The Man who Came to Dinner--and brought cigars!

If you've been reading this little blog long enough, you know that not only do I play a wallflower on TV,* I'm also one in real life. In fact, my superpower is invisibility. Unless I think of something funny to say, although even then, I generally can't exeunt off stage quick enough.

Ever meet someone who intimidates you from afar** but when you*** talk to them you just like them and they aren't intimidating at all? (The initial intimidation comes from an outgoing, usually well-known person who triggers my inability to sound like the smart and funny girl my mom says I am.)

Me, when trying to speak with someone in authority or an expert in a field.

That just (and by "just," I mean a month ago, because I'm me) happened. There we were, standing in the buffet line, when Valentino started chatting with Dan Welsh, he of L'Atalier, who was strategically standing on the line outskirts.****

He wasn't very pointy when we saw him;
neither was he followed by two logos floating over his head.

Now keep in mind, I am literally starving at this point, not having consumed much of anything all day (Raisinets! The chorus line of candies!) and if I don't get to that food soon, people will die. Or I will fall asleep. It's always a crapshoot. 

When Valentino and Dan started chatting about the land fertility in the Nicaraguan Jalapa Valley versus in Esteli, I wanted to stay and listen. Not intimidating at all! Just...nice. And kind. And knowledgeable! (Wicked smaht to my fellow New Englanders.)

A veritable Sophie's Choice occurred. Do I stay, listening, learning, and disappointing the getting-angry line-dwellers? Or do I abandon conversation, full-steam***** ahead?

You've met me, so you know I went for the food, but the fact that I THOUGHT about not going for the food says a LOT!

Here's a little about The Man who (almost) Made Me Forget about Food:
  

Way back in about 2011, some chaps cooked up a cigar caper; seekrits ran amuck with whispers of surrogacy. None of this made any sense until the Surrogate Cigar line was born, delivered in the My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua. 

Right around that first birthday, the chaps--Dan Welsh (obviously), Sean "Casper" Johnson, who is no relation to... brothers K.C. Johnson and Pete Johnson, who round out the gang--created a bigger world in which the Surrogates would live. And they called it L’Atelier Imports. (L'atelier means "workshop" in French.)

You know how sometimes you would love to have those limited edition sticks your pals wave around, hoping to rev up your jealousy? (Don't you hate it when it works and even more than wanting that cigar, you'd love to accidentally throat-punch that pal? If it makes you feel better, most of those guys won't actually smoke the cigar because it is limited.)

Well, the Surrogate cigar family, premium in nature and awesome in execution, allows you to have your limited edition and smoke it too, thanks to a more budget-conscious price point. (You can still throat-punch the guy if you'd like. We won't tell.)

Yes, delicious; yes, wallet-friendly. But you know why I--the girl who adores words--love them, right? Have you tried the Skull Breaker? Bone Crusher? Tramp Stamp? Crystal Baller? Satin Glove? Animal Cracker? Cracker Crumbs? Oh, the cleverness abounds!

[Source]

The company has lots of awesomeness I could tell you about, but we both have limited attention spans, so here's some info on the newest Animal Cracker in the box:

In March, L’Atelier Imports introduced "a new line extension to its Surrogates Animal Cracker blend. The Surrogates Animal Cracker AC550 will add a traditional 5 x 50 sized offering into the popular line.The AC550 becomes the third vitola based on the Animal Cracker blend. The announcement of this new size was reported by New Havana Cigars – the retail outlet owned by Dan Welsh," according to Cigar Coop. 

Here's a video, because I know you're bored at work and you're almost ready for cat videos. Check this out first. Then may we suggest this? And on your way home from work, stop and pick up some Surrogate cigars. You can leave your "thank you" in the comments section tomorrow. (You're welcome!)

Video - Interview: L'Atelier Cigars, IPCPR 2012 - Orlando, FL 

Cigar Explorer from Cigar Explorer on Vimeo.

Got to go! We're heading to another of these fab dinners. This time with Steve Saka. I should probably have a snack before we leave!

*Not true. The very nature of the wallflower  keeps me from being on TV. 

