The year was 1929. My Grandpa was 8 years old, the stock market crashed, Popeye made his first appearance, 7-up and the car radio were invented, and Nat Sherman released their first cigar...The Epoca.  Michael Herklots resurrected the line last year to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the company - complete with original packaging, box art, and vintage band.  Now, it is no secret that I am nuts for anything and everything vintage.  My radio station in the car is set to the big band era 90% of the time and most of the movies I watch are from the golden age of Hollywood.  That being said, I was super excited when I first read about this cigar and the nice guys at Famous Smoke Shop were nice enough to send me a few to check out.

Construction: A slightly lumpy cigar, the Epoca is covered in a smooth and nearly veinless Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper leaf with a nice amount of tooth and oils.  Let me a take a second to talk about the band.  It is a very elegant and simple design that worked well 85 years ago and still works well today.  Gorgeous.

Pre-light Aroma and Draw: Out of the cellophane, the Epoca gives off a nice sweet tobacco and dry hay aroma.  The draw is perfect on this cigar.  A cold pull gives off a nice set of earth, graham cracker, and grass notes.   

Light and Burn: Of the three samples I smoked, the construction and performance were stellar. I had one spot where the burn wanted to run on me but it corrected itself nicely...so no points off.

Tasting: The Epoca starts off with hints of roasted nuts and some toasty hay.  It is very smooth and the smoke output is massive.  After the first half-inch the cigar takes on a nice creamy texture while showing notes of vanilla, cream, and a nutmeg that gives the overall impression of custard.  Strength is right in the middle of medium.  Simply excellent so far.

The middle third starts off with a lot of the same notes from the start but adds a cedar spice undertone to the whole thing.  While I can't label the Epoca the most complex of cigars, I can assign it as a very consistent and delicious cigar.  This is one of those that I could smoke every day and be a happy camper.  A nice leather and touch of earth show up towards the end.  Strength stays right smack dab in the middle.

The last third continues the same nutty, creamy, sweet core of flavors.  A very mild light roast coffee pops in for a visit.  A dry graham cracker note drifts in for spell too.  I am very sad to see this last Epoca burn away.  It feels like losing a friend.  This would be a perfect first cigar of the day with a cup of coffee and I intend to make sure I snag a few more for just that purpose.

Value: The Epoca will run you around $10.  While that may be a tad pricey at first glance, you are getting a top quality cigar from one of the biggest names in the industry...a piece of history that is will worth the price.  Pick up some from Famous Smoke right here!  Nat Sherman has a ton of great cigars too!

Final Thoughts: There have been a lot of cigars over the years that I got excited about, having read about them, only to be let down upon smoking them.  I am very happy to report that the Epoca is not one of them.  It has a nice vintage look and vintage flavor that makes me feel like putting on a fedora and driving around in a vintage car - if I only had one.  I highly recommend this cigar to anyone looking for a quality medium body cigar.  Smoking a piece of history is icing on the cake!

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican

Strength: Medium

Size: 6 x 50

You can't really see the lumpiness but its there.

Very reet vintage band.  Man, I love that look.

The package is spot-on the original 1929 look.