Oliva’s Advent Calendar Heading to Europe for the First Time

For the past two years, Oliva Cigar Co. has released an Advent Calendar full of 25 cigars for the American market. This year, the company is planning two different Advent Calendars: one that will be offered to American retailers and the other that will be sold to European stores.

At last week’s InterTabac trade fair in Dortmund, Germany, Oliva previewed the European version for retailers and distributors. As with the previous two versions, it will contain 25 cigars from Oliva’s various brands like Serie V, Melanio, NUb and others. Unlike previous versions, the company is not disclosing what those cigars are just yet. Its aim is for consumers to use the QR code on the box, which will lead them to a video that introduces what each cigar is on a daily basis.

While the cigars aren’t being announced prior to their release, Oliva says that they will have normal bands, meaning you won’t have to use the QR code to determine what the cigars are. Past Advent Calendars have used a mixture of regular production and limited edition—sometimes exclusive—cigars.

Pricing will vary from country to country, but Oliva says consumers should expect to pay €250-300 ($267-320) per sampler, which includes 25 cigars. A total of 1,500 samplers have been created for Europe and they are expected to arrive at stores beginning next month.

Oliva has not yet announced details for the American Advent Calendar.

An Advent calendar is a Christmas tradition where treats—oftentimes candy—are placed inside of a package that has 25 numbered slots. During Advent—a Christian holiday season that leads up to Christmas—people will open up the slot corresponding to the day of Advent it is. Advent ends on Dec. 24, Christmas Eve.