Style and Cigars - a fusion of cigars and fashion by Nat Sherman!

Today's post is about a cigar-and-wine adventure I had here in DC a while back. The Premium Cigar Association, formerly known as the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Tobacco Retailers Association (IPCPR), is a trade association based in DC that advocates for the rights of retail tobacconists across the US. In addition to federal legislative advocacy and tracking new and current regulations, each year PCA hosts a major cigar trade show in Las Vegas, the envy of cigar smokers everywhere. They also do local events, including a series of educational discussions about cigars, style, business, and networking. They had one around the holidays, and thanks to Joshua Habursky, head of federal affairs for PCA, I got to stop by.

The event was called "Cigars and Style", and meant to be a discussion about the intersection of cigars, fashion, and lifestyle. Today's guest was Michael Herklots, vice president of Nat Sherman International. A Davidoff alum, Mr. Herklots manages the lifestyle brand of Sherman. The program was a discussion about cigars, of course - after all, Nat Sherman is a cigar company foremost - but we also address, in a grander sense, fashion and the cigar culture.

Before we started the program, guests were provided a Nat Sherman "Timeless Prestige", a special blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican longfillers coated in a Honduran wrapper. I lit up using the PCA table jet lighter; lit up nicely for coming directly out-of-the-box.

First third is earthy, lots of chewy flavors with notes of warm biscuits, and a touch of sweetness. But as the second third develops, it dries out a bit, giving way to a fuller, ashy flavor, like stoned wheat crackers. It smoked nicely through the second third, with some nuttiness coming through, and the final third was mostly a repeat of those cracker flavors. For being a larger format, the cigar held on quite nicely. I'd classify this as a medium-bodied smoke, although it's billed by the manufacturer as medium-full. I liked the dryness, and is a good "winter cigar" - a counter to the fat, oily, dark, and sweet Nicaraguan or Mexican cigars I smoke during the humid months. And yes, I did smoke a second one.

Also on offer were two red wines: a 2015 California cabernet sauvignon from Napa's Eagle Glen and a 2017 pinot noir from Apolloni in the famed Willamette Valley, OR.

Both were good in their own ways - the pinot noir was lively and ripe with a touch of spice, cranberry, and grape skins. Big and juicy. Nice! The cab was more full-bodied, as you can imagine, but retained some fruit skin flavors and was on the softer end of Napa cabernets.

As we settled in with our cigars and wine, Mr. Herklots spoke for about 30 minutes about the cigar culture and how it intersects with fashion and style in general. Cigar culture, for the most part, is focused on the idea of luxury: cigars are often very expensive, and the time and effort one spends on properly maintaining cigars, and enjoying them, can take a while to master. Likewise, getting to know the various types of cigars and blends can take years - I equate cigars with wine in this respect. There's hundreds of manufacturers, tobacco comes from across the world, and to create a magnificent cigar (much like a lovely bottle of wine) it takes the best craftspeople and years of expertise. So a bit part of cigar culture is appreciating all of these factors and learning to pick them out.

Check out these dapper ladies and gentlemen!

Style is, of course, personal, and so in both cigars and fashion, Mr. Herklot's best advice was that of authenticity - each element of one's wardrobe, or jewelry, or cigar accessory, should be authentic and have a reason for being and be true to one's own brand. For example, when putting together an outfit, I always pay attention to what each piece of wardrobe brings to the ensemble...color, texture, or utility. No element should be random. If I'm dressing for business, I'll match the style, cut, and colors of my suit for the task at hand. Am I going to a funeral? A rooftop party? A meeting with a Member of Congress? I think about all of these things so I can feel appropriately dressed. But I wouldn't wear something that didn't feel or look right to me.

Mr. Herklots' advice to us was to let that same eye for utility and style serve our cigar habits, as well. Although there are some pricey cigar gadgets out there, personally I think cost does not equal quality. But investing in a quality product can really make the difference! When cutting a cigar, you'll want to use a cutter of good quality that's going to swiftly and cleanly cut the capa. I use a Colibri V-Cut cigar cutter, typically, because I like the draw that it produces and the one I got has a solid feel that provides good control. For lighters, I have an engraved Zippo but prefer to use a Bic lighter, hand-wrapped in "Beeline"-brand beeswax-coated hemp. The hemp essentially acts as a wick, which I light with the lighter, and the flame burns very cleanly and it's much easier to control. It may not be the fanciest solution, but it's what I like and what works well for me.

Questions from the audience ranged from advice about fashion, to a conversation about women in the cigar industry, to inquiries about brand loyalty, and the evening wrapped up with networking and more wine. Big thanks again to Josh Habursky (pictured below in that killer suit!) for the invite, and definitely looking forward to other PCA events in the future! There was recently one called "An American Cigar Story" featuring Drew Newman of the J.C. Newman Cigar Co., discussing his newest all-American cigar. I look forward to seeing what's next!