IPCPR 2014: Nat Sherman

The headlining cigar of the Nat Sherman booth was the one being created for company CEO Joel Sherman’s 75th birthday, and it is a gorgeous presentation of an unusual size cigar. It was impressive enough that Brooks Whittington commented that he thought it may be in the running for a packaging award when he first saw it.

The cigar is a 7 1/2 x 46, basically a churchill vitola that is slightly longer and slightly skinnier, which Michael Herklots said captures Sherman’s love of elegant cigars. It’s the first time he knew of the vitola being used either by Nat Sherman or any cigar maker. Shipping is still scheduled to begin next month.

The Epoca line was on display as well, which is currently being released nationwide.

As was the previously announced Host maduro.

Finally, the company had an interesting “Connecticut Shade” candle with a cedar wick on display. It’s not an overpowering aroma and isn’t designed to be an air cleaner or odor masker. It draws its name more from the color of the wax than that it has some tobacco in it. We chatted about the idea of other varietals being released at some point and it didn’t seem like it was a far-fetched idea.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.