Nat Sherman Hobart Review

[redryno247]

I've been wanting to give this cigar a try for a few months now. Back in October I had picked one of these up from the local B&M on the shopkeeper's recommendation, but as it turned out, I passed it off to a friend for a night of smoke and conversation. I remember he said it was a bit strong for him and left a velvety feeling on the whole inside of his mouth--I was intrigued, so I bought this, my second Nat Sherman Hobart (5.5 x 50), and decided to give it a go.

Upon close inspection of the cigar, I noticed right off the triple cap, which I take to be a mark of a quality cigar. The wrapper was is fine condition, having the appearance of smooth velvet (I tried to capture this in the picture, but it doesn't quite convey this distinct texture). As I felt along the length of the cigar, it was firm with a little give. I was anticipating this would be an enjoyable smoke as the pre-light ritual was pointing to all the right things. There was a subtle aroma noticed pre-light as well as a definite sweetness to the wrapper. The Palio made quick work of the cut--flawless and smooth. The draw, pre-light was wide open and I picked up a slight bit of pepper on the tip of my tongue. At this point, I'm ready to set foot to flame and get things going.



Upon my first deep draw, I was meet with two disappointments. First the second cap completely unraveled and came off. Fortunately this didn't seem to have any impact on the rest of the smoke. Second, the sweetness of the wrapper I noticed pre-light was now made more intense with the addition of the heat. The sweetness of the wrapper mixed with the pepperiness of the cigar seemed an odd combination to me. I really didn't care for it much . Due to the struggle going on between the sweet and pepper, I found it difficult to really distinguish any distinct flavor.

It took a couple of deep draws to get the heat worked into the body of the cigar, and once this happened, the cigar came alive with billows of rich, gray smoke that would linger low in the air. Also the pepper had taken over completely, winning the battle of the sweet wrapper. Things were looking up after a rough beginning. Also I should mention that the burn was good and even, but a little hot for my liking.



As the smoke continued on, I began to notice a film building up on the back of my throat--could this be the velvetiness in the mouth of which my friend was speaking? By the mid-point, the cigar was showing it's true colors as a heady, fuller bodied cigar. While I wouldn't place it fully into the "full bodied" camp, it was definitely on the med-full end of things. Also, at this point, I began to notice every few draws, loose bits of tobacco were being deposited into my mouth; again another disappointment over the remainder of the smoke.

By the mid-point, I was still unable to pick up on any distinct flavors. The heavy pepper notes were all but gone by this point, but the headiness of the cigar was still present.



Finally, as I entered into the home stretch with this cigar, the heat began to lessen, and I was forced to hot box in a vein attempt to rescue this dying cigar. To no avail, these attempts proved futile. While disappointed, I was really alright with this forced decision to leave well enough alone--there was still no distinct flavor, leaving the cigar bland by all accounts. So with the final third to go, the allowed nature to run its course and let this Nat Sherman offering burn out with grace.



All total I spent 45 minutes with this cigar, and I can't honestly say they were the best 45 minutes of my smoking life. I didn't completely hate this cigar, but I really didn't love or even like it. While it only cost $5.80 and tax, I doubt very much I'll consider another Nat Sherman cigar; there are many more cigars I enjoy so much more. If I were to offer a numerical rating for the Nat Sherman Hobart, I'd give it a 6/10...worth a try at any rate. We all have different tastes and my 6/10 may be for you a 10/10.

Anyway, thanks for reading.