**afar joke

***Valentino, not ME, silly. Didn't you read the first paragraph?

****Look, honey, it's that nice cigar man. 

*****This is the correct usage. I saw this in a magazine advertisement the other day and it said, "Full speed ahead."  Dear god, have you no copy editors with fully-functioning brains???

******

April Cigar of the Month! Sobremesa!

A couple of weeks ago,* we had the pleasure** of travelling north a wee bit to Kurt Kendall's Twins Smoke Shop for a Steve Saka Sobremesa Seminar and Shindig. (Also in  attendance, his awesome wife and partner-in-crime Cindy! Hi Cindy!)

If you've met me, you know I am such a nerd, which flares at embarrassingly (mostly for Valentino) high levels. So while the rest of the dozenish folks sat back, relaxed, and listened to Steve tell us tobacco tales, I did this:

Nerd level: Expert!
Also, if I relax, I fall asleep.

I'm taking the Certified Retail Tobacconist (CRT) exam while we're at IPCPR this summer. Rather than studying the book, I'd probably learn more by following Steve around,*** listening to him Talk Tobacco. You guys! He knows...all the things! And generously helps you understand all the things too!

As a matter of fact, tonight Valentino and I get to woohoo**** it up with him again! He's hosting a Sobremesa tasting at Millonzi's in West Warwick, RI, thanks to Paul Joyle and Mr. J's Havana (in the same town). Don't worry--I'll have a new tablet to fill!

We know what you're thinking (because we thought the same thing): What's a sobremesa and is it catchy?

Short answers: An awesome thing and I wish.

You know when in the movies (not so much in real life) after dinner the characters sit around the table chatting, drinking, enjoying a cigar and each others' company? That is sobremesa--appreciating life and its simple pleasures. No direct English translation, either in words or practice, exists. That makes me have the sad. Anyone interested in starting a Sobremesa Lifestyle Movement (SLM) with me? I'll try not to fall asleep when I relax!

Steve's Sobremesa, the first cigar from his Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, is composed of an Ecuador sungrown wrapper, Mexican binder, and long filler from both Nicaragua and the US and created at the Joya de Nicaragua factory in Nicaragua.

Your vitola choices (so far)!
[Source]

Have you ever seen over a dozen guys simultaneously swoon? That actually happened when the (not-so) dirty dozen(ish) all lit up during the Twins' event. Throughout the smoke, the lot mentioned cocoa and earthiness, but as the evening progressed, chatter moved on to cedar and creaminess. As a professional second-hand smoker, I found the cocoa most notable--when I picked my head up from the notebook, at least. Oh! And Valentino gave Sobremesa the highest praise: He purchased a box, which is now mostly gone. Thankfully, a restocking will soon commence! Maybe even today! Wheeee!

We've gotten some members of the French Alliance
to organize the giveaway for us.
There's always that one guy perpetually on coffee break, isn't there?
He's living the Sobremesa lifestyle. At least that's what he told the general.

Working hard for you.

Many winners this time around!
Exactly how many will require math.
Math is dumb.

Steve, the very awesome and generous Steve, gave us a ton***** of these cigars to share with you, thus making the Sobremesa this month's Cigar of the Month.  How can you be one of many winners? Start here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*Another example of the time-space continuum issues frequently occurring in Penny World.

**It's a little over an hour drive. I fell asleep in the car almost instantly. I. Am. Awesome.

***NOT in a creepy-stalker way. More like a Deadhead/groupie kind of way.

****Haha. And this is irony at its best.

*****Exaggeration

Cigar of the Month: Indian Motorcycle!

This is going to be a quick one, kids, because I'm going to try to get back on track after my hiatus. Had I been a wonderfully organized person, I would have come back on the 25th of a month, keeping the giveaways organized. Hahaha. But no. That could never happen.*

So this month, we're giving away this box of goodness, which includes a box signed by Phil Zhengi and five cigars, which, while at the Rhode Island launch of the cigar, organized and hosted by our pal Paul of Mr. J's Havana, Phil gave us to give to you:** We're giving you the basic info for now and we'll make it much more lively soon!***

Travel down to the bottom of the page for the contest entries!

Maybe one of us is a little obsessed with Lego people.
Maybe someone else who lives in this house should stop saying I have enough of them.

No, you do NOT get the Lego builder. We need him for cutting off our caps. And he only works for a little, so we can afford him.

