Year of the Snake Cigars to Celebrate the Lunar New Year | JR Blending Room | Blending Room

February marks the start of the Lunar New Year, also referred to as Chinese New Year. In 2025, it’s the Year of the Snake, one of the most mysterious and deep-thinking signs in the Chinese zodiac.

If you’re looking for a stogie to celebrate the occasion, we’ve compiled some of the best Year of the Snake offerings, as well as classics from years gone by.

Everybody loves a limited edition, right? Lunar New Year cigars, such as the Year of the Snake cigars we’ve listed below, are a way for cigar brands to honor the start of the Lunar New Year.

The date itself can land anywhere between January 21st and February 20th, depending on the phases of the moon, and kicks off a 15-day celebration that is sometimes known as the Spring Festival.

‘Year of’ cigars are also a chance for cigar makers to experiment, trying out new blends and vitolas while also appealing to collectors and enthusiasts, especially in the growing Chinese cigar market.

Our shortlist below highlights some of the best Lunar New Year cigars from 2025, with a couple of honorable mentions from previous years too. If you’re looking for the best cigars to celebrate the Year of the Snake cigar, this is a good place to start your search!

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Ecuador

Filler: Dominican Republic / Mexico

Length: 7

Ring: 43

Strength: Medium

Smoke Time: 60-75 minutes

Davidoff’s Lunar New Year cigars are credited with popularizing the trend of annual limited editions inspired by the Chinese Zodiac. That alone should be reason enough to try the Davidoff Year of the Snake Lancero Limited Edition Cigar.

The long and slender Lancero vitola is the perfect choice for the Year of the Snake. Each handmade Davidoff cigar delivers an intriguing three-stage flavor profile: bright lemon and pepper at the start, transitioning to leather and roasted nuts, and finishing with rich notes of coffee, earth, and raisin.

A few notable touches make this a true collector’s item, including a removable box lid and a custom-designed collectible coin. Once the year is over, you’ll have a memorable keepsake from the exceptional smoking experience.

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Length: 7

Ring: 50

Strength: Medium-Full

Smoke Time: 70-80 minutes

Hand-rolled in Estelí, Nicaragua, and packaged in eye-catching red and gold boxes, the Oliva Year of the Snake 2025 Churchill Cigar is an impressive 7 x 50 stick with a gold snake on the band. Only 3,500 boxes (containing 10 cigars each) have been produced for this limited run.

Nicaraguan at its core, with an Ecuador Broadleaf Sun Grown wrapper, this cigar delivers a balanced flavor profile of earthy tones, dark chocolate, and coffee. The unparalleled craftsmanship of the package from band to box makes these a tempting stick to display, but these Year of the Snake cigars deserve to be enjoyed., If you’re already thinking ahead, Oliva Cigars will likely release another outstanding smoke for the Year of the Horse in 2026.

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Dominican Republic / Nicaragua

Length: 6.25

Ring: 46

Strength: Medium

Smoke Time: 50-65 minutes

The VegaFina Year of the Snake 2025 is a visually striking cigar that reflects the brand’s commitment to creative design. The ‘Coronas Extra’ Vitola (6.25 x 46), proudly features the brand’s signature logo on its band, while a second decorative sleeve at the foot showcases eye-catching artwork of a traditional Chinese snake creeping up the cigar.

An even more impressive touch is the twisted double pigtail cap, designed to resemble the forked tongue of a snake. These aren’t VegaFina’s first Chinese New Year cigars. We’ve still got some VegaFina Year of the Rabbit 2023 available, offering a great opportunity to compare flavor profiles across different years.

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: San Andres

Binder: Cameroon

Filler: Nicaragua

Length: 6.5

Ring: 60

Strength: Medium-Full

Smoke Time: 75-90 minutes

It may be last year’s release, but the Gurkha Year of the Dragon by Oliva Figurado deserves an honorable mention on our list of Lunar New Year cigars. After the initial run of 1,500 boxes of Gurkha Year of the Dragon sold out almost instantly, you might have thought that was it for another year.

But Gurkha had other ideas. The brand collaborated with master tobacconists like AJ Fernandez, E.P. Carrillo, Oscar Valladares, and Oliva to produce additional spectacular limited runs. The result is an awesome foursome of sticks featuring sweet, floral, earthy, and spicy flavor profiles respectively. You can try them all with a Gurkha Year of the Dragon four-pack sampler.

The Gurkha Figurado vitola features a 60-ring gauge at its widest point. Try it if you can – these smokes are a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and like 2024 itself, they won’t come around again.