CREATINGANATSHERMANCIGAR
ILLUSTRATIONBYKAGANMcLEOD
approaching. “Fromyour lips toGod’sears,”here-
sponds, lightingupaNatShermanSterlingMarevas.
UnderthetutelageofCarrieLynStrong, thewine
directoratAureole,wearepairinga fewNatSherman
cigarswithatastingmenuandtwowines,a2004Do-
maineLeflaivePuligny-Montrachetanda2009Louis
JadotVosne-Romanée1erCru(LesBeauxMonts).
Myuntutored impression isthatacigarwillpretty
muchbowlovereverything in itstastingpath.This
quicklyprovesnaive, though,andasthewine, cigars
and foodscontinuetorollby, Isoon learnhowtodif-
ferentiateflavors.Beginningwiththewhitewine, the
Sterling,andsometunatartarewithmelon,wepay
attentiontoeveryswerve inflavor ineachmedium, the
feel inthemouth,andthecharacterof thesmokeand
heightenedordiminishedsaliva levels.
firstnewbrand, theTimelessCollection, theTimeless
No.2wasranked10th inthe
CigarAficionado
25Best
Cigarsof2012. Itwasthefirsttimethecompanyhad
evercrackedthe list,andaccordingto
CA
itwas, “…a
signof thenewfoundenergyandcommitmentNat
Shermanhasmadeto itscigarbrand.”
TAKEEVERYCIGAR
intheNatShermanTownhouse—
Herklotsoncespentanhourfiguringthisout— line
themup foottocapandturn leftoutthedoor, then
takeanother leftdownFifthAvenue,and itwill take
youstraighttotheStatenIsland ferry.
Butwe’reonlygoinga fewblocks, to thepatio
ofCharliePalmer’sflagshipAureole.TheKnicker-
bockerhotel isgleamingoverourshoulder.By the
time thisarticleappears,TheKnickerbockerwill
haverisen from thedead inspectacular fashion,with
anewCharliePalmeratTheKnickrestauranton
the fourthfloorandarooftopbar, St.Cloud.Onan
outdoor terracesurroundingSt.Cloud, anewNat
Shermancigar loungewill givesmokersaskyviewof
TimesSquare.
Herklotshaspairedcigarswithwines, spirits,
singlemalts, chocolates…evensorbets incountless
tastings, pairingsandcharityevents.Heoftenworks
incahootswithPalmer,EmerilLagasse,Georey
Zakarianandothercelebritychefsheconsiders
friendsandwhosestatus, Isuggest, he israpidly
THEPERFECTBLEND:
Nat Sherman’s 1930
GranRobusto
Thewrapper is rolled
onto thebunch from
the foot to thecap. It’s
important to
stretch the
leafwithonehand to
ensureasmooth, silky,
even texture to the
cigar
. Thecap is then
createdusing the same
leaf as thewrapper. This
finishes thecigar and
holds thewrapper in
placeuntil thecigar is
cut prior to smoking.
After being inspected
bya supervisor, full
wheels of 50 cigars are
then
aged inperfect
temperatureandhu-
midity
, often formany
months, inorder for
theblend toproperly
“marry” and stabilize
prior tobeingbanded,
boxedand shipped.
The torcedor (cigar
roller) uses a chaveta
(crescent-shapeblade)
to
cut theedges from
thewrapper leaf
beforeapplying it to
thebunch.
Thebunch is
placed
intoamold
and
pressed. This helps
form theeven shapeof
the cigar and creates
more resistance in the
draw for even combus-
tion. Thebunches are
rotated90degrees
every 15minutes
to
allow thefillers to settle
and toprevent seams
from formingdue to
themold.
After thebinder is
rolledaround thefiller,
it forms thebunch,
and the
looseends
are trimmed
.
First, thefiller leaves
aregathered in the
handwith the
stron-
gest, slowestburning
toward themiddle
of
thebunch. Thebinder
leaf is appliedaround
thefiller leaves.
WINTER
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
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