The cigars come in two varieties:

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Dominican San Vincente
Filler: HVA Ligero, Nicaraguan Seco, Piloto Cubano
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (De Los Reyes)

...and the Maduro:

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic, Central America
Strength: Medium-Full

Available sizes:

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Gordo: 6 x 58
Churchill: 7 1/2 x 50

Inside box reads:

Indian Motorcycles, America’s First Motorcycle Company™ and Debonaire® have joined to capture the essence of the brand’s heritage with a new ultra-premium cigar range.

Since 1901 Indian Motorcycles® has produced some of the most iconic American V-Twin motorcycles. The Indian Motorcycle® Ultra Premium Cigars developed by 6th generation cigar markers truly are ultra-premium.

These cigars a blend of the most sought after Central American, Dominican, and American tobaccos produced.  This exquisite blend an inviting, full-flavored, well-balanced smoking experience with a quality befitting of today’s most revered motorcycle brands.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Being organized, I mean.

**And we're passing them on to you, and not keeping any, because that's the right thing to do. Plus, I hid them from Valentino so he couldn't "accidentally" smoke them.

***Probably. added later: That was an empty promise. I haven't changed anything except adding these two sentences. And this kitten picture:

Me, wondering what you're getting me for my birthday.

How do we love thee? Consider this an official public display of affection...

I was just writing a super bunch of stuff for our forthcoming website and decided, hey! I should self-plagiarize! So here's a portion of what's to come...

n.b.: If we left you off the list even though we have publicly professed our love for you in the past, it's because your lovely blogger was distracted by the bubbles in her ginger ale. Literally, it's not you; it's me.

Another n.b.: These are in no particular order.


Anyway, these are folks who actually speak to us in public. We support them, their businesses, their endeavors. They don’t look away when we make eye contact. Win-win!

Habanos Cigar Lounge—Where the magic happens. And by “magic,” we mean where words are written, friends made (where we found Caballero #2!), and cigars smoked. We consider this our “home base.” (Hi, well, everyone!) If you come by and we aren’t here, there’s a good chance we will be soon!

 

So...many...things...

Mr. J’s Havana—Owned by our SuperFriend Paul Joyle, this cigar shop in West Warwick, RI (located within Joyle’s Liquor) requires your immediate presence. Go ahead. We’ll wait. While you’re there, say “Howdy” to Mark and Nate and many of the regulars. They’re all awesome. Oh! And make sure you try the J Grotto cigars. You’re welcome in advance.

Actually, there's a new sign outside and the inside has been completely redone!
Broadway Cigars: Now! With more coziness!

Broadway Cigars—We’re big, big fans of this cigar lounge in Providence, RI, even though we don’t get there nearly as much as we’d like! They have fantastic in-house events and cigar dinners. Go for the ever-expanding repertoire of cigars and regulars, stay for the conversation and fun. Tell Bobby and JV we sent you! Oh! And it’s BYOB, just so you know!

This picture doesn't do The Humidor justice. But when you're swiping
pictures from the mighty internets, beggars can't be choosers.
Well, they can...

The Humidor--With three Rhode Island locations, all unique and yet amazing, our favorite is the East Greenwich, RI, shop, which features a huge lounge area, big enough to hold an excellent Drew Estate dinner, which we went to this past Thursday. Owner Jana is one of the coolest chicks we know; she hosts fabulous events and provides a fantastic selection of cigars and accessories. Tell her we said "Hi!" when you go!

Cigar Cellar and Lounge—A bit further from home than we’d like, this Miami spot is heaven. We happened upon it by accident and now we’re trying to figure out how to relocate the business, owner Rhea Planes, and all the regulars up to us. (And no, relocating to Miami is not an option. Too hot there for one of us.) Learn how to play dominos before you go and tell Rhea we said "Hi!" and we miss her, when you get there!

As wonderfully eclectic inside as it is out.

Leaf + Bean, Pittsburgh’s Strip District—There are almost no words for how eclectically awesome this place is. Owned by our pal Jim Robinson (he who created the Leaf by Oscar cigar, among others), this shop happens to be near Valentino’s hometown and not too far from Penny’s son’s home. We visit both a lot more now.

