Ten cigar sommeliers will battle it out to find out who is the best in the country on 5 September. 

The UK HabanoSommelier 2005 annual contest, run by cigar importer Hunters & Frankau and the Academy of Food & Wine Service, will take place at Claridges hotel in London. 

The competition will involve appraising, recommending, cutting, serving and lighting a cigar and matching with a suitable aperitif. 

The winner will go on a week long tour to Cuba and represent the UK at the World HabanoSommelier Contest.

Last year, Bjorn Eriksson from Claridges Fumoir won the title and went on to win the world cigar sommelier title.

The finalists:

• Paul Noll, barman, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
• Julien Foussadier, bar manager, Hotel du Vin, Tunbridge Wells
• Stephanie Delmotte, sommelier, Great Eastern hotel, London
• Azedine Dhaheri, sommelier, the Capital hotel, London
• Giuseppe Ruo, bar manager, Windows bar at London Hilton, London
• Stuart Hudson, head sommelier, MJU Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, London
• Jose Garcia Vidal, assistant manager, Petrus restaurant at the Berkley hotel, London
• Fabien Garrigues, bar manager, Hotel du Vin, Brighton
• Luca Di Beradino, assistant manager, 1880 restaurant, the Bentley Kempinski hotel, London
• Matthew Wilkin, group consultant sommelier, the Capital hotel, London
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