Nat Sherman Epoca Reserva Gran Robusto

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.

The original Nat Sherman Epoca is named after their first premium offering in the cigar market in 1930, which was retired but was brought back to commemorate their history, and success! The Nat Sherman Epoca Reserva in your shipment today is the bolder brother of the original. Handmade in the Dominican Republic, the Epoca Reserva features a handsome wrapper leaf and binder from the Dominican Republic, then is packed full with a bold blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican long-fillers. This medium to full bodied smoke lends notes of sweet tobacco, cedar, pepper, and wood. Try pairing this smoke with a cappuccino late in the afternoon.

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.