Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Cuban Seed
Filler: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
Size: 7 x 48 “Knickerbocker”
Body: Medium
Price: $11.50 MSRP ($10.50 at Small Batch Cigars – 10% off with Katman10 coupon code = $9.00)
Today, we take a look at the Nat Sherman EPOCA.
There isn’t much info about this new cigar in the regular news sources. And since I am not a news source, all I can do is tell you about the cigar.
It rained all night and it is 8am now and it looks like 8pm outside. No sun for your Uncle Katman’s photos.
I would like to thank everyone that participated in the Stogie Boys Contest over the last week or so. Each and every comment that didn’t win broke my heart because I feel I know most of you and I know how hard it is to wear your heart on your sleeve. If I do a good job, Stogie Boys will continue to be a sponsor and we will have more jobs. Maybe we can even talk Andrew of Small Batch Cigar to sponsor a contest or two.
There are 6 sizes and range in price from $8-$13 each. Much, much cheaper on Small Batch Cigar.
From the Nat Sherman web site:
“Epoca was the first cigar brand owned by Nat Sherman in 1929. An extremely important part of our story and history, the “Clear Havana” blend was our entry into the cigar industry. Today, Epoca Cigars are a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican grown Cuban seed tobaccos, finished with a beautiful Ecuadorian wrapper. The cigars are packed in replicated boxes from the original art from 1929. The experience of this blend offers a full, rich flavor that remains balanced and approachable.
“The blend for Epoca is a tribute to the experience of what it was like to smoke premium cigars in the 1920s and ‘30s,” said Michael Herklots, vice president of retail and brand development for Nat Sherman.”
I’ve never been much of a Nat Sherman fan because they have always specialized in mild bodied cigars.
Granted, they use the finest tobaccos around but it just ain’t my thing Daddy-O.
BTW- This stick comes in the “Katman Special” sampler from Small Batch Cigar. I just checked and there are only two packs left. You get:
1 x Nat Sherman Epoca Knickerbocker (Brand New)
1 x Camacho BG Meyer Robusto (Brand New)
1 x Viaje Collaboration 2014 (Brand New)
1 x Caldwell The King is Dead Premier (2013)
1 x LFD N.A.S (Brand New)
For the killer price of $45. Use the 10% off coupon code at checkout of Katman10 and the pack goes down to $40.50 + Free Shipping.
Now I do like the Timeless Collection that I have reviewed here.
So on with the review…
This cigar is a regular production stick and as I checked prices from one store to the other, I found a big discrepancy in how these stores described the strength. One store says mild, the other says medium, and the Nat Sherman web site shows it a tick above medium bodied. So the proof will be in the pudding.
This is not a particularly good looking stick. Connecticut wrappers have the same problem: they highlight all the flaws in the cigar with their light caramel colored wrapper. Seams are fairly tight. Lots of veins; both big and small. A nicely executed triple cap. A bit of oiliness on the wrapper and it feels very satiny.
It is heavy in the hand; which is good. A nicely packed cigar without soft spots.
The cigar band is about as basic as they come. A simple white and gold trimmed background with the single word: EPOCA in the center. There is no mention of Nat Sherman on the band.
Being a brand new cigar, info was just terrible.
And since I have only one stick, I better not muck up the review.
I clip the cap and find aromas of cocoa, spice, gingerbread, luscious creaminess, café latte, nougat, cedar, and leather. With a touch of fruitiness.
Time to light up.
The first puffs are exuberantly sweet. The draw is perfect. Lots of smoke. Some of the cocoa breaks on through to the other side. A combination of caramel and butterscotch prevail over the sweetness. Shortbread cookies full of buttery goodness are a nice addition. The strength is just shy of medium body.
The char line is dead nuts.
This is a goddam expensive cigar. But most Nat Shermans are. Thankfully, buying the Katman Special; of which only 2 are left, can give you the opportunity to try one and decide for yourself. Are they worth $11.50? Are they an even better deal of $9 at SBC?
A decidedly woody element shows up at the 3/4” burned point. Like all Nat Shermans, I am getting the sense that this cigar is old school. The dry boxing and couple weeks of humidor time may not have been enough. Although, I must admit that I am getting some great potential.
Here are the flavors: buttery cookies, caramel, nuts, cocoa, coffee, earthiness, creaminess, cedar, and leather.
Sherman has kept the exact leaf stats close to their chest except for the wrapper. They do admit to the binder and filler being both Dominican and Nicaraguan but don’t say which; so I made an educated guess that the binder is DR and the filler is Nic.
The ash is a hardy sort. 1” long, slim and slightly gray. Like me. Ask Charlotte. And a perfect burn line.
The entire flavor profile is kicking its heels now. A rich depth of earthiness reels all the flavors into a hoe down. I predict that the Nat Sherman Epoca is going to reach flavor bomb status by the end of the first third. Which contradicts my theory about this stick being old school.
Flavors are just exploding now. I run (Actually, I saunter) to the fridge for my Diet Coke.
The cocoa and all the types of sweet components are working in a team-like fashion.
