While smoking a Cuban cigar can often be an occasion of its own, it’s always nice to have an excuse to take some time out from normal life and light up a smoke. Settling down to watch an important sporting event is a fine example – it can be something we enjoy alone or with friends, and it will usually occupy an amount of time that will justify a serious cigar. With the first two months of 2022 already behind us, and the Africa Cup of Nations and Winter Olympics already past us on the sporting calendar, the time has come to look ahead to the year, including a busy sporting summer for those based in Europe, to see what else is coming up. Smoking with friends is a special pleasure; smoking with friends while cheering a shared nation or team to victory, or witnessing sports history that will be spoken of for years to come, is an even rarer delight.
Formula 1 2022 Season
The 2021 F1 season ended in drama and controversy in Abu Dhabi, and the new 2022 season will commence back in the Middle East with the Bahrain Grand Prix on 20th March. Whether you support Lewis Hamilton’s effort to become the driver with the most World Championships in history or think it’s time for the new guard, led by Max Verstappen, to have their time, this promises to be an enthralling season. Grands Prix are also perfect cigar moments, as they last around 90 minutes and take place on a Sunday – the ideal excuse for an afternoon smoke. Grab a large vitola, like a Hoyo de Monterrey Hoyo de San Juan, and settle in for some high-octane entertainment from one of the world’s most glamorous sports properties.
The Grand National, Aintree
Horse racing has long been known as “the sport of kings”, and even today many of the world’s royal families have a stake in a stable of racehorses. These royal connections can lend a certain extra formality, at least on the surface, to the festivals and meetings held through the racing year, but horse racing still manages to capture the imagination of all walks of life when the biggest races take place. The Randox Grand National, as it is currently known, has been held each year since the early 1800s and is now the most famous race in the world. Putting on one’s finest clothes and heading to the course for a day out has long been a favoured moment for a Cuban cigar, while staying at home to watch on television can still provide an opportunity. The race will be over in about 10 minutes, so grab something quick – the El Rey del Mundo Demi Tasse is ideal – and get ready to cheer on your choice.
UEFA Champions League Final
Football is the most popular sport on the planet, and billions are expected to tune in to the World Cup help in December. Before that we have the pinnacle of club football, as the UEFA Champions League holds its showcase final on 28th May in the spectacular Stade de France in Paris. Last season’s beaten finalists Manchester City are the bookies’ favourites to go one better this season, but the quality of the other teams in the competition means nothing is certain. Paris Saint-Germain have invested huge sums in their playing squad, and for the first time they lift the trophy to be in their home city surely adds extra incentive. Whoever makes the final, and whoever ends up winning, this will be a perfect excuse to round up your smoking buddies and crack open a box of H. Upmann Magnum 54 to enjoy with some beers.
US Open Golf
Golf seems like a game designed with cigar smoking in mind. The rolling open spaces, the peace and solitude of the surroundings, the duration of the round, all seem geared for the perfect moment with your Habano. There can’t be many better ways to spend a summer’s afternoon than roaming across a stunning patch of parkland, or a links course with endless views over the sea, and a cigar in your hand – the Montecristo Open Series was created with exactly this in mind. For those of us whose golf prowess is nothing to be proud of, watching the professionals from the comfort of our homes may be a better way to go. The US Open will be held in Brookline, Massachusetts this year from 16th-19th June, allowing us to see how the game is intended to be played.
2022 FIFA World Cup
Rounding off the year, instead of taking place at the mid-point of it, makes this World Cup unique among all its predecessors, but should not make it any less exciting. The majority of the global leagues will be in the middle of their normal seasons, as opposed to at the end of them, so the fitness levels of most of the participants should be at their peak. At least one of Europe’s big guns will be missing, as Portugal and Italy find themselves in the same play-off bracket, and qualification for the other continental associations still has a bit of a way to go, but regardless of which teams end up in Qatar this will be the highlight of the sporting year. Realistically, this looks like being the last World Cup for Messi and Ronaldo – will either of the greatest two players of all time take this last chance to win the biggest prize their sport has to offer? No matter who makes it to the final, light up a Cohiba Behike to watch – the best sporting moment of 2022 will deserve one of the best cigars around.