Walter Broke Three Hours in Eisenach

Germany continues the soon-to-be tradition of hosting two Cigar Smoking World Championship qualifiers. In Düsseldorf in June, reigning world champion Walter Hauke qualified for the grand final in Split when he won the national championship for the seventh time in a row, but his performance wasn’t very convincing. The new Oliva competition cigar turned out to be harder to manage than he had expected and in the end he smoked for 2 hours 40 minutes and 30 seconds.

For the regional CSWC qualifier in Eisenach, he had most obviously done his homework.

When the competition at the G&C Gentlemenˋs Club in Eisenach was held for the first time last year Hauke Walter didn’t even partake. He had already secured his championship title earlier that summer, but this year he probably wanted to prove to himself, if nobody else, that he had more in him.

Under the organization of Thomas Geißler and the Gentlemen’s Club, the competition was held as part of Big Smoke Germany at O’Toole’s Irish Pub.

“This was more than just a slow smoking contest,” CSWC founder Marko Bilic says. “It was a two day cigar festival filled with exceptional cigars, premium spirits, gourmet food, and an electric atmosphere.”

Every corner of Germany, from Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Saarland, was represented in the starting field, as well as Luxembourg, Spain and France.  Friday night was warm-up night, with an Urtyp cigar paired with three premium rums from Kirsch Whisky, followed by two special Eisemacher rums alongside a Villiger cigar.

 “The room buzzed with conversation and the DJ kept the rhythm ad anticipation for the next day’s competition quietly built,” Bilic describes the atmosphere.

At the competition table, legends faced off. Three-time world champion Walter, French champion and runner-up in both Eisenach last year and in Düsseldorf this year, Oliver Steinhäuser, and last year’s Eisenach winner Thomas Reich all sat down together, alongside the rest of the starting field.

“From the start, the Oliva Mareva burned slowly and evenly, revealing its complexity,” Bilic says. “The audience knew it could carry someone deep into record-breaking territory if handled with absolute precision.”

After an hour and a half the field thinned out, but it was obvious Walter had more to give. A lot more.

“He chatted lightly between puffs, schooling the table in the fine art of slow smoking,” Bilic continues. “Judge Kevin Clemen sat directly opposite, watching like a hawk as the clock ticked towards history.”

Slowly he passed one after another three-hour smoker on the top 20 list; Oleg Pedan, Mariusz Kowalczyk, Alexander Shagai, Sergey Galevsky… but not Anastasia Arsenova. At 3 hours 38 minutes and 16 seconds, Walter’s cigar finally went out, once again proving he’s not going to be giving up that world champion title easily.

Second place went, like always, to Oliver Steinhäuser, who came in at 2 hours 5 minutes and 52 seconds. With Raich barely making it past an hour, another Thomas claimed third place. Thomas Schlupp reached 1 hour 51 minutes and 2 seconds.

1. Hauke Walter 3:38:16
2. Oliver Steinhäuser 2:05:52
3. Thomas Schlupp 1:51:02