How To Win.
The CSWC is a precision discipline disguised as leisure. Smoke slowly. Hold your ash. Know every rule before you light up.
One goal. One winner.
The Cigar Smoking World Championship has the simplest possible objective - and the most demanding execution. There is no taste test, no presentation, no scoring on style. There is only time.
Smoke your cigar for the longest possible time without it going out. The winner is the competitor with the greatest elapsed time, after all penalty deductions are applied.
The setup.
- 01 Every competitor selects their own cigar from the same box. If your cigar has a visible defect, you may exchange it before the competition begins. All cigars carry the same official CSWC competition band, glued in the same position.
- 02 You will be provided with a cutter and two long matches. No other items are permitted on the table during competition - nothing you brought in.
- 03 You have 1 minute to prepare your cigar (cutting). This time does not count toward your score. Additional preparation - toasting, retouching, anything beyond a clean cut - is not permitted.
- 04 You have 1 minute to light the cigar once the Main Judge gives the signal. This lighting minute is included in your total competition time. You may use one or both matches. Do not light early.
What is and isn't allowed.
- ✦No re-lighting. If your cigar goes out, the competition is over for you at that moment. There is no second chance.
- ✦No blowing. You cannot blow on the embers, blow through the cigar, or wet the cigar in any way.
- ✦Hold it at all times. The cigar must remain in your hand for the entire competition. Placing it in an ashtray or setting it down costs you 10 penalty minutes per occurrence.
- ✦Keep it visible. The cigar must be visible to judges at all times. Concealing or covering it is grounds for disqualification.
- ✦No touching the burn line. Contact with the burning line of the cigar is prohibited.
- ✦No personal items. Watches, phones, and smartwatches cannot be used during competition.
- ✦First 5 minutes: no talking, no drinks. After five minutes, both are permitted.
This is where competitions are won and lost.
Cigar ash acts as a natural insulator - keeping it intact slows the burn. Losing your ash early costs you time. The earlier it falls, the heavier the penalty.
Only the first ash drop incurs the table penalty above. Subsequent drops after 40 minutes are free. The penalty brackets are cumulative thresholds - if your ash holds to 28 minutes and then falls, the applicable penalty is -5 minutes (the 30-minute bracket).
The strategic reality.
Hold your ash to 40 minutes and you compete penalty-free. Lose it before 10 minutes and you forfeit 20 minutes from your score before you've even started building time. The best competitors develop a feel for the cigar - how to hold it, at what angle, how to draw minimally - to keep the ash column intact for as long as possible.
You report your own ash fall to the judge. Self-reporting is part of the competition. Judges are watching - and they can, and do, publicly call it.
When it ends - and how to end it right.
- ✦Smoke to the band. The competition ends when you reach the official CSWC competition band. Do not go past it - if the band burns, you are assessed 15 penalty minutes and your time is marked at that moment.
- ✦Cigar goes out. If your cigar extinguishes by itself at any point, your competition ends immediately.
- ✦Raise your number. When you finish - either at the band or on extinction - lift your competitor number. That is the exact moment your time is recorded. Once you signal, the clock stops and you leave the competitor table.
- ✦Judge inspection. After competition ends, the Main Judge inspects all bands. Band burn penalties are applied at this stage.
The panel has the final word.
- ✦A Main Judge oversees the competition. In larger events, Assistant Judges support. The Main Judge calls time announcements at the 1-minute mark and every 10 minutes thereafter.
- ✦Judges can issue yellow cards for rule violations. A second yellow card is an automatic red card - disqualification. Severe violations earn an immediate red card.
- ✦Judges may, at their discretion, publicly report a competitor for ash fall, ring burning, setting down the cigar, or extinguishing.
- ✦The Main Judge compiles the competition report, records all times, and applies penalty minutes. The Main Judge declares the winner.
Slow is fast. Ash is armour. Know the rules.
The winner is the competitor with the most elapsed smoking time after all penalties are deducted. Preparation, composure, and a clean ash column win championships.