I’ve found that a 7 x 48 is a nice size for a cigar. I’ve made it clear that I like the robusto of smaller sizes, but I chose this size for a reason….I’ve had good luck with it, plain and simple. Something about the length vs. the ring gauge make it an early maturing blend.
48 ring gauge or smaller seems to have a bit of magic attached.
The second third is near. The strength is solid medium. And the flavor profile is blossoming even more.
It tastes like cheese cake now. I can taste each element…the cream cheese, the vanilla, the buttery graham cracker crust. We have flavor bomb status.
This is a very nice cigar. I would like to see some more strength from it but the flavor profile makes up for that deficiency.
Have you ever measured your penis? Tell the truth. I did. Once. When I was 30. I was surprised.
The cigar is heading towards some complexity. Lots of flavors dancing around and never staying in one position for very long.
This is a nice change up from those head spinning sticks I usually smoke. I still have 4” to go. I imagine with some time, that this cigar will kick in hard and swift earlier on.
The thing about Nat Sherman cigars is that while they attract the mild smoker bunch, they work hard at providing a good cigar. Which their price points attest to. The tobacco earthiness is now working overtime to attract my attention. It has a very delicious flavor all its own. It is almost like being able to taste the soil from whence the plants came from. I taste a dark, rich soil that makes you want to hold in your hand and inhale deeply while sneaking a taste.
The complexity is now very devious. It takes an experienced palate to be able to enjoy this cigar. The flavors are so nuanced and cross over each other with such ease that it if you don’t pay attention, you miss out on 80% of the flavor.
The cheese cake factor is just friggin great. No. I did not leave a “y” out at the end of “factor.”
The char line continues to be perfection personified. This blend is the one that should be the first of your day. If it is somewhere near #5, your palate won’t pick up the nuance and subtlety of the blend.
I bought the La Flor Dominicana Event Only Sampler from Small Batch Cigar. I am a big fan of LFD. Strong flavorful cigars.
It is a 10 cigar package that after your Katman10 discount is only $62. Or $6.20 per cigar for sticks that normally go for $7-$9 each. I am chomping at the bit to start reviewing them. There are a couple that just aren’t available except at LFD events. The rest are ones you are familiar with but for some reason, I have not reviewed them on my own blog. Tomorrow, I will start. Check that. I have one left that I haven’t reviewed from the Katman Special: LFD N.A.S. A brand new cigar that I’m itching to try. I’ve already gotten a report from a reader who bought the sampler and tried it after only a week….and said it was dynamite.
I’m at the halfway point. The cigar is super smooth. I haven’t taken as many photos as I normally do because I have become enchanted by this cigar and distracted from my duty.
The strength makes its move. It is a tick above medium body now.
And red pepper makes its first showing. Now, we’re cooking.
A bit of citrus shows up in the form of candied orange peel. The nuttiness surges forward to take command. A very interesting cigar blend.
I am closing in on the last third and the flavor profile explodes with all the impact of a plutonium sandwich.
The sweet spot has been attained.
The NUB. We all fell for that horse pucky. Smokers were scrambling to get theirs. Now you can get them for nickels on the dollar. I never got the sweet spot theory on this cigar flim flam. Plus, bar none, they have to be the most impossible cigars to smoke without hassle.
Speaking of which…I spoke to the owner of the maker of the Xistix cigar clip on Friday and he told me my cigar roach clip will arrive today. I hope it does what it is supposed to do. I shall report. It will be essential to smoke the LFD N.A.S. (5.5 x 42 and hand rolled without using a mold).
The last third has begun.
Here are the flavors: Nuttiness, earthiness, cheese cake, citrus, spice, cocoa, creaminess, coffee, cedar, and leather.
The Nat Sherman Epoca is a joy to smoke. The strength is perfect for that first cigar of the day.
The spiciness gets to me and I do one of those back breaking triple sneezes. Ouch.
I have no criticisms for this cigar. The construction has been magnificent. Clearly, Nat Sherman used their best rollers for this stick.
Flavors are powerful but smooth. The balance is spot on. A nice long chewy finish complements the whole experience. And that is what this cigar is….and experience.
I am now very glad I chose this stick to be part of the Katman Special. It rounds out the much stronger cigars in the 5 pack.
If you were to buy these cigars separately, the price point would be in the $60 range. So, $40 after your discount, plus free shipping, is a killer deal.
If Andrew agrees, I would like to do Katman Special 2.0.
The Nat Sherman Epoca finishes out with a hint of nicotine. But not a sign of harshness or heat.
This is a great change up cigar for those, like me, that primarily smoke heavy medium/full bodied smokes.
I would definitely buy it again.
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Katmensch – great review – gotta try one of these. I smoked a Nat Sherman Timeless Dominican #2 at Silver Leaf Cigar Lounge in Ft. Worth last week and thought it was one of the best smokes of recent times. Really tasty, some lovely sweet notes and great spice. Can’t say the same for the young lady that “helped” me in the humidor who knew shit about cigars and had the personality of an apricot seed. It was fun to smoke inside for a change! God bless Charlotte for her tolerance.
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