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Davidoff Celebrates 12th Consecutive Chinese New Year with Year of the Dragon Limited Edition

October 26, 2023 Inspector L 7 min read

For the twelfth consecutive time, Davidoff releases a limited edition to celebrate the Chinese New Year in style. With this release, Davidoff for the first time completes an entire zodiac cycle which began in 2013 with the Snake. Today, a few lucky aficionados get the opportunity to celebrate with an edition dedicated to this special zodiac. 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 esteemed Davidoff of Geneva since 1911 flagship store customers.

The Year of the Dragon

2024 marks the Year of the Dragon, a zodiac characterized by prowess and charisma. 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.”

Davidoff Year of the Dragon Limited Edition 2024 Double Corona Cigar

The limited-edition double corona is composed of 8 different tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Mexico and Ecuador, which in total have a combined age of 60 years. The cigar surprises aficionados with an uncut foot, meaning that the first inch (2.5 cm) of the cigar is to be enjoyed without the wrapper. This requires utmost precision in not only rolling but also blending. Despite the absence of the wrapper, the beginning of the cigar is very enjoyable and exemplifies a high skillset in craftsmanship, as the Master Blenders managed to create an intriguing switch in taste and sensation as soon as the wrapper leaf comes in with added depth and complexity of flavours. The foot thus depicts the Dragon’s untamed personality in its taste, and also its appearance, as it visualises the Dragon spitting fire.

The double corona starts off with earthy, wooden and herbal notes. Once the wrapper takes over, the taste changes to rich notes of roasted nuts, cream and subtle liquorice. The intensity rises in the second third, when notes of sweet honey, white pepper and citrus dominate. In the cigar’s final third, fresh spice and oak wood complement the dominating notes of dark chocolate. With its medium intensity and an enjoyment time of 90 to 100 minutes, the cigar is ideal to fill special times beautifully for those born in the Year of the Dragon.

#timebeautifullyfilled davidoff.com

The cigars come in a stunning box of ten cigars. The top surface of the box shows a captivating iridescent varnished dragon scales pattern all over. The powerful Year of the Dragon icon in the centre 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.

Ashtray & Cutter

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.

Pipe Tobacco

The Year of the Dragon Pipe Tobacco delights with tobaccos from Brazil, Zimbabwe, India, Malawi, China and Cyprus, which create delightful flavours of blackberries, banana and forest berries, all together mingling to an experience similar to the taste of pitaya (dragon fruit). It comes in a numbered, red-lacquered tin and is limited to 5,400 tins worldwide.

Masterpiece Humidor & Flagship Exclusive – Special Gran Toro Cigars For Connoisseurs

The Year of the Dragon Masterpiece Humidor is by far Davidoff’s most exclusive product for this zodiac and the epitome of elegance and power. 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 since 1911 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. Featuring the same blend as the Year of the Dragon Limited Edition 2024 double corona cigar, the gran toro also surprises aficionados with an uncut foot, thus offering a similarly adventurous taste experience with a slightly smoother and more balanced stimulation due to its format and ring gauge. This edition is limited to 600 boxes worldwide.

Launch & Availability

From November 2023*, the Davidoff Year of the Dragon Limited Edition cigars, pipe tobacco** and accessories will be available at select Davidoff appointed merchants and flagship stores around the world.

About the author

Inspector L