Žižić Won CSWC Croatia Again

As always in the Croatian slow smoking community nowadays, all eyes were on Ivan Žižić when the Cigar Smoking World Championship qualifier was held at the iconic cigar lounge Havana 22 in Zagreb. Hosted by owners and official importers of Oliva Cigars, Alen and Renata Kosanović, the event started with a refined Hennessy cognac welcome drink at Havana Cigar Shop, the oldest cigar shop in Croatia, before the competitors descended into the Havana 22 competition ring.

In 2022 Žižić lost the final to his rival Guy Pardillos by a mere 29 seconds, but the two following years have been all about him. In 2023 he won, being just three minutes shy of the three hour mark, and last year the margin was lees, but he still managed to smoke for 2 hours 25 minutes and 29 seconds. What his performance would be with the new Oliva competition cigar was unsure, but he had reached two and a half hours at two different test smoking sessions earlier in the year.

“During the last session, Žižić was interrupted by club members at Cigar Club Mareva, eager to discuss his slow-smoking technique and share their thoughts on the cigar,” Bilic says. “While these conversations were certainly welcome, they did add a level of distraction to his concentration. Yet,he showed his professionalism, navigating the distractions while maintaining his steady pace throughout. His ability to stay focused under these conditions speaks volumes about both his skill and the consistency of the Oliva competition cigar.”

At Havana 22 he once again managed to defend his title, but he wasn’t able to reiterate his earlier achievements. 2 hours and 13 minutes was enough to keep his fellow competitors at bay, though.

Behind him the big surprise from the CSWC qualifier in Bosnia, Ivan Krišto, owner of The Humidor cigar shop in Zagreb, made another big impression on the world of slow smoking. The second runner-up from Sarajevo even improved his time when he came in second, smoking for 2 hours and 7 minutes.

“Krišto stunned everyone by taking second place,” Bilic says “He’s instantly become one of the most exciting rising names of the CSWC season.”

Like that wasn’t enough, days later he improved his time even more at a time chase event at Club Mareva in Split.

“He achieved a jaw-dropping time of 2 hours 44 minutes and 29 seconds,” says a clearly excited Bilic. “This incredible performance propelled him straight into the Top 10 of the season standings out of nearly 2,600 competitors worldwide, firmly establishing him as the biggest surprise talent of 2025.”

He’s also a case of the student becoming the master, as his mentor and the official CSWC instructor, Dino Tomić, came in second at the time chase event.

“With such results, expectations are sky-high for Krišto, heading into the Grand Final in Split. A fresh face, but already a proven contender – the cigar world will be watching him very closely.”

Third place at the qualifier went to Predrag Vidic.

1. Ivan Žižić 2:13
2. Ivan Krišto 2:07
3. Predrag Vidic (time unknown)