Nat Sherman Epoca Admiral

Nat Sherman founded his company in New York at the height of the Great Depression. Seemingly a strange time to jump in to the high-end cigar market, Nat Sherman saw an opportunity; his premium cigars would be enjoyed by people of status, and were seen along with them in the public eye—fashion executives, show business superstars and, of course, the omnipresent gangsters of the day. While others were feeling the effects of the Great Depression, entrepreneur Nat Sherman was doing quite well. Now, more than 90 years later, his business is still known to offer some of the best cigars on the market.

Hailing from the gorgeous Dominican Republic, the Nat Sherman Epoca is named after their first premium offering in the cigar market in 1930, which was retired but has now been brought back to commemorate their history, and success! Handmade by the Quesada Family, the Epoca features a silky golden-brown Connecticut wrapper, a Dominican binder and a vintage blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican long-fillers. Find yourself a nice winter afternoon, light it up and you may find notes of coffee, nuts, wood, and pepper that are smooth, creamy, and super tasty. Try pairing it with a bold Chilean red wine.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.