It is once again time for the annual zodiac series releases from manufacturers, of which have been getting more popular every year. Perhaps none of which are more popular and anticipated than the ones that come from Davidoff.
Davidoff will once again release a limited edition to celebrate the Chinese New Year. With this release, for the first time, Davidoff will complete an entire zodiac cycle which began in 2013 with the Year of the Snake.
But it is more than just the cigar. In fact, it consists of a limited-edition double corona cigar composed of eight different tobaccos, a special pipe tobacco blend, a cutter, an ashtray, a Masterpiece Humidor, and an additional, very limited gran toro cigar exclusively available for the Davidoff of Geneva flagship store customers.
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon, a zodiac characterized by prowess and charisma. Davidoff says aficionados born in the Year of the Dragon are eloquent and passionate leaders with a strong sense of ambition and tempers which can be quick to ignite.
The Dragon is the largest and most important character in the entire zodiac, and large is the collection which Davidoff releases in honour of it. “To close this entire Chinese zodiac cycle with many highlights for our aficionados, our creative teams around the world have outdone themselves in their respective spheres”, says Edward Simon, CMO at Oettinger Davidoff. “We reflected the importance of the Dragon with our largest zodiac cigar thus far: an impressive double corona with an uncut foot. Furthermore, our very limited gran toro cigar, an intriguing pipe tobacco blend, and state-of-the-art accessories and packaging design make this collection one of the most exciting of the entire cycle. I am immensely proud that our series has proven to be so successful and that we can fill our aficionados’ time beautifully with our products.”
The limited-edition is a 7 1/2 x 50 double corona is composed of eight different tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Mexico and Ecuador, which in total have a combined age of 60 years. The cigar is said to surprise smokers with an uncut foot, meaning that the first inch of the cigar is to be smoked without the wrapper. It has an MSRP of $59.
The cigars come in a box of ten cigars. The top surface of the box shows an iridescent varnished dragon scales pattern all over. The powerful Year of the Dragon icon in the center holds a pearl, which in Chinese culture symbolises wisdom, prosperity and fortune. A wooden tray inside the box reveals two cigar sections that are divided by a silky red ribbon inspired by the Dragon’s tongue.
In addition as we previously mentioned, Davidoff is also releasing several other items along with the core product of this limited edition. An ashtray and cutter have also been made for the occasion. The Year of the Dragon ashtray comes in a round shape with two slightly angled notches and offers a generous space for two cigars and ash. The 588 numbered pieces are crafted from premium porcelain in France. The German-made gold-plated Year of the Dragon Cutter ensures a precise cut for up to RG 56 due to its razor- sharp double blades. The serial number is neatly engraved on the palladium of each of the 588 available pieces.
Davidoff is also releasing a pipe tobacco based on this blend. The Year of the Dragon Pipe Tobacco is made with tobaccos from Brazil, Zimbabwe, India, Malawi, China and Cyprus, which Davidoff says create “delightful flavors of blackberries, banana and forest berries, all together mingling to an experience similar to the taste of dragon fruit.” It comes in a numbered, red-lacquered tin and is limited to 5,400 tins worldwide.
Finally, Davidoff also created a humidor for its Davidoff of Geneva retail store locations. The Year of the Dragon Masterpiece Humidor is by far Davidoff’s most exclusive product for this zodiac. It is handmade in France and shows an eye-catching artwork which is the result of a collaboration between two renowned artists; the Chinese oil painter Zhang Zhaoying created his vision of the legend of the two Dragons, and the mosaicist Sika Viagbo brought it to life on the humidor with a remarkable mosaic of hundreds of pieces of glass, mirror and brushed brass worth 200 hours of handicraft. The humidor is numbered and comes with 88 gran toro cigars. There are only 25 pieces available worldwide.
The Davidoff Year of the Dragon Flagship Exclusive marks the brand’s second special release around a Chinese zodiac exclusively available for the esteemed Davidoff of Geneva flagship store customers. The impressive box in the Year of the Dragon design offers 24 gran toro cigars, which are otherwise only to be found in the Masterpiece Humidor. This edition is limited to 600 boxes worldwide.
Davidoff says that consumers can expect to see all of the Year of the Dragon cigars, pipe tobacco and accessories world wide the week of November 16th, 2023.
