Kansas City’s most smoking party is just around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited.

The 2022 Kansas City Cigar Festival will be held at the Country Club Plaza on Ward Parkway, where cigar aficionados will once again flock for one of the most popular cigar celebrations in the country. Running from 11 am until 3 pm on Saturday, September 10, on the venue’s rooftop, guests will have the chance to sample and purchase popular blends from some of the most notable cigar manufacturers worldwide.

Ticket holders can browse the manufacturer stalls to buy cigars they can enjoy from home. They’ll also be gifted a souvenir bag with their ticket purchase, which includes 20 select cigars.

Plenty of delicious food vendors and beverage stations will be set up to cater for the event. Try delicacies from local favorites between puffs, including finger-licking goodness from Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken and flavor-packed wonders from Teocali Mexican Restaurant & Cantina. Make sure to wash it all down with a cold one from Brewery Emperial or Crane Brewing Company before visiting Bullet and Dickel to find the perfect liquor shot to pair with your afternoon smoke.

Last year saw a 500-strong crowd of cigar lovers, with a similar number expected this year. You’ll meet with like-minded stogie enthusiasts keen to swap cigar recommendations and share smoking experiences.

There’s no need to worry about the weather — this is a rain-or-shine event thanks to the rooftop-wide tent that will protect guests and their cigars. You’ll likely want to stay on the roof all day, but we recommend heading downstairs to explore Diebel’s impressive 1,250-square-foot humidor.

In preparation for Kansas City Cigar Festival, let’s look back to the five most notable souvenir bag cigars from 2021 and see what we can expect in 2022.

Last year’s guests were happy to pluck the Oliva Serie G from their souvenir bag. This medium-bodied smoke features an African-Cameroon wrapper that encases a Cuban-seed Habano binder with a Nicaraguan filler. It’s a toasty cigar with spice and cedar top notes, muted gently with a rich touch of coffee.

The person responsible for the 2021 goody bag was keen to make an impression on guests when they slipped into the Camacho Nicaragua. This is a powerful and well-aged blend of Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan fillers rolled within an Ecuadorian wrapper. The reddish hue of the wrapper offers a visual foreshadowing of this cigar’s spiced pepper and cinnamon flavors, which are made even more complex with earthy undertones.

Another notable stick from last year’s event was the La Aroma de Cuba. Born from the creative genius of Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia, this is an expertly hand-crafted stogie that features Nicaraguan Cuban-Seed long-fillers. The wrapper is a Connecticut broadleaf that boasts a beautifully chocolate-brown shade, which is well-complemented by the pastel shades of the cigar band’s design. Smokers can expect well-balanced espresso hits, earth, and spice from first light to stub.

The Romeo y Julieta Reserva is a popular cigar from a prestigious manufacturer, who you can almost always expect to make an appearance at Kansas City Cigar Festival. Easily recognized by its smooth, blemish-free Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, it’s an aesthetically-pleasing stick that would sit well in any humidor. While the Reserva might look like a light smoke, it’s truly bold. Expect powerful notes of leather and dark chocolate complemented with smooth undertones of coffee and sweet spices.

Who could forget the wonderful inclusion of the Macanudo Inspirado Orange from last year’s souvenir bag? This stick offers an exciting flavor profile of smooth caramel, hazelnut, and sweet cedar with an added sprinkling of white pepper to give each draw an added kick. The Honduran wrapper is wonderfully oily, tying the Honduran binder and Nicaraguan aged long fillers together nicely.