For the last several years, I have wanted to attend Drew Estate’s Barn Smoker Event, but something has come up every single time. It had started to become a running joke that, somehow, I would never get to the Barn Smoker. But this year, I finally made it. I made it to the Connecticut Barn Smoker, and I wanted to make sure I took the time to tell you all about the event that had eluded me for so long.
I’m going to say something in an effort to be transparent. Some people might take this the wrong way, but there’s a reason for it: I generally don’t like attending consumer-based events anymore. Now, that’s not because I think I’m better than anybody else. It’s just that I’ve been to so many of these events over my decade in the cigar industry that, most of the time, I find they all seem to bleed together. Most of them feel like the same cookie-cutter experience, and after a while, it becomes tiresome. Additionally, I just don’t want to keep spending my money and my time. Add in the fact that there are industry events I feel obligated to attend, plus, I have a regular day job outside of Smokin Tabacco. So, I find myself being very selective with events these days.
What I will say is this: the Drew Estate Barn Smoker was one of the best events I have been to in a long time, if not the best event I have attended in my entire tenure in the cigar business.
For a company that seems to not take itself super seriously at times, they actually work harder than most people I’ve met in the industry. I have to give them so much credit for what they’ve accomplished, not just for this event, but over the last year. As of this writing, they are currently a strong contender for 2026 Company of the Year with their announcement of their Dominican factory and J. Sann and Son.
Executing a large-scale consumer event is beyond difficult. I’ve watched retailers do big events, manufacturers do big events, you name it, it doesn’t matter who it is. It’s never easy. I myself have hosted large-scale fundraisers over the years through our website, and even that was a headache. So, when anyone pulls off an event with this level of success, it really needs to be talked about, and the praise needs to be given, because it’s not an easy feat to accomplish.
The Connecticut Barn Smoker event takes place at Dunn & Foster Farms in Ellington, Connecticut. This location is known in our industry as the famous Connecticut River Valley. While Drew Estate has been hosting in Connecticut for a long time, they also hold it in other parts of the country such as Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Florida.
It’s an experience for people to attend and learn more about tobacco growing, see tobacco plants and leaves up close and in person, and spend some time with some of their favorite people from Drew Estate. This really is a great event given its concept, and it’s something very unique that most other manufacturers probably couldn’t pull off.
Usually, anyone who wants to visit a tobacco farm and really learn about the experience up close has to attend a major festival such as ProCigar or Puro Sabor, but that requires international travel and is much more costly to attend. With tickets starting at $150, this is a more affordable and domestic way of getting somewhat of the same experience firsthand for those who really love the leaf.
I have a pros and cons list, although the pros outnumber the cons. If you know me personally, have read my articles, or watched me on a show, you know I can be very nitpicky. But that’s because I strive for perfection, including analyzing other people and their work. Any critiques I have serve to only help others work toward being the best they can be. At the end of the day, the guys at Drew Estate know I have nothing but love for them and only want to see them succeed.
The first part of the day started when we pulled in at 10:45am, parked, and immediately headed to one of the very long check-in lines in the parking lot. There, we were able to confirm entry with our tickets and pick up the swag pack that each attendee gets. I believe VIP ticket holders had a different swag pack, but they were able to check-in an hour earlier at 10:00am.
Here’s the first con: I think the check-in process takes too long.
Between trying to get people checked in with their tickets, which in itself seems to take a while and doesn’t seem very streamlined, Drew Estate had staff going through the line and looking people up one by one to verify their tickets instead of using a conventional scan-and-go method like you would see at most sporting events or concerts. Then you continue to wait in line and have to go up and get your swag kit as they are handed out one by one as everyone arrives at the front of the line.
Personally, I think it would have been better to have a more streamlined ticket-entry system, letting people get inside the event where they could move around, go get something to eat or drink, and then go get their swag afterward if they wanted to, instead of keeping people standing in line for so long.
I don’t think anyone’s going to turn down the swag, but break it up a little bit so that people don’t feel like they’re waiting forever to get inside.
What I do like about the whole entry system is that you get a wristband that allows you to freely go in and out of the Barn Smoker event. This is not a no-reentry event, which is nice because we were able to go back to our car a few times to put things away that we didn’t want to lug around the entire time or to take a break from the heat. It made things so much more convenient.
The entry swag was actually pretty cool. The list includes a cooler style back pack with plenty of pockets and a built in bottle opener, a towel, a hat, sunglasses, cutter, lighter, some patches and of course cigars. The cigars were good too. Plenty of Liga Privada, Undercrown, Herrera Esteli and more. Once we were checked in, got our swag, put it all back in the car, and actually went to explore the Barn Smoker, we were pretty excited.
It wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be. And I don’t mean that they didn’t sell out, I just mean that they didn’t oversell. Sometimes you go to these events and there are just too many people. This event felt like it had just the right amount of people for the size of the space and everything that they had going on.
It didn’t feel like you were waiting too long for anything. Once you actually got inside, all of the lines at the different activation stations weren’t super long either, making it easy to get in, get out, and move on to the next station.
There was a station set up for each of the core brands, such as Liga Privada, Undercrown, Deadwood Tobacco, Pappy Van Winkle, Blackened, Acid, a Tabak Especial station, etc. There were also different stations that featured whiskey or drinks, as well as a station with Tamina Park from Rabbit Air to talk about air filtration units.
Each station was unique in that it had something else going on besides just getting a cigar. A few examples:
- The Acid station featured canvases that you could spray-paint with a stencil and customize for yourself to take home.
- The Undercrown station had a rolling class that filled up quickly, so we weren’t able to get in on it. Nonetheless, it looked very cool and was something I think most consumers would really enjoy.
- The Tabak station was also handing out coffee to pair with the Tabak Especial.
- There was a band set up at the Blackened station playing music.
Another con I have is that the rolling class, which was the thing I was most interested in, only had so many slots available, and it was first-come, first-serve. Those filled up very quickly since VIPs were able to sign-up first, and we were unable to participate.
I wish that Drew Estate could find a way to make that a bigger piece of the day where more people could join in. I think that since the VIPs got in first, they probably took the spots early on before everyone else, but I am not positive. That’s something for Drew Estate to work on and improve in the future. I feel like that it should be something each attendee gets to participate in.
Toward the back of the event space was a makeshift saloon called the Black Widow Saloon that was for VIP ticket holders only. This area featured some air conditioning, an exclusive bar, food, and VIP-exclusive cigars and swag items. These tickets were $400 compared to the regular ticket price of $150.
It was a great place for people to go and escape from the heat on what was a blistering 85 degree day, but also have more of an intimate experience at the event and have access to some of the figureheads and principals at Drew Estate, such as Jonathan Drew, Pedro Gomez, and Willy Herrera.
Furthermore, there were a handful of yellow tents around the perimeter of the tobacco fields and near the barns that were part of the tobacco education seminars. Folks from the farm staff and Drew Estate principals, such as Pedro and Willy, would partner together to explain all of the different parts of the farming and harvesting processes involved in tobacco farming, while also giving attendees plenty of time to ask as many questions as they wanted.
This is perhaps the most interactive and authentic experience that someone who loves cigars can get, outside of dropping thousands of dollars to attend the ultra-exclusive cigar festivals in other countries, as I mentioned before.
Then there was the food, which is always such a topic of conversation at any event. Having been to many events, the food here was Grade A. Not only was there a nice selection of different foods, such as Nicole’s favorite barbecue place, Bear’s BBQ, but they also weren’t cheap or stingy with the food. There was plenty to go around, and Drew Estate even gave you several food and beverage tickets to use while you were roaming around all day.
There were also smash burgers, pizza, and more, which felt appropriate given the setting, but everything was good quality. I am not expecting steak and lobster at these events, so realistically, this was a solid win for Drew Estate as well. Now, the PCA’s makeshift nacho station at PCA 2024… different story… that was embarrassing.
To be honest, the only thing that made the day less fun and exciting was the heat and humidity. Early August in New England is the tail end of Satan’s revenge weather before the soft and easy late summer-early fall that makes us such a desirable destination that time of year. But that was not on Drew Estate.
In my mind, they fired on all cylinders, with the exception of check-in and entry, but otherwise, I had no major complaints. It did not feel like a long line of trick-or-treating with some OK food and low-key entertainment. It was an event that I feel many people look forward to going to year after year and is something people can take many things away from, even if the educational part isn’t your thing.
If you are limited on travel time/vacation time and need to choose carefully, or like me and live close enough for a short drive (two hours), I would recommend getting on the Drew Estate email list and staying ready for when tickets go on sale so you do not miss out.
The Barn Smoker is truly worth the money. Hats off to Drew Estate – see you guys next year!