Churchill's Smoke Shop--Not a huge place, but definitely a hugely welcoming place! Valentino found this on his own, and when I eventually got there myself, I felt the need to arm-punch him for holding out. Owner Bryan and Joe are definitely guys you want to be friends with--trust me on this.

Yes, an actual old firehouse.

Old Firehouse Smoke Shop--This is another shop we'd heard about for ages and then practically stumbled over by accident while we were in Fall River, MA. So so so glad we did! John only carries boutique cigars; if you wander around for even a bit of time, you'll say, "Hey! I heard about these..." or "I've been looking for these..." more than a few times. Plus...there's a shop dog named Wyatt to love while you're there...

Premium 70/70 Cigar Shop and Lounge--Who's an ass? Make that a clueless ass...This girl. Premium 70/70 is in my hometown. The town I lived in for mumblemumble years! And I've driven by no less than one hundred million times, making a teeny tiny mental note of it. One day we had some extra time and said, "Hey, we should go there.." And we did. And we loved it, especially Nolan and the great cigar selection. Plus, there's a shop cat named Bob... If I still lived in town, I would make that my homebase for sure.

Havana Cigar Club--If you have an hour or ten, you should visit Havana's humidor. Take it in like an art gallery; that's what I do, while Valentino stands there saying, "Come onnnnnn" and one of the awesome staff members tells me about the cigars I regard with obvious longing. If you do actually choose (because you aren't indecisive like me), settle into a cozy leather chair and...ahhhhh. Become a member and you can settle into even cushier chairs in the private member room.

Ale House Cigar Bar—This really cool place to hang out, located in downtown Providence, RI, has its cache upped by the staff—welcoming, funny, and thoughtful. Honestly, we don’t get here nearly enough.  That needs to change—stat--partly because we miss Humidor Manager Jake!
 

Boulevard Cigar--A newcomer to the greater Providence area, stepping into this  place is like visiting your best friend’s living room—it’s welcoming, cozy, and…well, your BFF probably doesn’t have an amazingly stocked humidor, but ours does! A great cigar selection, especially for a new place. Bet you'll love it so much you'll want to be a member!

 

The other day, I said, “I’d like to quit my job and travel around the country in an RV, checking out cigar lounges and going to cigar events.”

Simultaneously, two friends looked at me and said, “Don’t you already do that?”

Oh. Actually, yes. Except we don’t have an RV.

What cigar lounges should we visit next? Tell us--we have the summer off, although can that possibly be long enough? Anyway, we want to find new favorites. Without an RV, obviously (harumph), but I can try to overlook that. I'll just have to settle for Valentino's luxury vehicle... 

It wasn't an Illusione after all! I do mix the metaphors into a dangerous concoction! Enter at your own risk!

Number three? Make that number awesome.

One of the millions of best parts of this movie.
[source]

 

We hadn't had Cigar Aficionado's #3 in their top 25 of 2014, the Illusione Fume d'Amour, yet...mainly because so many cigars, so little time. Sigh. 

But we're* at a cigar dinner sponsored by Mr J's Havana, our once a month festival of smoke and food and pals.  Yes, herfing.  But that sounds so...I don't know. Dirty? Kind of.

 

Anyway, Illusione is the featured cigar this month and (keep in mind I've been choking down huge quantities of prednisone lately) the Fume d'Amour Clemente is mother-effing fantastic.



The beginning of a love affair

You already know how we feel about best-of lists, since everyone and his brother has one, all based on an elusive, intangible selection process.  So keeping in mind that we're meh on it, Valentino lit up the Smoke of Love or Love Smoke and, I hate to say it, I fell in love.** 

Named #3 in the Cigar Aficionado 2014 year-end wrap up,*** this Nicaraguan puro, at 6 1/2 x 48 was "created by Dion Giolito, a cigar retailer from Reno, Nevada, who knew what he wanted in a great cigar and wasn’t afraid to push hard to get them just right," according to the Cigar Aficionado story. 

A few members of the regulars--Paul Joyle, Tom Joyle, our hero,
Mark Freeley, and Edgar Deckmange.

