Gurkha Cigar Group, Inc. has unveiled the continuation of its Year of the Dragon series, featuring four new cigars crafted by distinct factories, marking a total of five releases in the series.

The initial cigar, a 6 3/4 x 52 figurado produced by El Artista, debuted in December, laying the foundation for this exclusive collection.

The upcoming releases in the Gurkha Year of the Dragon 2024 series are as follows:

• Gurkha Year of the Dragon 2024 (AJ Fernandez) (6 5/8 x 52) — February 2024
• Gurkha Year of the Dragon 2024 (Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.) (6 5/8 x 54) — April 2024
• Gurkha Year of the Dragon 2024 (Oliva) (6 1/2 x 60) — June 2024
• Gurkha Year of the Dragon 2024 (Oscar Valladares) (6 x 52) — To Be Announced

Gurkha has promised to disclose blend details and pricing information for each cigar upon commencement of shipping. Each blend will be presented in a 10-count box, each featuring a distinctive colour that can double as a humidor. The AJ Fernandez release will be box-pressed and housed in green boxes, while the Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.-made cigar will come in black boxes. The Oliva-made cigar will be presented in orange boxes, and the Oscar Valladares-made cigar will be in yellow boxes. All boxes are limited to 2,000 units.

Juan Lopez, VP of Sales for Gurkha Cigars, expressed excitement about the project, highlighting the unique opportunity to collaborate with industry legends. The company is eager to share the finished product with the cigar community.

Limited Edition Humidor

Additionally, Gurkha announced that the four new cigars will be available in a special limited edition humidor, which will contain 20 of each of the four releases. Notably, the El Artista-made cigar will not be included in the humidor. The humidor, designed to hold 200 cigars, will be showcased at the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show next month, with pricing and production numbers yet to be revealed.

Jim Colucci, president of Gurkha, emphasized the significance of the Year of the Dragon project, stating that the Dragon trademark, owned by Gurkha since 2009, inspired a grand commemoration for the Year of the Dragon. The series holds particular relevance for Gurkha, given their history of substantial dragon-themed releases over the years.

It’s worth noting that Gurkha recently filed a lawsuit against Davidoff over the latter’s Year of the Dragon cigar, alleging trademark infringement. However, there are no indications of legal action against other companies. While Oliva, Maya Selva, and VegaFina have announced Year of the Dragon cigars for international markets, Gurkha appears to hold dragon trademark(s) exclusively in the U.S.

Additionally, J.C. Newman has introduced the Brick House Dragon Fire as an exclusive cigar for Smoke Inn, a South Florida retailer, further contributing to the Year of the Dragon theme within the industry.