Celebrating the Year of the Dragon with a Luxurious Cigar

Although the Year of the Dragon is already halfway through, Switzerland is still celebrating the Lunar New Year in style. On August 20th, the Cuban Montecristo Brillantes will debut at La Casa del Habano shops across the country. This limited-edition cigar, with its unique size, is designed to honour the zodiacal creature of the year.

Distinctive Packaging

What truly sets the Montecristo Brillantes apart is its striking packaging. The cigars come in contoured, glossy red boxes adorned with a dragon motif, a significant departure from Montecristo’s traditional yellow branding. Each box contains 18 cigars, and only 18,888 boxes have been produced for global distribution.

Like last year’s Cohiba Siglo de Oro, which celebrated the Year of the Rabbit, each box of Brillantes is equipped with an NFC chip. This chip, installed by HumidifGroup, a Spanish company known for crafting high-gloss, piano-finish boxes, serves both as a tool for authenticity verification and as an interactive way to provide product information.

Price and Availability

The Montecristo Brillantes measure 5 inches by 53 ring gauge, and as expected, they come with a hefty price tag. Retailing at 1,440 Swiss francs (approximately $1,665) per box, this works out to 80 Swiss francs per cigar, or about $92.50 each. While these cigars are certainly luxurious, they are still more affordable than the Cohiba Year of the Rabbit, which is priced at $4,500 per box of 18, or $250 per cigar.

After their initial release at La Casa del Habano shops on August 20th, the Montecristo Brillantes will become available at other retailers across Switzerland starting August 27th.

Continuing the Tradition

The Montecristo Brillantes marks the fifth time Cuba has participated in the Lunar New Year celebration. Previous releases include the H. Upmann Magnum 52 for the Year of the Tiger, the Hoyo de Monterrey Primaveras for the Year of the Ox, and the Romeo y Julieta Maravillas 8 for the Year of the Rat.