Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition

In 2019, Nat Sherman International introduced a new installment for the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA). The cigar would fall under the Timeless brand and was known as the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition. While this was the second blend released for the TAA by Nat Sherman, Nat Sherman was no stranger to the TAA. From 2015 through 2018, Nat Sherman had an ongoing release for the TAA with the Panamericana. The Panamericana was a cigar made in Nicaragua by Nat Sherman’s manufacturing partner Plasencia Cigars. For the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition, Nat Sherman turns to its other major manufacturing partner Quesada Cigars. Today, we take a closer look at the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition.

TAA Exclusive Series consists of cigars made by leading manufacturers that are exclusively sold at TAA member retailers. The TAA is a small group of retailers. At press time the number of retailers is approximately 80. The TAA has defined itself as:

The Tobacconists’ Association of America, Ltd. is a trade organization established in 1968 by visionary retail tobacconists. By providing education, communication, research, advocacy, and member discount programs, The TAA works with our members and the industry they support to offer the tools and relationship building opportunities needed to maximize professionalism and success.

There are 14 cigars released for 2019 as a part of the TAA Exclusive Series:

The 2019 TAA Exclusive Series

As mentioned, Nat Sherman has been a part of the TAA Exclusive Series since 2015. The Nat Sherman Panamericana was introduced in 2015 and was an ongoing TAA release through 2018. For completeness, here is the list of Nat Sherman’s TAA offerings

Without further ado, let’s break down the Timeless TAA Limited Edition 2019 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Timeless TAA Limited Edition 2019 is a Dominican Puro. As mentioned above, production comes out of the Quesada Cigars factory in the Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Quesada Cigars SA

Vitolas Offered

The Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition was offered in one size – a 6 x 49 Toro. The cigars were presented in 10-count boxes with a total of 1,500 boxes produced.

Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition Packaging; Photo Credit: Nat Sherman International

Appearance

The Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition has a dark coffee bean color with a dark Colorado tint to it. Upon closer examination, there is some subtle mottling that can be seen on the surface. There is a light coating of oil on the surface. The darker color of the wrapper does a good job at hiding the wrapper seams. There also were some thin visible veins on the surface.

There are three bands on the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition. The primary band has a blue and gold color scheme. The upper portion of the band is blue with gold font. On the center of the band is the Timeless logo that was introduced in 2018 surrounded by gold adornments. The lower portion of the band is gold with the text “LIMITED EDITION” in blue font.

The secondary band also has a blue background. The center of the band has the text “TAA” in gold font. Below it is the text “2019” in blue font on a small rectangular gold background. The left side of the band has the text “LIMITED” and the right side has the text “EDITION” – both in gold font.

The tertiary band is gold with the text “EXCLUSIVELY FOR Nat Sherman Intl” surrounded by black trim.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to commence the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition cigar experience. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The dry draw delivered a nice assortment of flavors including milk chocolate, leather, natural tobacco, and wood. In my opinion, this was a very good pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to light up the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The start of the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition delivered a mix of classic wood, coffee, mixed pepper, and a citrus note resembling a sweetened grapefruit. Early on the coffee and citrus notes moved into the forefront. The pepper and wood notes settled in the background. On the retro-hale, there was a layer of what I would categorize as an exotic spice.

During the second third, the coffee notes remained grounded in the background. The citrus notes slowly subsided into the background while the pepper notes increased in intensity. While the pepper increased, the notes remained in the background. Meanwhile the wood notes remained in the more distant background.

The final third didn’t see many changes. The coffee notes remained in the background complemented by the citrus, pepper, and wood. This is the way the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition scored very nicely when it came to the burn. The cigar maintained a straight burn path and maintained a relatively straight burn line. The cigar had a firm ash that had a near-white color to it. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both had ideal levels.

Burn of the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition

Draw

The draw to the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition performed quite well. The cigar had a touch of resistance – which if you read my assessments you would know this is my preference. At the same time, this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition delivered a medium strength, medium-bodied experience from start to finish. There was a slight amount of variance of both attributes during the smoking experience. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

There is a lot to like about the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition. It’s a cigar that I found to be a nice change of pace. This is a cigar that excelled in the most important category – flavor. On top of it, I found the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Edition to be a very well-balanced flavor profile. Over the years, there seems to be more underwhelming TAA releases, the Timeless TAA 2019 Limited Editon is a welcome addition to The TAA series. This is a cigar I would recommend to any cigar enthusiast any time of the day. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again – and it is one that garners box worthy consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Citrus, Wood, Assorted Pepper Spice
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good