My passion for cigars is taking me on quite the journey. I recently “competed” in the first UK heat of this year’s Cigar Smoking World Championships. Yep, even I have surprised myself 😂. Here’s how it went down…
Background
For those of you that don’t know, the Cigar Smoking World Championship is an international competition in the “slow smoking” of cigars. If cigar smoking were an Olympic sport, this would be the closest thing to it. Competitors compete in how slow they can smoke their cigar, with time penalties given for things like dropping your ash or burning the cigar band. The smoker who takes the longest to finish their cigar is the winner.
A couple of years ago, The Wall Street Journal made a great video explaining the sport of cigar smoking.
So, what does the winner get? Last year’s winner, Hauke Walter from Germany, lasted for an impressive 208 minutes and 7 seconds. He was rewarded with a range of prizes, which included a Rocky Patel CSWC Limited Edition Luxury Humidor packed with cigars, a Les Fines Lames Gold Series Cigar Cutter, an S.T. Dupont Haute Creation Lighter, an exclusive one-day cruise on a 180-foot yacht for the winner and 11 friends, covering all drinks, food, cigars and water toys – approx value of £30k. He also received a Cuervo y Sobrinos Luxury Swiss Watch, a Radisson Blu Split Weekend Package for two individuals worth approx £800, and a featured interview in Cigar Journal magazine.
Interestingly, the champ to beat is the current world record holder Klaudia Ide of Poland, who kept her cigar lit for 233 minutes and 9 seconds back in 2021.
This competition has been running since 2010. It is the brainchild of Marko Bilic, the president and founder of Cigar Club Mareva in Split, Croatia.
There wasn’t much of a cigar culture in Croatia at the time, which inspired Bilic to bring like-minded individuals together from around the world. The competition began with only six participating countries in its first year, but it has since grown significantly. In the most recent year, over 40 countries took part in the event!
The grand final usually takes place in Split, Croatia, but this year it will be held in Dubrovnik. Check out this video from last year’s event.
Rocky Patel is the official manufacturer of the cigar used in the Cigar Smoking World Championship (CSWC) – since 2019/2020. All competitors will smoke this Mareva cigar during the competition.
The details
Length: 5 1/8″
Ring Gauge: “42
Strength: Medium
Vitola: Mareva
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
In order to compete in the final event held in Croatia, you need to successfully pass through the regional and national qualifying rounds in your own country. The UK has been participating in the competition for around a decade now, thanks to the relentless efforts of Sarah Saunders, the International Deputy Head Judge for the CSWC, and also Founder and President of the Women’s International Cigar Club. (If you get a chance, you should also check out Sarah’s latest venture too, the RollerBus, which is the ‘World’s Finest Double Decker Mobile Cigar Lounge’.)
Sarah has ensured that us Brits have a chance to participate in the final in Croatia. She accomplished this by organising and hosting a series of heats/finals held across the country in various cigar lounges and events.
The UK has done considerably well at the Cigar Smoking World Championships in recent years, thanks to renowned slow smoker Etan Patel, who holds a UK record.
The launch event for the 2024 CSWC season was held at Havana House in Windsor, which is owned by the well-known cigar enthusiast Paresh Patel. Mr. Patel is also one of the top slow smokers in the UK.
Additional qualifying rounds will be held at various cigar lounges throughout the country, leading up to the UK final in July 2024 rumoured to be taking place at Boisdales of Canary Wharf. The winners of this event will then proceed to the World Championship final in Dubrovnik, scheduled for August/September in 2024.
My experience
Last year, I watched the grand final of the cigar smoking competition in Croatia from home on a Youtube live stream, hoping that a contestant from the UK would win.
A few months later, I met a fellow cigar blogger, Cem of El Lector blog, who told me that he had participated in the competition’s heats. He suggested that I should participate, saying that it would be a lot of fun.
This year, I noticed that the CSWC UK Instagram page, run by Sarah, had been launched and then discovered that Havana House at their Cigar Emporium would be hosting the launch night and the first heat. I have visited Havana House a couple of times before, but I have never sat and smoked a cigar in their sampling lounge.
With all of the above – this felt like the perfect opportunity to attend and take part!
Additionally, the ticket for the event was only £20, which I thought was great value, especially since it included the Rocky Patel cigar. Participating in such a unique cigar event was sure to be an experience!
