PCA 2022: Ferio Tego

One of these days I’m going to be able to write about Ferio Tego without having to mention that the company emerged out of the ashes of Nat Sherman, but today will not be that day. As many of you—but probably not all—have read by now, Ferio Tego was launched early last year by Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott, two former Nat Sherman employees. They purchased the rights to the cigar and pipe divisions from Altria, which no longer had an interest in operating the cigar and pipe division of Nat Sherman.

For all intents and purposes, Ferio Tego is just the latest iteration of Nat Sherman, though the duo did not get the rights to use the Nat Sherman name which is why it’s called Ferio Tego. But Herklots and Scott are doing a lot of what Nat Sherman did including the blends, brands and even some of its trade show strategy. Ferio Tego’s booth is technically the official “Finish Your Cigar” lounge, something that Nat Sherman used to sponsor. That said, the “lounge” part of the booth is basically just four oversized chairs, and it should be noted, the booth isn’t conveniently located near the entrance/exit. It’s in an actual corner.

I really like Herklots and Scott but this booth is aesthetically off. Part of that is because of the standard the two have set, but the other part is that this booth has basically zero visual separation between it and the abyss that is the corner of the trade show that it occupies. I think a small amount of different-colored carpeting would have gone a long way, as my largest issue with the booth is that you cannot tell where the booth begins and where the carpet, or empty space, ends. I should be clear, it’s not to say that Ferio Tego just put eight chairs and a couple of tables in the middle of open space; there are display cabinets, a branded storage area, etc.—but it’s admittedly awkward and easy to miss if you aren’t specifically looking for it.

Ferio Tego Elegancia 2022

Both the Elegancia and Generoso were released last year and they are back from 2022 in similar but not identical fashion. Before the trade show, Herklots and I spoke about what “similar but not identical” means, and he said the best comparison would be non-vintage Champagne.

The idea is to blend the cigars to a house style where there’s a defined range of what the cigar should be, but it doesn’t need to be an exact replica of that specific blend. Ideally, that means that the 2022 versions should taste similar to the corresponding 2021 version, but if you were to smoke both years at the same time, you should be able to tell the difference. Furthermore, while the list of blend components might be the same, the exact recipe can be tweaked from year-to-year to achieve the house style. And in case it isn’t clear, you should expect more of these cigars in future years.

• Wrapper: Ecuador
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua

• Ferio Tego Elegancia 2022 (6 x 50) — $22 (Box of 10, $220)

Production: Undisclosed

Release Date: June 2022

Ferio Tego Generoso 2022

As far as the differences between the two cigars, both are 6 x 50 toros that are priced the same, but the blends are completely different. Furthermore, the Elegancia is made by Quesada in the Dominican Republic, while the Generoso is made by Plasencia in Nicaragua. Both cigars are shipped in boxes that are upgraded from standard fare and designed to work as humidors. These are a bit more than just nice boxes, as they do include a specific place for included humidification.

• Wrapper: Honduras
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Ferio Tego Generoso 2022 (6 x 50) — $22 (Box of 10, $220)

Production: Undisclosed

Release Date: June 2022

Ferio Tego Timeless 10 Years

Part of the reason why it’s more or less impossible not to bring up Nat Sherman while writing about Ferio Tego this year is that one of the company’s new products is a 10th anniversary cigar. As a reminder, the company is barely 18 months old and has been shipping cigars for less than a year.

The Timeless 10 Years is to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Timeless, which was technically replaced in late 2011 before shipping to stores nationally in early 2012. This cigar is a true limited edition, made at Quesada Cigars.

• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Habano Jalapa)
• Binder: Honduras (Habano Jamastran Valley)
• Filler: Dominican Republic (Piloto), Honduras (Broadleaf Jamastran Valley), Nicaragua (Habano Jalapa) & U.S.A. (Pennsylvania)

• Ferio Tego Timeless 10 Years (5 3/4 x 54) — $18.50 (Box of 10, $185)

Production: 2,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars)

Release Date: August 2022