For this gang at Millonzi's in West Warwick, RI, the Fume d'Amour  is the perfect post-dinner...I guess you could call it dessert.****

"Limited production and high grade tobacco combine for what are some of the top-tiered blends on the market today, and Fume D’Amour stays true to that recipe." [source]
 

At the Mr. J's dinners, you receive two cigars.
Naturally, our hero gets four, because he makes off with mine.



Illusione spokesmodel Edgar Deckmange told us about how this cigar doesn't use any ligero, which is usually the leaf that punches you in the face, the heavyweight champion of tobacco leaves. Instead, Giolito blended viso and seco, the lower, milder primings, which created the full-bodied bout, without the 1-2 punch. But like a fight of experienced boxers, the small moves, the refined notes, create the technical knockout of other cigars in a sly, subtle way.

"You wouldn't know there's no ligero in this," said our hero, as he performed a magic trick, making the cigar disappear.


The hand is quicker than the eye.

"That's the 4-6 year old tobacco," Edgar told us. And Giolito choreographs different portions of the leaf, some closer to the stem, others towards the end of the leaf, which makes for the unique blends found in the Illusione cigars. The prizefighter makes sure all rollers are making cigars only to his liking.

It's true! Not only do you get great food and cigars, you can also LEARN things at these cigar dinners. 

If you're interested in whooping it up with us, the next two events will be:

Monday, April 6--Drew Estate

 

 

Monday May 4--Tatuaje

 

*I swear I start these things with the good intention of finishing them that night and being all timely--like back in the days when I was a newspaper reporter: Getting shit done right away. I was much younger and less distracted back then.

**I'm sticking with the present tense. If this bothers you, let me know and I'll get a Sharpie so you can change it.

***Sometimes I can be such a stupid girl.


****It IS Cigar Aficionado, so that's something.
 

*****Dammit. I want dessert. Why can I never ever get dessert at these damn cigar dinners, regardless of where they are held and by whom. 

Where we'll be: It's all an Illusione

Actually, for realz.  On Monday, March 9, (yes, in 2015--although funny story: Yesterday I wrote the year as 2012. Last week, I put a due date as 10/3. I'm obviously having time/space continuum issues.*)

Dammit. I hate when my sentences get side-tracked.  

On Monday, March 9, we'll be at the Mr. J's Havana cigar dinner at Millonzi's in West Warwick, RI. The featured cigar? Illusione!

 

Illusione Rep Edgar Deckmange will be on hand to chat about...well, probably anything, now that I think about it.

You should come. I guarantee a few things:

1. The food will be fab.
2. The company will be even better.**
3. You will get a couple of cigars--and they'll make you super happy. (Not sure which ones, though.)
4. You will not regret going.***
5. You will not get to meet Will, because he'll be on a Caribbean cruise.

Will is here.

Want to know more? Read this interview from Cigar Insider with Dion Giolito. "The company, which is only a few years old [in 2008], was founded by Dion Giolito. According its website, the idea behind Illusione is to recreate the flavor of Nicaraguan cigars from the period before the Sandinistas took over in 1979. Illusiones are a Nicuraguan puro made in Honduras." 

And if you've learned nothing so far, you must have caught that Valentino is a number one fan of Nicaraguan cigars.

Okay, not this bad...

I see a box of Illusiones in our future...

*Star Trek reference in honor or the late, great Leonard Nimoy.

**And I'm not even talking about our hero and myself.

***And if you do, I will buy you a pony.****

****This I do not guarantee.

A Tale of Two Cigar Shops/Lounges, Part the First

Valentino and I had a couple of errands to run, one of which was actually paying for the tickets we'd reserved for the Broadway Cigars' February dinner at Ciara Restaurant  on February 9. (For details, give the shop a call* (401) 272-9600 or visit the event Facebook page.)

We took Will the Travelling Owl because sometimes it's just easier to bring him than it is to listen to him bitch because we didn't.

We landed at Broadway first, whereby Will demanded a photoshoot:

Oh, we'll do what you want, little owl,
but we're going to photobomb you.

You know we love the La Flor Dominicana Myster...oh, we mean TCFKAM (The Cigar Formerly Known As Mysterio). Will's also a fan.

Will would like to own this box. Just sayin'...

