UK Cigar Scene Magazine December Issue 12 | Page 29

There were fireworks on the 5th of November when a group of six of the UK’s finest Cigar
Sommeliers gathered at Hunters and Frankau’s Fulham offices to take part in the annual
UK Cigar Sommelier competition.
This year the field was extremely strong with five
of the six having achieved the Master of Havana
Cigars standard. In addition to the title the winner
was to head off to Havana to represent the UK in
the International finals at the annual Habanos
Festival.

The entry to the Habanos Sommelier competition
came just a short period afterwards so he told me
he was reasonably relaxed that he had the right
level of knowledge. He spent the final day before
the exam revising at James J Fox and got through
four cigars.

After a very tough and close competition the 2015
winner was Slawomir Bielicki who is the Bar
Manager and Cigar Sommelier at The Churchill
Bar, Hyatt Regency London.

The competition itself is in two parts. In the
morning the candidates sit a written exam
covering a range of cigar related topics including,
Cuban tobacco farming techniques, cigar
production, vitolas, tastes, flavours and service.

I met up with a tanned and healthy looking
Slawomir a couple of weeks after his triumph and
just having returned from a holiday in Dubai and
Bangkok. He was excited at his win but already
thinking and planning his strategy for the final in
Havana.
He told me that he had taken a large stock of cigars
on holiday with him because he doesn’t have
enough time to smoke as much as he would like
during his working day. The humidity was very
high so his travel humidor had actually served to
keep his cigars dry rather than humid.
Salwomir told me that he left his native Poland in
2007 and went to work, briefly, in Ireland. From
there he moved to work in Las Palmas in Spain for
six months and then to England where he started
work as a bartender at the Grove just outside
Watford.
He spent four and a half years at the Grove rising
to head of bars and establishing a very strong love
for cigars with another Polish colleague who also
worked there.
In July two years ago he moved to the newly
refurbished Churchill Hotel in London’s Portman
square. Part of the refurbishment had been the
creation of a new outdoor cigar terrace and the
installation of a beautiful new purpose built
humidor.

They were then set a role play designed to assess
their knowledge of Habanos cigars, their ability
to recommend the correct cigars for specific
occasions and their skill in cutting, lighting and
serving the cigars that they had recommended.
This is done in front of a daunting judging
panel which includes Hunters & Frankau Sales
& Marketing Director Sean Croley, Corporate
Director Yadira Bulnes and former Marketing
director Simon Chase.
Slawomir told me he was overjoyed to win and
is looking forward to what will be his first trip to
Havana. “It’s been on my bucket list for some time
and now I am going out there to represent Britain
at the World Habanos Sommelier Competition”
His work on his presentation has already started.
He has spoken to other UK winners and recently
met some overseas winners in Dubai to pick their
brains.
Slawomir is quite obviously and extremely able
young man and I have every confidence he will
represent the UK very strongly in Havana. We will
watch his progress with great interest.

Nic Wing was talking to Slawomir Bielicki

In January 2014 he moved to look after cigars at
the Churchill and started on the learning process
which very quickly saw him achieve the Master
of Habanos just seven months after he started to
study intensively.

28