PCA Magazine Fall 2019

PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019 | PCA The Magazine 25 Nat Sherman Timeless Sterling Churchill Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut (natural) Binder: Dominican Republic Filler: Dominican Republic 7 x 48 available in 10-count boxes typically priced retail near $150 Made for Nat Sherman by Quesada Cigars in Licey, Dominican Republic oes any pleasure in life surpass opening a fresh box of ultra-premium cigars? Well ... yes, a few do. But still, cracking open a box of Nat Sherman Timeless Sterling Churchills ranks high among gratifications. I first smoked a Nat Sherman cigar in 1988, when, during a trip to New York City, I took time for the pilgrimage to that smoke-lover’s temple. Leaving the shop with a bag full of the finest cigars I’d ever tasted, I knew I’d just enjoyed a truly formative experience. Since that spring day, a lot of exquisite smokes from the four corners of the world have smoldered to ash in my living room, but through the years I always counted on the Nat Sherman brand for elegance and consistency. Still, this would be my first taste of a Timeless Sterling Churchill, so the interest level was definitely high. The aroma coming off the cigar right out of the cellophane added to those high hopes. The nose is of a sweet, inviting floral earth. The Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper leaf is a beautiful, uniform tan blonde. Construction is spot- on. After a standard punch cut I found the cold draw right in the wheelhouse, giving just enough resistance to signal a good, full pack, but easy enough to promise a smoke that wouldn’t fight me. Both bands popped right off before light-up without damaging the wrapper leaf, which is a sort of litmus test for me. Many cigar lovers counsel removing bands only later, once a cigar is heated up a bit, and steamy. But I like to smoke a naked cigar, and besides, I want to know right off the bat: Is the band over- glued? Not here. I lifted a corner on each band and off they came, no problem. Much appreciated—and a good sign. One wood match easily got the foot glowing with a nice, even burn. First notes are tart and citrusy, but that quickly mellowed. Early retrohale is mild coffee with just a hint of pepper. In five minutes the ash is already a half-inch long. Fifteen minutes in, the ash is an inch long. (Will this be a fast burner?) Then combustion seemed to slow down to a nice, stately cruise, and things were going exquisitely until, at 38 minutes, the cigar suddenly and unaccountably went out! It may have been partly my fault, for I had let that ash grow to cartoonish proportions. (The thing didn’t want to fall off, and I was becoming mesmerized.) At any rate, I broke the ash off into my ashtray, immediately relit, and experienced no further problems. Never hot and never again disobedient, the Timeless Sterling Churchill just purred along, inscribing a sharp, perfectly straight burn line and constantly fashioning a gorgeous, solid ash the color of white slate. Throughout the smoke the flavor watchwords are sweet cream and light wood. I have heard this cigar described as medium to heavy in body, but that is unimaginable to me; if the taste is medium, it is on the light side of medium—which is, happily, a personal favorite kind of profile. Once the clock passed an hour, combustion again slowed a bit, with coffee-and-cream flavors caramelizing into an added touch of cinnamon sugar. There were no dramatic transitions. For the most part, the cigar you taste at 9 p.m. is the cigar you’ll be tasting at 10:30 p.m.—and all of it is good. This can’t be easy for a cigar maker to achieve in a 7-inch stick. (And yet, after all, it is a Nat Sherman.) Only at the very last, at 98 minutes, as the inch-long nub was singeing my fingertips, did the retrohale and aftertaste swiftly deepen and sweeten like a dram of Kahlua—a final salute. I didn’t want it to be over. You might wish for a heavier smoke after a big dinner of wild boar and Hermitage and chocolate blackout cake. Timeless Sterling is not a heavy or strong blend. And not everyone wants to throw $15 on a cigar every day. But there are those times—say, after some lighter fare (imagine pineapple chicken followed by pound cake), when in the company of friends, a long, easy-going smoke is just what you need—and the longevity of the Churchill form gives extra heft to that creamy lightness. The Nat Sherman Timeless Churchill is much recommended. D T H E R E V I E W T H E B L E N D