This Alec Bradley Nica Puro Diamond Rough Cut is on our to-do list. I guess it would be a to-smoke list. We don't want to call it a Cigar Bucket List, as we'd like to have more than one before we do any bucket-kicking. The limited-release (which you know makes us swoon) 6 1/2 x 54 toro is a line extension of the already beloved Nico Puro. As the name states, this cigar screams heaven for our Nicaraguan-loving Valentino.

Yep. These AB babies. Where the Nica Puro line all began...
way back in 2012.

This is a super favorite of the entire household!

This is the super-limited, 75th Anniversary release Joel Sherman, from our friends at Nat Sherman. The double corona (7 1/2 x 46) is a perfect blend of an Ecuadorean Connecticut wrapper and Dominican binder and filler. Every once in a while, we'll gift one to a friend and as his** face lights up with delight, we mention that (hahaha) they're hard to find.*** 

We were super surprised to find that Broadway had them, as few other folks do. So, if this is your great white whale that you relentlessly seek, run and get them!

P.S. We cropped the photo so you couldn't have your heart broken, as we did when we saw someone wrote the price on this gorgeous box in permanent marker.

Will is saying, Ah, I remember when
I was first to have one of these...

Broadway also has the J Grotto perfecto P-555 (5 x 55--get it?), which sold so quickly that they, too, are difficult to find. Will wanted to hoard them all. We told him if he wanted to get a job and pay for them, we'd be happy to carry the bag for him.

But we can also understand his desire to have them. We've loved them since Paul Joyle shared them with us pre-release. The Connecticut broadleaf wrapper and Dominican Habano binder work lovingly together to hold the Dominican and other Central American super secret fillers. Want to know more? You should go here!


We turned away for one second and found Will
rolling around in the box of another favorite cigar. Sigh.

We've told you a hundred gazillion times**** about our love of the Leaf.***** It's another we tell folks about all the time. We could probably hand-sell them throughout the land if we were so inclined. But then we'd feel like we were playing favorites, and that wouldn't be right. After all, we are staunch reporters, committed to true journalism. (Hard to say without laughing, so we can imagine how hard it is to read.)

If you haven't had a Leaf by Oscar, from our friend Island Jim Robinson, then let us know and we'll point you in the right direction. Wrapped in a tobacco leaf, this cigar is as awesome as it looks.


Arrrrgh!

Very few cigars can be both awesome and annoying. There's another all-Nicaraguan cigar (awesome) we dig and every time we see it, whether at Broadway, another shop, or in the humidor when we're looking for something delicious,****** that damn Commodores song pops into our heads (annoying). (You're welcome, by the way, for the earworm.)

We have been remiss in telling you about our Brick House love, and promise to get to that soon, but in the meantime, here's an interesting story from their website: "In 1937, J.C. Newman launched Brick House; a true Cuban puro cigar made with the finest Havana tobaccos. To honor his family and heritage, J.C. modeled the Brick House label after his childhood home – the only brick house in their small, Hungarian village. Locals and visitors would gather at the house nightly to eat, drink, smoke and enjoy each other’s company. But with the Cuban embargo came the end of the Brick House." But you can't blow a brick house down, and they are back and waiting for you!

Yes, Will likes the name of this cigar. Sigh. Again.

Mr. J's Havana introduced us to the Crux Cigar family at one of their monthly dinners, waaay back in October, and we've been fans ever since! Crux is relative new to the marketplace, and this Ninfamaniac pays homage to the classic Cuban Ninfa, at 7 x 33, although the tapered cap and foot makes it uniquely Crux. With a Habano Jalapa wrapper, Indonesian binder, and Nicaraguan filler, one of the most interesting things about the Ninfamaniac, besides the fantastic taste, is that the cigars are handcrafted by only two rollers.

Oh, we do go on, don't we? Check out Part the First and a Half here, and Part the Second here.

 

 

*But not today, Tuesday 1/27, because they are closed--as is the rest of Penny World because of, um...all the snow in the world being dumped on us!

 

**Always "he." We know very few local lady cigar smokers.

 

***We are horrible people. We know this. We know you love us anyway.

 

****Go to the right-hand side of the blog, scroll down, and click on Leaf. Then you'll see all the times we brought it up in casual conversation. Blogging conversation, that is. 

