Nat Sherman 1930 Selection

The Nat Sherman 1930 Selection line of cigars was introduced to the cigar market just prior to the 2013 IPCPR trade show. The line recalls the early days of the company that originated with patriarch, Mr. Nat Sherman, in New York City’s garment district in 1930.

The 1930 cigar line is made up of five sizes: 4.5X52 Rothchildes, 5.25X54 Gran Robusto, 5.5X42 Corona, 6X46 Corona Grande, and 7X56 Immenso. All vitolas have a Dominican wrapper and binder, sheathing a filler of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco, and are produced in the (Manuel Quesada, Jr. owned) MATASA factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The vitola I’ve chosen for this review is the 6X46 Corona Grande.

What first caught my attention on this cigar was the band, it’s a very classy, minimalist white band with silver and red accent lines. The words, “Nat Sherman—New York” are inked in red, ringing the cigar’s name “1930” printed in silver. Beyond the band, the reddish-brown wrapper glistened with oils, had a very even, albeit lumpy, roll and a number of obvious seams and veins. Off the foot, the nose was a wonderful, bright, leathery tobacco with rich barnyard and pasture notes off the wrapper. The cold draw was open with a bit of resistance and had a light anise flavor.

Directly after the initial light, the flavors were composed of milk chocolate and vanilla bean. Just past an inch into the cigar, the chocolate disappeared but the vanilla remained. As I smoked on, the cigar developed a note of cinnamon. Deeper into the cigar, past the half-way point, the flavors gradually changed to cocoa and coffee, yet the vanilla remained. At the end of the cigar, past the band, the flavors began to quiet, and a deep, leathery tobacco flavor emerged from the background. And even at this point, the vanilla managed to remain constant. The retrohale, you ask? Smooth with a zesty tingle that worked itself deep into my sinus and was offset by a thick, sweet… vanilla component.

This is a well-balanced cigar with the overlying flavor notes (the chocolates and cinnamons and coffees), built on a canvas of more consistent flavor components (the vanilla), all based on yet another, deeper, core flavor (a leathery tobacco core). If any cigar’s blend could be thought of as a work of art, the 1930 would be the one.

To me, the Nat Sherman 1930 Selection represents everything good in a cigar. Along with the full, robust body of flavor notes, the strength settles in at no more than a solid medium, the burn was even, the draw had a perfect, slight resistance and the smoke was plentiful. I really don’t know what more I could ask from a cigar.

Would I smoke this cigar again?

I sure would and certainly plan to. And at a price point of under $10 for the Corona Grande, it will fit nicely into my regular rotation. I encourage everyone in Dojoland to actively search this cigar out and give it a burn. I first smoked the 1930 last August and at that time felt it was a top 5 cigar for 2013. Now, after smoking many more, I still feel the same way. Why it’s not on every top 10 list of 2013 cigars is beyond me. It is on one list though… Cigar Dojo’s Top 10 Cigars of the Year list. Until next time Dojo… Dojo mojo, ya’ll!!

Guest reviewed by David Moon (aka Criollo Katana, Smokin’_Cubans)
If you are interested in contributing to Cigar Dojo’s cigar reviews, contact Master Sensei to find out how you can help. Short, well-written, easy-to-read cigar reviews will be considered for publishing on Cigar Dojo.

Short Link: