending upon the quantity. I rate this one a 4 out of 5 and recommend the cigar buffet for those who want what happens in Vegas to stay in Vegas.