Chau First Hong Kong CSWC Champion

Hong Kong is the latest of this season’s new countries on the Cigar Smoking World Championship circuit to make its debut. The honor to host this historic event fell on the owners of the Bertie Hong Kong lounge. The winner of the ‘Best Cigar Lounge in Asia’ at last year’s Cigar Trophy set a perfect backdrop to an intense race of the slowest smokers in a city where quite honestly, a competition like this is long overdue.

“The event was nicely fuelled by Samai Rum, the first Cambodia rum brand, which is soon doing its debut on the Hong Kong scene,” organizer Agnès Caër-Piras, says. “It was a perfect match with the Oliva competition cigar.”

After just five minutes the first person was out, and at 1 hour and 35 minutes seven of 23 competitors were still in the race. The last three, Brian Chau, Tim Tsang and Arthur Bergeron, held on tight until the last 20 minutes. The first one to drop off was Bergeron. At 1 hour 28 minutes and 35 seconds he claimed third place. Tsang’s cigar died out almost exactly 15 minutes later and another five minutes later, the first Hong Kong record was set and Chau became the first Hong Kong champion. 1 hour 48 minutes and 24 seconds took him all the way to the grand final in Split in August.

“I am hugely proud of welcoming such an amazing competition in Bertie Hong Kong,” organizer Eric Piras said. “It definitely consolidates our trophy as ‘Best Cigar Lounge in Asia.”

CSWC founder Marko Bilić, who attended the event, was happy as well.

“I’m very much impressed by the ladies and gentlemen competing for Hong Kong,” he says. “The event was of a very high quality and competition was tense through the end, with an excellent final time!”

Especially considering it was a first for all competitors. None of them had entered a cigar competition before. According to the organizers, they have now wowed to train all year long and participate again in the 2026 edition.

1. Brian Chau 1:48:24
2. Tim Tsang 1:43:38
3. Arthur Bergeron 1:28:35