Oliva Year of the Snake Goes on Sale at International Retailers

For the second year in a row, Oliva Cigar Co. has released a limited edition cigar based on the symbols on the Chinese zodiac calendar. And for the second year in a row, it won’t be offered for sale in the U.S.

The cigar is the Oliva Year of the Snake. According to listings by retailers, it’s a 7 x 50 Churchill that uses an Ecuadorian sun grown wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Nicaragua.

Per a report by Cigar Journal, the MSRP is set at $45 per cigar and production is limited to 3,500 boxes of 10 cigars.  The cigars are already listed for sale.

A company spokesperson confirmed the release to halfwheel though said Oliva would not be releasing any information to U.S.-based media outlets because it did not want to confuse American retailers. The spokesperson said that the company is concerned that American retailers would call Oliva’s Florida office inquiring about a cigar that they could not order.

Last year, Oliva released a Year of the Dragon cigar, though it was only sold at China Duty Free Group.

Davidoff, Gurkha, Oliva and VegaFina have announced Year of the Dragon-themed cigars. In addition, Elie Bleu has shown off a new Year of the Snake humidor.

Update (Nov. 15, 2024) — Oliva has informed halfwheel that the wrapper is a sun-grown varietal from Ecuador, not broadleaf as retailers have listed it.