A Series of Serpentine Cigars To Celebrate The Year of The Snake
Whether or not you actually believe in horoscopes or the zodiac is beside the point: the start of the Lunar New Year is just another good reason to try a new cigar. A decade ago, only a few cigar companies acknowledged the holiday, which is celebrated around the world and within Asian communities in the United States. Today, a variety of cigarmakers from all the major cigar-producing countries use this time as an opportunity to release unique smokes in creative packaging with lots of shelf appeal. Of course, most of these cigars are sold individually, but collecting the box is part of the fun. Here are 11 serpentine cigars expressly themed to 2025’s Year of the Snake.
Cohiba Short Year of the Snake (190 euros per box, which translates to 2.15 euros per cigar)
It’s getting harder and harder to find Cuban Cohibas and when you do, the price can be a little jarring. Consider these little smokes to be bargain Cohibas in a really interesting humidor. They’re less expensive because they’re machine-made from short filler tobacco, but that short filler is supposedly a mix of Cuban scraps from Cohiba leaf that wasn’t long enough for a handmade cigar. This humidor holds 88 Shorts, a good-luck number in Chinese culture, however they’re only sold by the entire box, so you have to commit.
Davidoff Year of the Snake Limited Edition 2025 ($62)
Davidoff was really the company that started the whole Lunar New Year Chinese zodiac trend in the cigar world. For 2025, Davidoff went all out offering a range of themed accessories and exclusive cigars only available in pricey humidors, but not all the cigars are humidor exclusives. The more accessible Year of the Snake 2025 shown here is rolled in the Dominican Republic and measures 7 inches by 43 ring gauge. These can be purchased individually and are made with an Ecuadoran wrapper, Ecuadoran binder and filler blend of Mexican tobacco as well as a Dominican hybrid the company calls “98.”
Drew Estate Liga Privada Único Serie Year of the Snake ($26)
Edgy and disruptive (in a good way), Drew Estate puts its own spin on the Chinese zodiac this year with this line of long, thin cigars measuring 7 by 44. The wrapper is Connecticut broadleaf; the binder is Connecticut Corojo; and the filler is a blend of Nicaraguan, Brazilian and U.S. tobacco. These are made in Nicaragua at the Gran Fabrica Drew Estate and promise a “peppery kick.” If you want that kick, you’ll have to go to overseas, as these cigars are only offered for the Asian market.
Gurkha Year of the Snake ($19)
For 2025, Gurkha enlisted three separate factories to make three separate blends. One is made in the Dominican Republic by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. That one is a 6 1/2-by-52 torpedo with an Ecuador Corojo wrapper. The second one, a double-tapered figurado, is made in Nicaragua by Oliva Cigar Co. It measures 6 5/8 by 52 and is covered in a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. The third—a 6-by-52 toro—comes from Oscar Valladares in Honduras and is covered in a Honduran Habano wrapper. All will be the same price when they’re released later this month.
Montecristo Short Year of the Snake (120 euros per box, which comes out to 1.81 euros per cigar )
Like the Cuban Cohibas above, these machine-made Shorts ostensibly consist of Montecristo’s short-filler scraps that weren’t large enough for cigars. The glossy yellow humidor holds 66 of these very petit coronas and is truly striking to behold with a large snake slithering across the top of the lid. It’s a complete package deal which means they’re only sold by the box.
Oliva Year of the Snake ($45)
This is the second year that Oliva enters the Chinese zodiac, and the company has expanded its production. Last year, they only made 1,500 boxes for the Asian market. For 2025, it’s up to 3,500 boxes and offered in nearly 10 countries. While the United States isn’t one of them, plenty of regions throughout Europe and two in Asia carry this Nicaraguan Churchill. It’s made in Oliva’s factory in Estelí and consists of an Ecuadoran wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan filler.
Partagás Cedros (N/A)
Last year, it was Montecristo. The year before, it was Cohiba. For Year of the Snake, Habanos has chosen Partagás as the brand to honor Lunar New Year. The Partagás Cedros is named for the unsung hero of a cigar box—Spanish cedar—and these smokes are packed in stylish boxes of 18 with Year of the Snake styling. The cigars inside measure 5 3/8 by 50, and they have two bands, the first, a traditional Partagás band, the second, a footband in gold and red, with a coiled cobra in a golden circle. Habanos said that this release is targeted for the Asian market, Cuba’s largest.
Plasencia El Año de la Culebra Edición Limitada 2025 ($49)
Perhaps the most serpentine of all the releases, this set holds eight long, thin cigars and two entwined culebras. The idea is quite clever when you consider that the word culebra translates to “snake” in Spanish. The straight cigars retail for $49 each. If you want the culebra, the twisty pair will cost $98. Both measure 7 by 40, both have the same all-Nicaraguan blend and both are made in Nicaragua at the Plasencia factory.
Punch Bottle Rocket ($6.99)
What’s a Lunar New Year celebration without fireworks? General Cigar takes a very playful approach with the Punch Bottle Rocket, which is made in Honduras. It comes packaged in a fireworks canister and each 4 1/2-by-50 belicoso has its own firework stick—you know, like those bottle rockets you used to light as a kid. The Mexican wrapper and Nicaraguan binder surround a filler blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican and Honduran filler.
Rocky Patel Year of the Snake ($35)
This is the second year that Rocky Patel throws his proverbial hat into the zodiacal ring. His Year of the Snake is an all-Nicaraguan blend with a dark wrapper he classifies as oscuro. It’s made in Nicaragua at his Tavicusa factory and measures 6 1/2 by 52, but it’s coming a little late to the party, as it won’t be available until April.
VegaFina Year of the Snake (11.50 euro, or about $12)
If you look closely at the head of this Corona Extra, you’ll see it not only has one pigtail, but two. And they’re braided like two cobras in some sort of twisted mating dance. It also looks like the forked tongue of a snake. Either way, there are 16 cigars per box, or rather, two rows of eight as per the number eight being good luck. VegaFina Year of the Snake measures 6 1/4 by 46 and is made in the Dominican Republic at Altadis’ Tabacalera de Garcia factory. It’s a blend of Ecuadoran wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Find them in Europe and around the world as a reasonable alternative to all the pricey Cubans.
Read Next: Altadis Launching Romeo Y Julieta 150th Anniversary Cigar
