Nat Sherman International is realigning its portfolio of blends across three core brands, and giving the brands a face lift in the process. The New Jersey based company’s cigars’ blends are not changing, but the packaging will be updated to reflect the new branding strategy. According to Michael Herklots, Vice President of Retail and Brand Development for Nat Sherman, “This new branding approach ensures our products are positioned for continued growth in both the immediate and long-term future.”
Nat Sherman International’s Premium Cigar Portfolio will feature three core brands: Metropolitan, Timeless and Epoca. Metropolitan is a classic collection of premium cigars that embodies the most traditional expressions of their origins. The brand will feature the current Metropolitan Connecticut, Maduro and Habano blends as well as the company’s top selling Host and Host Maduro blends. Many of these blends were created more than 20 years ago, yet are painstakingly maintained year after year, and remain among Nat Sherman International’s best-selling cigars.
Timeless is a diverse collection of the company’s most inspired and award-winning blends. Timeless offers very unique blends, combining multiple countries of origin and seed varieties, vintages and leaf positions, to offer elaborate complexity with deliberate development of strength, flavor and aroma from shape to shape and start to finish. The Timeless lineup includes Prestige (formerly Timeless Dominican), Supreme (formerly Timeless Nicaraguan), Sterling and Panamericana.
Epoca made its return to the American market in 2014. Once owned by the company’s eponymous founder, Nat Sherman, it was a popular brand in America in the early part of the 20th Century. Considered a “Clear Havana”, it was originally made in New York City using Cuban tobaccos and a domestic wrapper. Today, Epoca replicates the look, feel and taste of what the brand once was.
Additionally, Nat Sherman’s tinned pipe tobaccos are available under the Metropolitan Brand, as Metropolitan Tabac, and their popular “Nat’s cigarillos” will now be offered as Timeless cigarillos. While each brand has its own look and feel, every cigar, no matter the blend or brand, features a secondary gold band indicating it is exclusively for Nat Sherman International.
“This realignment of our cigar brands offers a clearer picture of how our collection of products fit together.” said Michael Herklots, Vice president of retail and Brand Development. “Our manufacturing partners and blends all remain unchanged and as great as ever.” The new branding strategy will be debuted at the 2018 IPCPR Convention in Las Vegas and will begin shipping to retailers later this summer.