The Grand Finale of the Cigar Smoking World Championship Produces a New Winner

The 12^th annual Cigar Smoking World Championship (CSWC) Grand Finale is the culmination of more than 70 previous qualifying tournaments, national tournaments, etc. It’s where the best-of-the-best square off to see who can indulge in a premium cigar for the longest amount of time. This year’s cigar was the Rocky Patel Mareva, which is available now at Best Cigar Prices!

The final event was held in Split, Croatia, and consisted of the top 20 smokers in the world. This included Drew Emch, a competitor from the U.S. who stunned everyone in the lead-up to the finals with a time of 3:19:24—the best of the season. However, when all was said and done, the CSWC Grand Finale was won by Borys Szkodzik of Poland.

With an eye-popping time of 3:20:03, Szkodzik showed why he was a favorite to win. He also showed that there’s a reason Poland contributed a staggering eight competitors to the 20 who qualified. Obviously, the folks in Poland know how to enjoy a cigar (and make it last)!

Coming in second was the U.S.’s Drew Emch. He wasn’t quite able to replicate his 3:19:24 smoke, but he still broke the three-hour mark with a final time of 3:00:40. That’s certainly something he can brag about when he gets back stateside.

Rounding out the top three was Dimitrijs Smirnovs of Latvia. Even though Smirnovs came in first during the Estonian qualifier, he still found a way to significantly elevate his game (or smoke). His time of 2:52:52 was nearly an hour longer than the time he set in Estonia.

Of course, all 20 participants in the Grand Finale are winners in their own right. They had to come out ahead of about 3,000 other competitors to earn their spot in the final event. Still, a hearty congratulations is in order for Borys Szkodzik. Don’t be surprised if you find his name in the CSWC conversation again in 2023.