 

*****Hey! We said the name of the blog!

 

******Everything in the humidor is delicious, so the search isn't a difficult one.

"The play's the thing."* This Nat Sherman cigar is definitely the thing.

No one loves an extended metaphor more than me. And Nat Sherman's Vice President of Retail & Brand Development Michael Herklots's metaphor skills are so mad crazy good he should be over on Broadway writing rather than at the Nat Sherman townhouse on 42nd street being awesome.

Michael, center stage. (That's Jimmy on the left.)

During a cigar demonstration and tasting, he started by comparing the elements that make up a cigar to the characters that make up a story. So this tasting? We're learning about the characters that make whole the very-highly rated Epoca. In fact, it made the top 25 of many end-of-the-year roundups.

A bit of background: Epoca was, in fact, the first cigar of the Nat Sherman company sold when it acquired the Schwab Bros. and Baer in 1929.**

Earlier this year, the company announced plans to resurrect the cigar and now, here we are, lucky enough to enjoy the Dominican and Nicaraguan cigar. This blend was the focus of an informational demonstration and dinner sponsored by Mr. J's Havana and held at Millonzi's restaurant in West Warwick.

"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, in an article in Cigar Aficionado. It's also a play on the Timeless blend that brought the Nat Sherman company back into the forefront of smokers' consciousness and then shot them straight into super success. There's another interesting article about the company's resurgence in the January/February 2015 edition of Cigar Aficionado. (It wasn't available online yet, when I last checked.)

And you know we are suckers for a pretty face and a cool story, so when Nat Sherman Northeast Representative Jimmy Shaffer showed us the box and explained how it is a near-perfect replication of the original box, and all the work that went into the recreation, we were sold, before aforementioned box was ever opened. Yes, we were charmed by the set dressing. So sue us.***

Before/Then

 

After/Now

At this demonstration and tasting, Michael started us out with the first character, the first element of what would eventually become the Epoca. This Dominican seco, by itself, was meh, both as a dry smoke and a smoking stick. We all agreed it was a little musty, kind of like grandma's basement, and hit one part of the tongue, although that location varied by person.

The second small stick, the second character in this play, was a Dominican ligero. Ligero by nature is the strongest of the leaf types, and a bit sweeter; this one, however, had some age on it, so it was a bit more mellow than we expected, based on the first. As a result, the flavor profile hit a different part of everyone's tongues, offering a different perspective to the plot.

Then we tried the third player, a Nicaraguan ligero, which had similar elements but was much stronger than the other ligero. Again, this one hit different elements on the tongue, just as a third character offers another layer to the play, which was an interesting turn of events.

Our hero smokes three at a time!

Then! Then Michael had everyone smoke the first and third samples. Funnest part of the evening? The comic relief? Watching everyone's faces as they hated the tastes in their mouths. "It tastes like shit, doesn't it?" he asked. Everyone nodded in agreement as they drank away the horror.

Then they smoked all three...

[source]

Ike Karipides, Director of Premium Cigars, and Jimmy handed us all one of the Epoca cigars. Everyone lit it up. "Tastes just like those," said Valentino, pointing to the three characters in the ashtray.

According to Michael, all three of those are well represented, but there is a heavier Nicaraguan influence in the Epoca because it has more filler than their 1930 cigar, which has a similar blend. In the Epoca, however, there is less emphasis on the Dominican ligero, which is used as the binder and a small percentage of the filler. 

 

"With the Epoca, the feel of its smoke is weighty. It has body. It's classified as full-bodied, but not strong," said Michael. It's not an ass-kicker, not strong.  It has well-balanced flavors, creamier and nuttier than the 1930, more cappuccino rather than the strength of espresso."

You guys. If you haven't tried the Epoca yet, you need to do it. If creaminess, nuttiness, cappuccino, and slight woodiness got together and started a band, this cigar would be The Beatles.

Or to complete the extended metaphor, this cigar would be The Glass Menagerie or Death of a Salesman, or A Doll's House--sure to be a classic, thanks, in part, to the master "playwright" Michael Herklots.

Michael shares his Epoca with Will

 

 *Hamlet:
I'll have grounds
More relative than this—the play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.
**There's an historical rumor that Nat Sherman won the business in a card game. We love a great backstory.

***Not really. Please don't.