The night itself
As Windsor is a bit far from my neck of the woods in South East London (I don’t drive), I decided to book a hotel (a Travelodge) in Slough and take an Uber to the venue for the 7pm start. I arrived 15 minutes early to settle into the cigar lounge.
Upon entering, I had the pleasure of meeting Paresh and Etan. They are both amazing guys! As previously mentioned, Etan is the current UK champion. His cigar smoking skills are something else 🤯😀. Whilst intimidating sitting nearby, it’s best to learn from the best – right?
I had no idea about the rules or what I was getting myself into before I entered the competition. Just before I entered the venue, I was searching Youtube and Google for tips on how to do well. 🤦
As we settled into our seats, Dave, who had recently become a judge, made sure that everyone was registered.
We were given numbers for our seats – that we were to hold up if our cigar stopped smoking – to say we were out.
We were also given our tools for the night – a competition cigar, a cigar cutter to do a straight cut, two matches, and a bottle of water.
I started talking to some of my fellow competitors, we were all asking Etan for tips. Later, I got chatting with Steve, who reads this blog! 👋, and some of the other guys in the lounge. Most of them were first-timers, just like me, so I didn’t feel alone in not knowing what to do.
Sarah Saunders then arrived and gave us an introduction to the event and the rules. Here’s some of the rules I can remember:
- You have one minute to cut your cigar.
- You have one minute to light your cigar, but you can only use up to two matches.
- Once your cigar is lit, you must wait for five minutes without talking to get used to it.
- You must wait 40 minutes before you can drop the ash from your cigar.
- You must not burn the cigar band.
- The winner is the last person who keeps their cigar burning for the longest time.
Then the timer started and we all had to crack on…
Overall thoughts
Initially, I found the cigar smoking competition quite stressful. I had to understand the rules quickly, which is not something I usually have to think about when I relax with a cigar. Once the competition started, my competitive nature kicked in, even though it felt like I had no chance. I noticed that my ash was getting longer and longer very quickly, and looking at the professionals beside me, I realised that the technique I was using wasn’t the right one. Keeping the ember of the cigar lit with minimum ash appears to be crucial.
I didn’t want to be the first one out. However, once the first player was eliminated, I felt more relaxed. As time passed, the ash on my cigar started to accumulate, making it more challenging to smoke and keep it lit without dropping the ash. After the second player was eliminated, my cigar stopped burning, and I was forced to leave the game, becoming the third player to exit the competition, with a total time of 20 minutes and 28 seconds. 😬
Once I was out of the competition, I could relax with my cigar. The slow smoking aspect of the event really relaxed me. What amazes me is that when I smoke a cigar normally, it never goes out. But I think what makes this competition different is the fact that you can’t let any ash drop for the first 40 minutes.
Paresh came in 2nd place and Etan came in 1st place, securing their spots in the UK final in July. Unfortunately, I don’t remember their times from the night.
Overall, the evening was excellent, and I had a brilliant time. Part of me wants to try again and beat my original time already 🫣.
It was also great meeting Etan, Paresh, Josh, Steve, Sarah and Dave – who made my time at Havana House super delightful – an evening I won’t forget!
The new extended sampling lounge at The Cigar Emporium, Havana House in Windsor is also looking pretty cool! 👌👌👌
Are you interested in taking part?
The next UK qualifier takes place tonight Apr 18th at Havana House in Hove. Tickets still look like they are available on their website.
Other dates for the next UK qualifiers:
May 28th London (Reserve your place by message on Instagram @cswc_uk)
July 1st Turmeaus and Puffin Rooms, Liverpool – book via CGars at Turmeaus.
5th July Kent (Reserve your place by message on Instagram @cswc_uk)
7th July CSWC UK FINALS at BOISDALE CANARY WHARF, LONDON
Book tickets via the Boisdale website.
Competitor and Spectator tickets available. 12.00 noon doors open. Cigars, cocktails, feasting, cigar personalities, entertainment, cash bar.
The Cigar Smoking World Championship finale will be held in Dubrovnik’s Rixos Hotel from August 30th to September 1st, 2024.
If you decide to attend any of these events, do keep me posted on how you get on! I’m sure you’ll beat my time 😆
London Cigar Smoker 
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