HUMIDITY OF THE GRAND FINAL 2026 OLIVA CSWC COMPETITION CIGARS
A key factor in the grand final is the humidity of the competition cigars. How was it during GF 2026?
Competitors often talk about the competition cigar and its condition for the Grand Final. When CSWC started 17 years ago with the first competition cigar, Montecristo No. 4, much depended on the luck of picking the right cigar, particularly its construction. Competitors usually said luck played more than an 80% role in this matter.
The Grand Final highlights featured the Montecristo No. 4 as the competition cigar from 2010 to 2015.
This high percentage was later resolved when CSWC signed a partnership with STG (Macanudo) to produce specially made competition cigars, crafted by the best rollers in limited quantities to perfection. The luck factor dropped to less than 15%, which was incredible.
Macanudo introduced a new step for CSWC with a special edition competition cigar, placing particular emphasis on construction, reducing luck factors to less than 15%.
After construction, the second most important factor was cigar humidity. In 2015, CSWC officially signed a contract with Boveda for humidity control, marking another major step forward. The competition saw improved times and fewer differences in smoking durations, with cigars maintained at 69% humidity. In 2024, the CSWC board concluded that humidity had a huge impact on final smoking times, especially for the Grand Final, where tight schedules and long winning times of up to 3 hours 20 minutes made organizing the day, including the gala dinner, very challenging.
That year, the board decided to lower humidity to 62% for the competition cigars. With Boveda and new partner Hulecos, it became easy to ensure all cigars stayed within the same humidity range for the Grand Final. And the results were in – winning times dropped below 3 hours, which was a huge help for overcoming organizational challenges with the timeline for the grand final day. The CSWC board considers it fair that all finalists face cigars under the same conditions, without differences, as the Grand Final is not about world records or big times—it’s about winning and being the best in the world under equal circumstances against top competitors.
Hulecos, in combination with Boveda, gave CSWC full control over the conditions of the competition cigar for GF, and together they evaluate CSWC at a Formula 1 level with technology.
In 2026, the same dilemma arose, and the CSWC board, with the judges, decided to keep cigar humidity at 62%, as in the previous two years. The results, or more precisely, the winning times, were roughly the same as in 2025 and 2024. The Grand Final schedule was easier, and champions enjoyed equal conditions to prove themselves. Looking ahead, the question remains whether to keep the official Grand Final humidity at 62% or leave the decision to the CSWC board and judges—we will see in the future.
A finalist of the CSWC engaging in their “communication” with an Oliva CSWC competition cigar during GF 2026.