The next release from the Davidoff Vault series is set to be the Davidoff Cuvée Selection 2012 Year of the Dragon.

It is a 6 x 52 pirámide virola that uses an Ecuadorian 702 habano wrapper and an Ecuadorian habano binder, while the filler is a mix of San Vicente Seco and Volado as well as Olor Seco, all from the Dominican Republic. It’s a blend that the company says soon became the inspiration for the development of the Chinese Zodiac releases.

The cigar was released in limited regions and preceded Davidoff’s annual Year of Series. Unlike those releases, the Year of the Dragon was limited and didn’t feature the prominent red and gold branding future releases have had. A few U.S.-based Davidoff retailers were given a limited amount of the cigars a couple years ago, though this marks the first time the Year of the Dragon is being sold stateside in an official fashion.

The Vault Series was launched alongside Davidoff’s ACCESS program, described as a way for the company to release old stock of previous cigars and limited editions, as well as other select releases.

The Cuvée Selection 2012 Year of the Dragon is priced at $350 for a bundle of 10 cigars, which will go on sale Thursday, Dec. 27 at 10:30 a.m.

Avatar photo

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 and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, 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.