UPDATE: The following piece is a personal account of a visit to The Nat Sherman Townhouse in New York City in 2017. As of September 25th 2020, the iconic tobacconist closed its doors to the public for good. 

Located on 42nd Avenue a few blocks from Grand Central Terminal, The Nat Sherman Townhouse is a family operated business that has been selling a cigar experience to New Yorkers for over 85 years. Once stepping foot past the historic facade and into the main floor, the high ceilings,  art deco design and and rich dark wood interior immediately take you back to bygone era where tobacco reigned supreme and men wore suits and fedoras. Over the years, the historic townhouse has seen the likes of figures from Frank Sinatra to Humphrey Bogart hanging out. Even former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has his own locker downstairs. Though there’s a waiting list to be a member (the members lounge is situated downstairs), membership is not required to enter and enjoy a cigar or two on the main floor which has ample seating, conveniently-located ashtrays, cigar accessories galore and and assortment of incredibly unpretentious, helpful staff to personalize your experience you and make you feel welcome.  The Nat Sherman Townhouse is a very welcoming environment for any lover of the leaf.

A Warm Welcome

For my visit, I met with Lead Associate Cliff Gold, a smartly-dressed seasoned veteran of the Townhouse who’s love for cigars and zeal for life makes you feel right at home. Within minutes of arriving at Nat Sherman and meeting with Cliff, we were both inside their beautiful walk in humidor, chatting like we’ve known each other for years, while deciding on what I’d like prefer to smoke.  The humidor is always kept at a precise 70 degrees with almost a thousand cigars facing you, all ranging from about $5 to $50. I quickly settled on a thick ring-gauged Metropolitan Maduro, exclusive to Nat Sherman Cigars which would prove to be an excellent selection, complete with early pepper and earthy notes and becoming richer with some cocoa and wood once I hit the delightful 2/3 of the cigar. After deciding on a classic straight cut, I was off to the smoking races, nestled into a leather chair amongst the other men (and women!) who had made it a point to stop by and hit the pause button on the daily New York City grind with a nice cigar at Nat Sherman. Lively, boisterous and very frank conversation was in full swing, as is characteristic amongst congregating New Yorkers.

 For me, it was great to enjoy a nice cigar indoors (as it was the middle of January), which was a brief, relaxed bit of respite from winter. After awhile, Cliff took me on a personal tour of the Townhouse, which included meeting the other staff and members and getting to sift through some the many letters received by the Shermans for over the years, from the likes of George Burns, Sammy Davis Jr., and Humphrey Bogart to mention a few of many. Upstairs, the mezzanine that overlooks the main floor has a grand piano once played by Harry Connick Jr.. Lovely.

A Place For All Cigar Lovers

Cigar shops and lounges come in many different forms. Judging on it’s imposing exterior and bustling uptown location within Manhattan, one might easily think that Nat Sherman’s only caters to a ‘high-society’ breed of cigar smokers. This misconception couldn’t be further from the truth, as once you are inside – and whether you are a veteran cigar smoker, intermediate or wet-behind-the-ears novice to the hobby – all are made to feel completely welcome and relaxed as you shop and or smoke.

My stay, expertly and warmly curated by Cliff was a personalized cigar experience I will never forget – and I can’t wait to pop back in to do it all again real soon.

– Kurt Bradley