Habanos S.A. has released its cigar celebrating the Lunar New Year, as a virtual unboxing was held recently to announce the arrival of the H.Upmann Magnum 52 Year of the Tiger in the Asia Pacific region.

The cigar measures 5 7/8 inches (148mm) long with a 52 ring gauge, a robusto extra that appears to be a completely new vitola for the Habanos S.A. portfolio. It is a limited production cigar, but Habanos S.A. said that while it debuted in the Asia Pacific region, it will be available in all of its markets.

“Considering that China was Habanos, S.A.’s leading market in terms of sales volume in 2020, we are pleased to commemorate the Chinese New Year for the third consecutive year with a vitola such as ‘Magnum 52’ under the H. Upmann brand,” said Leopoldo Cintra González, commercial vice president, and José María López Inchaurbe, vp of development of Habanos, S.A., said via a press release. “We are convinced that Habanos aficionados will enthusiastically welcome this worldwide launch, which will be available in all markets, albeit in limited quantities as it is an exclusive production.”

“H. Upmann’s Magnum 52 is a new vitola that manifests the refined character of the brand with mild to medium strength, and that offers its very high quality and inimitable aroma,” said Dag Holmboe, ceo of The Pacific Cigar Company, via a press release. “We expect a great reception from Habanos aficionados in the Asian market.”

Each of the specially designed boxes contain 18 cigars, with pricing in Hong Kong set at HKD 852 ($108.70), which works out to HKD 15,336 ($1956.60) per box.

This marks the third release that Habanos S.A. has created in celebration of the Lunar New Year, joining the Romeo y Julieta Maravillas 8, which was released in 2020 for the Year of the Rat, and the Hoyo de Monterrey Primaveras, which was released in 2021 for the Year of the Ox. Additionally, there have also been limited edition humidors released I 2021 and 2022 for the Cohiba Short, though those were released by Promocigar, which handles machine-made Cuban cigars.

This becomes the latest cigar in the H. Upmann portfolio to use the Magnum name, which dates to before 1960:

  • H. Upmann Magnum 46 (5 5/8 x 46) — Regular Production
  • H. Upmann Magnum 48 Edición Limitada 2009 (4 1/3 x 48) — Limited Edition
  • H. Upmann Magnum 50 Edición Limitada 2005 (6 1/4 x 50) — Limited Edition
  • H. Upmann Magnum 52 Year of the Tiger (5 7/8 x 52) — Limited Edition
  • H. Upmann Magnum 54 (4 3/4 x 120) — Regular Production
  • H. Upmann Magnum 56 Edición Limitada 2015 (5 9/10 x 56) — Limited Edition
  • H. Upmann Magnum Especial Colección Habanos (6 7/10 x 55) — Limited Edition
  • H. Upmann Magnum Super Magnum Colección Habanos (7 1/10 x 56) — Limited Edition*

*Not yet released

After being released as an Edición Limitada, the Magnum 50 became a regular production offering in 2008. Likewise, the Magnum 56 received a limited edition in 2020 that was designated for travel and duty free stores, though saw many of the cigars released through traditional retail channels due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Update — Added pricing information for the Hong Kong market.

Image courtesy of Habanos S.A.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.