Today the Nubbit boys make time with the Nat Sherman Timeless 452.
Punch: This is one of the cigars in the general admission collection from the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival. The wrapper smells “bright”, almost vinegary. The foot is raisin/plum. The cold draw is also fruity with some pepper and something like sour milk.
Draw: Agreed. I go more with “stale sock”. At least, I try not to myself, but that’s what I call the sour milk. In the cigar. Moving on… This Timeless 452 is a very dark, rich, toothy wrapper at – not surprisingly – 4” x 52 ring gauge. The edges of the wrapper are only apparent due to the aging process having created a deeper gradient which lightens toward the leaf interior. It is a well constructed box-press – very sturdy – and a double cap.
P: I really like this cold draw, but I guess to review it I need to light it. Initially a bit harsh or peppery, but that quickly settles down. We want to remind our readers not to confuse this Timeless, which is a Nicaraguan puro, with the Nat Sherman Timeless assembled in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Timeless features a Honduran wrapper with both Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. The Dominicans vitolas also have a specific name, whereas the Nicaraguan Timeless vitolas are simply a three-digit number indicating the length and ring gauge.
D: The Dominican Timeless are also somewhat lighter in color than this Nica. I find that I’m fighting rushing this stick, because so far it’s quite nice. What I notice right off is a very smooth draw: nothing harsh about it. At this point I’d give it a “medium” body intensity. The flavors are milk chocolate and coffee (without being “mocha”) and shoe leather – which means some pine resin and some oily taste. There’s also a touch of sweetness throughout which carries into the aftertaste.
P: You have some weird-flavored shoes (not that I’ve ever smoked a shoe). After getting into it I would agree with the assessment on the Nat Sherman site, giving it a 4 out of 5 for body – but what is the character of all that body? Generally, I’d say earthy leather.
I’m pouring a bit of Ron Zacapa rum to try with this. I’ve found that if I sip it straight, its bitey, but if I have a sip of water first, to wet my whistle – oh man, that just smooths it right out. (At an inch in, touch-up number 1.)
D: I’ve had to roll mine a bit while smoking, and it has corrected itself – but I agree, the burn line does tend to wander. The ash held on to almost an inch. Smoke production is an oily but thin smoke, and of decent amount. It is a very light post-smoker as well. I’m taking mine with a Shock Top Belgian White, which is the most “neutral” beverage in the house right now, since we need to replace our water filter. The cigar brings out the “white” of the drink, while the beer really doesn’t do anything to change the cigar, except maybe mask the sweetness to its own.
P: I’m getting pretty dense mouth smoke. And, now I’m picking up some black tea.
D: Moving through the middle, I find the flavor is fading somewhat. The flavor remains consistent in general, but I am being very deliberate to put it down between puffs, because I instinctively want to pull on it until I get some flavor. …okay, just out of curiosity, I re-lit the wrapper. That helped bring some flavor back to the cigar. No foul – it’s all my storage, it seems.
P: At half-way I’m starting to feel some strength. (Touch-up number 2)
D: Moving into the last smoke-able third, the shoe polish is taking over the leather somewhat. I was tasting the coffee and chocolate in the attack and middle (not that the attack really attacked) and the leather in the finish. Now the shoe polish has taken over the middle and finish. I’m even getting some of the oiliness on the attack. Also, I note that its idle-performance has changed. It now takes a couple of puffs to wake it up, then a couple more to really engage the wrapper.
P: Cigar King retails this particular vitola at around $7 each in a box of 21. I find the flavor is really changing now. There’s a lot more pine starting to dominate the flavor mix.
D: Yeah, I’m at about two-and-a-half fingers to go; I punched this Timeless 452, and it just took five hard pulls to get the wrapper going, and by then, all I got was a hot tongue and a can of shoe polish. I think I’ve reached the end of the smoke-able length.
P: You beat me to the comment about the poor idle – same here, although the pine has backed off a bit here near the end and a little black walnut is showing up.
Burn it or spurn it?
D: Burn it. It was a very enjoyable cigar up until where it turned: consistent, medium flavor, some complexity and overall a pleasant taste. When it turned, it turned hard. Part of me thinks, “bummer!” But, if that is where the cigar ends, then that’s where it ends. The question is, does the enjoyment of the first two-and-a-half inches justify the retail price? My answer: maybe. Depending on how deep my pockets are at the moment, it just might. On the other hand, as I’ve written before, I actually prefer a more complex flavor profile. It’s a toss-up. Perhaps a longer vitola would provide a better value for my tastes.
P: Sure. Burn one. This was a good smoke in spite of one side of it being lazy and wanting to canoe. Earth, leather and pine are the main components I picked up. We got these in August of 2013 so they have rested about 6 months. The manufacturer’s rating of ⅗ for strength is about right, as I am feeling it. I agree with Draw: my personal preference is for a more complex and sweeter flavor, but there is certainly little to not like about this Nat Sherman Timeless 452 box-pressed cigar.
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