VegaFina releases Year of the Rat. One of the growing numbers of brands that dedicate a cigar to the Chinese New Year is VegaFina. This is the third time they release a cigar named after the Chinese zodiac calendar. They released the VegaFina year of the pig and the VegaFina year of the dog before.

The VegaFina year of the Rat is a 5 9/10 x52 Toro. It’s made at Tabacalera de Garcia in the Dominican Republic. The fillers come from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. For the wrapper, the VegaFina blenders used a Habano 2000 leaf. And as a detail, the cigars are finished with a rat tail instead of a pigtail.

In Chinese culture, red and gold are important colors. So the rings and boxes are red with gold. And the number 8 is a lucky number, so a box contains two rows of 8 cigars. Little over 4000 boxes are made.

The Calendar is divided into 12 animals. So each animal returns in a 12-year interval. The zodiac signs are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.