First CSWC Time Chase of the Season Begins at Havana House

The Cigar Smoking World Championship (CSWC) 2023 season is off to a fantastic start, with the first Time Chase event of the season starting at Havana House Hove.

Jobey Ashcroft won the Havana House UK 2023 Time Chase in Hove, providing the first official time of the CSWC 2023 season, with a smoke time of 1 hour, 7 minutes and 32 seconds. Jobey is a novice to the competition, making this an even more impressive feat!

The first Time Chase of the season was a nail-biter, and it foreshadows what we may anticipate this season: high stakes. While Jobey was able to smoke the cigar for 1 hour, 7 minutes, and 32 seconds, the runner-up, Josh Packham, had a time of 1 hour, 7 minutes and 19 seconds, making this an incredibly close race! Sarah Saunders, CSWC’s official judge, provided a terrific competition.

The CSWC Top 20 list is now open and will be published soon to reveal who will be going through to the final of the Cigar Smoking World Championship, where the 2023 winner will be determined.

Speaking of the event, CSWC Founder Marko Bilic said: 

“The United Kingdom has risen to the top of the CSWC rankings. Sarah Saunders performed a miracle there by promoting the CSWC and the idea behind it. She was successful in conveying the thrill of the CSWC to UK cigar enthusiasts, who enthusiastically welcomed the notion of the slow smoking challenge.”

The Cigar Smoking World Championship is an international competition in the “slow smoking” of cigars.

What is the CSWC?

Competitors compete in how slow they can smoke their cigar, with time penalties given for such things as breaking their ash or burning the competition ring (cigar band).

Since 2019, the official competition cigar is the CSWC Rocky Patel Mareva, which is 5 ⅛ inches long, with a 42 ring gauge.

CSWC Events at Havana House

Josh Cotton from Havana House says: “We are always so excited to support Sarah and the CSWC. Hove’s event was a fantastic start to our CSWC season, and everyone did fantastically, especially as they were all first-timers to the competition! Well done, Jobey, on the win.”

CSWC Qualifying Event at Havana House Windsor

We are hosting another CSWC qualifying event at our Havana House Windsor Store on the 3rd of May 2023. We will again be joined by Sarah Saunders (Official CSWC UK Judge and Founder of the Women’s International Cigar Club), who will be guiding us through the competition.

The ticket to the event includes the Rocky Patel CSWC Mareva Championship cigar, as well as a choice of either the Rocky Patel Quarter Century Robusto or La Galera Imperial Jade Robusto. There will also be a sampling of Brugal Rums from The Dominican Republic, including the Brugal Añejo Superior and Brugal 1888 Double-Aged Rum.