Joel Sherman 75th Celebration Cigar Review

This past weekend I was sitting around the fire pit with Christine and Tate whom I both met via The Cigar Authority podcast. I had just moved up to New Hampshire when I was sitting in a local cigar bar. I had a Ron Zacapa in front of me and cigar when I was approached by both of them asking if I was Barry from The Cigar Authority. As crazy has that sounds I get recognized fairly often in and out of cigar shops.

Now a year later, the two of them have become close friends with my girlfriend and I. Back to the pit; we were sitting around the fire pit on a fall night with the temperatures in the low 60’s. During the course of the night I was gifted with today’s cigar as they both wanted to know my opinion of the smoke. I promised I would put it on the website and this is the cigar.

Cigar Review: Joel Sherman 75th by Nat Sherman
Size: 7.5 x 46
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Mild-Medium
Source: Friends

The Look (9/10): Oily. That is the one word that stands out when looking at the cigar that has the hue of Ginger Snaps. The wrapper is so gorgeous that is almost easy to ignore the slightly porous roll of the cigar. The cigar has two bands with the primary being the Nat Sherman limited edition bands of gold, plum, mauve and black. The secondary band utilizes the same colors and features Joel Sherman’s signature and denotes 75th celebration. In the hand the cigar is firm, with a nice weight and well packed foot.

The Notes (31/35): The cold draw of the 75th Celebration has a sweetness to it that borders on caramel and molasses. The star of the pre-light ritual however is the chocolate like aroma that comes off the wrapper. It is so creamy that it almost comes off as a desert prepared by a top chef.

Once the foot is toasted the initial draw of the cigar is a first for me of white chocolate giving the cigar a wonderfully sweet  and defined profile with a hint of oak and subtle pepper. Through the nose on the retrohale a nuttiness is added to the mix. At 7.5 inches the first third last quite some time and goes through changes with the introduction of citrus.

In the second third the dominant note becomes that of fresh roasted peanuts still in the shell and the wood notes that are more generic than the defined oak of the first third. On the finish there is a cocoa like sweetness and on the retrohale there is a slight earthy component with a touch of coffee.

The last third becomes a little bit bitter with the introduction of a leather note that becomes dominant with a touch of wood and nuts. Sadly, the last third takes away from the first two-thirds which was outstanding.

The Burn (22/25): With more than a year on it, I was surprised at the thick combustion line, and while the cigar had an asymmetrical burn it was razor-sharp. The draw was near perfection; albeit I prefer a little bit more resistance and the light color ash held on for about an inch and a half at time, The cigar remained lit from first light to last puff.

The Finish (18/20): The Joel Sherman 75th Celebration cigar is an excellent smoke worthy of the milestone it was made for. Extremely complex and flavorful the limited edition cigar was a pleasure and a privilege to smoke. Upon the hiring of Michael Herklots, Nat Sherman took on a new modern approach of cigar making, but the 75th felt like a throwback to the history of the company in my opinion.

Score: 90
Price: $19.00

Bullet Points

• Made at the Quesada factory, the cigar was limited to 25,000 cigars and was released at the 2014 IPCPR.
• The cigar was a celebration of Joel Sherman’s 75th birthday.
• I based the review off of one cigar; which is rare for me as I usually smoke at least 2 but usually 3.
• I was also gifted the 85th Anniversary which I smoked over the weekend and I definitely enjoyed it more that the 75th.
• With all due respect to the Nat Sherman family, the brand felt like a dying brand until Michael Herklots was hired and made them relevant once.
• One of my favorite people in the industry is Pat Felitti who is the Director of Hospitality at the Nat Sherman Townhouse in NYC.
• I paired the first half of the cigar with water and the second half with Cuban Coffee.
• Smoking time was 2 hour and 40 minutes and yes I smoke slow.