CSWC BY OLIVA CIGARS - FRANCE QUALIFIER WITH STRONG VICTORY OF OLIVER Steinhäuser
- expertcigar
- 11 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The fact that the CSWC is held in Alsace, France, has almost become a tradition. It has been hosted there for the past few years with great success.
The restaurant Le Temps des Saisons in Oberhausbergen opens its doors specifically for the LOS PUROS ALSACE-RHENAN club, making the championship possible. Of course, it takes a team to organize and oversee everything; Frédéric Dromson, Marc Wolff, J. M. Mahler, and Thomas Geißler were the dedicated team responsible for running the competition.
By 4:00 PM, all participants had arrived promptly. In addition to the local French competitors, the event welcomed international contenders from both the Dominican Republic and Germany.
Once starting numbers were assigned, the competitors took their places. As is customary in France, the competition rules were read out bilingually in both French and German.
Participants faced the challenge of patience, cigars, and smoke. Then, something completely unexpected happened: after the first half-hour, every single competitor was still in the running. Statistics usually show that roughly half of the field doesn't make it past the 30-minute mark, making this a remarkable feat.
Special mention must be made of Jules Julien—a man who loves and lives for pleasure down to the smallest detail, and who was once personally invited to Cuba by Fidel Castro. At 86 years young, Jules participated in CSWC France for the third time, finishing with a time of just over 40 minutes.
An impressive nine participants managed to cross the one-hour mark, which represents a very strong average for the field.
At the end of the race, the now-famous Oliver Steinhäuser claimed victory, while second place went to Mathieu Ginglinger and third to Gustavo A. De Hostos from the Dominican Republic. Oliver cruised to the win with incredible ease and composure.
Of course, a competition like this thrives on the atmosphere surrounding it. Toward the end, spectators arrived to cheer on the final smokers and enjoy the event.
And, since we are in France, the awards ceremony was preceded by a traditional aperitif. Guests enjoyed glasses of Crémant paired beautifully with a Flor de Oliva. After the trophies were handed out, it was time for the evening's more relaxed segment: the feast. The culinary offerings were top-notch as always, featuring everything from morels and asparagus to snails, veal, and poultry.
To wrap up the perfect evening, a fine digestif was served—a premium rum accompanied by an Oliva Serie V.
The tradition will undoubtedly continue, and plans are already underway for France to host the competition again next year!