World Record in First Qualification of the Season

It’s May, and as most of us know, it’s the start of slow smoking season. As per tradition by now, Norway was the first one out of the starting blocks, and what a start it was. Right off the bat, the winner, Tormod Skarmaas, broke the world record for the Rocky Patel competition cigar. Last year’s second runner-up improved his time with more than 2 hours and finished at 3 hours and 30 minutes and 41 seconds. It’s ten minutes longer than both defending Cigar Smoking World Champion and record holder, Borys Szkodzik from Poland, and last year’s big surprise, Drew Emch from the US.

“Like the US did last year, Norway has shocked the cigar slow smoking world with this unreal achievement,” founder Marko Bilic says. “They have opened the CSWC season like no other country before in the history of the competition.”

Not only that, last year’s Norwegian champion Rolf Broch, came in second at an impressive 3 hours and 10 minutes, a time that would’ve earned him the title of champion in basically every qualifier last year. In fact, the top three names in Norway were all the same, just in a different order as last year’s runner up Knut Are Hole came in third with yet another admirable time, 2 hours and 16 minutes.

1.     Tormod Skarmaas 03:30:41
2.     Rolf Broch 03:10:00
3.     Knut Are Hole 02:16:00

Norway1: Winner Tormod Skarmaas fully looks almost provokingly relaxed for someone breaking a world record.
Norway2: Organizer and owner of Augusto Cigars, Øystein Kleven, runner-up Rolf Broch, judge André Veiby and winner Tormod Skarmaas.