SARAH CLAIMS VICTORY AFTER A DRAMATIC FINAL DUEL AT THE DYLAN HOTEL
- expertcigar
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Two unexpected finalists kept Dublin’s sophisticated cigar crowd in suspense until the final seconds, before Sarah made a perfectly timed decision to stop just millimetres from the cigar band and secure the Irish championship.
The second edition of the CSWC Ireland qualification took place on 10 June 2026 on the terrace of The Dylan Hotel in Dublin, bringing together dozens of competitors and approximately 40 spectators for an elegant evening of cigars, cocktails, food, and carefully selected music.
The event was organized by Barry and Garry of The Decent Cigar Company, known online as Cigars in Ireland.
For the second consecutive year, they transformed the terrace of The Dylan Hotel into an impressive setting for Ireland’s national CSWC competition.The atmosphere combined the refinement of a luxury hotel with unmistakable Irish character. A sophisticated audience followed the competition while enjoying Guinness, cocktails, and small dishes, accompanied by well-chosen music from the evening’s disc jockey. The guests clearly understood how to appreciate both the competition and a properly served pint of Guinness.
Travelling from Sweden, Pierre Gustafsson represented the international CSWC organization as the competition’s sole judge. He conducted the rules briefing and supervised the competition. Barry and Garry led the prize ceremony, with Pierre participating in the presentation of the awards.
Although the general technical level remained moderate compared with more established CSWC countries, the competition produced an exceptionally exciting finish. Many of the Irish competitors are still developing the advanced smoking techniques required to achieve truly long times, but determination, concentration, and the unpredictability of the cigars made the championship highly competitive.
For much of the contest, Oliver Blades-Moore and Stephen Ryan appeared to be in the strongest positions. Both looked capable of challenging for the title, but their cigars eventually went out, completely changing the course of the competition.
Stephen Ryan finished fourth with a time of 47 minutes and 17 seconds. Oliver continued considerably longer and secured third place at 1 hour, 1 minute, and 4 seconds.
Oliver’s elimination left two unexpected finalists: Sarah and Anmol Sharma. Neither had entered the competition as a clear favourite, but both surprised the audience with composed and determined performances. From the moment Oliver’s cigar went out, Sarah and Anmol remained alone in the competition for almost ten further minutes.
Their cigars, however, presented two very different situations. Sarah’s cigar remained stable throughout the final stage. Anmol’s appeared close to extinguishing almost continuously. Every additional minute he managed to keep it alive increased the tension on the terrace, as spectators waited to see whether he could rescue the difficult burn yet again.
Anmol’s challenge became even greater after he lost his ash and received a five-minute penalty. This meant that merely outlasting Sarah would not be enough. To win, he would have to keep his cigar burning for at least five minutes after Sarah had stopped.
Despite the difficult position, he continued fighting for every second. His cigar finally went out after an actual smoking time of approximately 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 51 seconds. Following the penalty, his official result became 1:05:51, securing second place.
Sarah was still smoking.
With the title now within reach, she continued for another minute. The burn moved dangerously close to the cigar band, where even the smallest misjudgment could have changed the entire result. Burning the ring would have resulted in a 15-minute penalty and cost her the championship.
At 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 56 seconds, Sarah made the decisive tactical choice to stop.
It was a decision measured in millimetres. Her cigar was extremely close to the band, but she stopped in time, avoided the penalty, and secured victory. Rather than risk losing everything in pursuit of a few additional seconds, she recognized the exact moment when the competition had already been won.
When the result was confirmed, Sarah was overjoyed.
Her victory made her the CSWC Ireland Champion 2026, and she will now represent Ireland at the CSWC Grand Finale in Dubrovnik from 28–30 August.