EISENACH DELIVERS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CSWC TIMES OF 2025

 Under the organization of Thomas Geißler and the Gentlemen’s Club, the Big Smoke Germany was more than just a slow smoking contest — it was a two-day cigar festival filled with exceptional cigars, premium spirits, gourmet food, and an electric atmosphere.

From Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Saarland — every corner of Germany was represented. Guests also traveled from Luxembourg, Spain, and France to join the 80-ticket sold-out event at O’Toole’s Irish Pub. Friday night was the perfect warm-up: a Urtyp cigar paired with three premium rums from Kirsch Whisky, followed by two special Eisemacher rums alongside an exquisite Villingen cigar. The room buzzed with conversation, the DJ kept the rhythm, and anticipation for the next day’s competition quietly built.

Saturday brought the real showdown. One judge had to cancel last-minute, but CSWC JUDGE ASSOCIATION BOARD swiftly appointed Kevin Clemen — co-president of the Gentlemen’s Club — as an official national judge.

At the competition table, legends faced off: reigning three-time World Champion and seven-time German Champion Hauke Walter, French Champion Oliver Steinhäuser, and last year’s Eisenach winner Thomas Reich.

From the start, the Oliva Mareva — used for the first time this year as the official competition cigar — burned slowly and evenly, revealing its complexity. The audience knew it could carry someone deep into record-breaking territory if handled with absolute precision.

Normally, half the competitors are out after 30 minutes, but this time 70% were still in. The tension was palpable.

By the 90-minute mark, the field thinned. Walter, calm and calculating, conserved every millimeter of tobacco. His previous best was 2:44:30, but this time, the Mareva seemed to reward his patience.

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

The standing world best time of the year — 3:18:07 by Sergey Galevsky — was within sight. The crowd erupted as Walter passed it. Every draw was deliberate, every ash fall measured. At 3:35:16, the cigar finally went out.

Eisenach had just witnessed the new second-best time of 2025. Only Anastasia Arsenova’s stunning 3:42:00 in Georgia now stands above it.

But the competition was only part of the festival - The festival continued with Stauffenberg and Kinix cigars, rums from T. Sonthi and TASTEit, fine wines from Hammel & Cie, and legendary Thuringian grill specialties prepared by former Plattengrill World Champion Jens Hörschelmann. Smiles were everywhere — the true sign of a great event.

Eisenach’s Big Smoke has cemented its place as one of the largest and most program-rich fixtures of the CSWC season — and a must-attend for anyone chasing both records and unforgettable cigar culture. The next edition is already on the calendar: August 7–8, 2026.