The UK CSWC Reached New Heights

With a series of seven pre-qualifier events and time chase contests, the UK has firmly established itself as one of the most vibrant countries on the CSWC circuit. This year’s final was held at the renowned Boisdale restaurant at Canary Wharf in London, a prestigious venue known for hosting the UK Cigar Awards ceremony.

But this time it wasn’t just the winners from the pre-qualifiers competing. To spice things up, organizer and judge Sarah Saunders decided to introduce the UK Open competition, allowing anyone to join and compete.

“This inclusive approach brought a diverse array of participants, including Jeremy Casdagli of Casdagli cigars and cigar blogger Steve the London Cigar Smoker,” CSWC founder Marko Bilic says.

The real excitement, however, took place in the private cigar lounge of Boisdale, where the finalists from all pre-qualification events battled for the title of UK national champion. And one man was out for revenge. After winning both 2021 and 2022 Etan Patel had a bad year last year. This year he proved he’s a top contender, smoking for nearly three hours.

2 hours and 55 minutes wasn’t just a new personal record, it was also a national record which put him at ninth place on the 2024 Top 20 list.

“He solidified his status as an elite world-class CSWC competitor,” Bilic says.

Runner-up was newcomer Vinesh Bulsara, who impressed everyone with his performance. Trained by the experienced Paresh Patel, a legendary figure in the CSWC community, he managed to keep his cigar going for nearly two hours. Paresh Patel himself secured third place at 1 hour and 10 minutes.

“The UK CSWC competition, under Sarah Saunders’ leadership, reached unprecedented levels of excellence and excitement this year,” Bilic says. “Ethan Patel’s remarkable victory and the overall success of the event have cemented the UK’s reputation as a key player in the global CSWC arena.”

1. Etan Patel 2:55:00
2. Vinesh Bulsara 1:57:33
3. Paresh Patel 1:10:00