• Size: 6 x 3/4 x 58

Production is limited to just 999 boxes!

The cigar is named after two people, one historical and the other still alive. The first allusions is to the ancient Armenian General Vartan (also spelled Vardan) Mamikonian, who led a rebellion against the Sasanian Empire in the fifth century and is regarded today as a martyr and saint of the Armenian Church. The second is Vartan Seferian, owner of Ambassador Fine Cigars in Phoenix, Arizona, who collaborated with El Septimo on creating the blend.

Though it shares the red packaging and dragon motif typical of a Year of the Dragon release, chairman and CEO of El Septimo Zaya Younan tells Cigar Aficionado that Vartan has nothing to do with Lunar New Year or the Chinese Zodiac. “Year of the Dragon comes and goes, but legends called Dragon stay forever,” he says.

Vartan The Dragon is made in one size, Presidente, measuring 6 3/4 inches by 58 ring gauge. It’s a five-country blend consisting of an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Dominican binder and a mix of fillers from Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. According to the company, all of the tobaccos used have been aged for 15 years, and the cigar is intended to be medium-to-full in body.

The name of the factory has not been disclosed but El Septimo did say that Vartan the Dragon, like all El Septimo cigars, is made in Costa Rica. - Cigar Aficionado