In 2021, Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott launched Ferio Tego Cigars. A big part of the story was that Herklots and Scott had acquired the brands formerly owned by Nat Sherman International. The other side of the equation was that they would also be launching two cigars under the Ferio Tego name. These cigars are Ferio Tego Generoso and Ferio Tego Elegancia and are intended to be annual limited-production cigars. Several weeks ago we took a look at the 2021 release of Ferio Tego Generoso. Today we take a closer look at the Ferio Tego Elegancia.

Each of the two Ferio Tego blends is produced by a long-time manufacturing partner of the former Nat Sherman brands – Generoso is made at the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua while Elegancia comes out of the Quesada factory in Nicaragua. Both releases are intended to be more-premium offerings in the Ferio Tego portfolio. In terms of sales and distribution, Davidoff of Geneva is handling this in the U.S. for all Ferio Tego cigars including these new offerings and the legacy offerings that came over from Nat Sherman.

The first release of the Ferio Tego Generoso and Elegancia came out last Fall. Recently, the 2022 edition was announced. These cigars will feature the same blends. In terms of the experience, Herklots has said “each year, these two blend experiences are crafted in a way that is consistent in their respective style, but also offers an opportunity for creativity, allowing for some uniqueness from one year to the next.”

Without further ado, let’s break down the Ferio Tego Elegancia and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Ferio Tego Generoso consists of a shade-grown wrapper out of Honduras over a blend of all-Nicaraguan tobaccos. As mentioned, the Generoso comes from the Quesada’s TABADEX factory located in the Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Shade Grown Claro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: TABADEX (Quesada Cigars Factory)

Vitolas Offered

The Ferio Tego Elegancia 2021 was released in one size – a 6 x 50 Toro. The cigars are packaged in ten-count units that can be reused as a travel humidor. The same size and packaging were also used for the recently launched Ferio Tego Elegancia 2022.

Appearance

The Ecuadorian wrapper of the Ferio Tego Elegancia had a classic light brown color to it. There was a light coating of oil on the surface. There were a few veins and a few visible wrapper seams, but overall the wrapper was smooth and was definitely worthy of the name “Elegancia.”

There are three bands on the Ferio Tego Elegancia. The primary band is black and gold. It consists of the Ferio Tego coat of arms on a black field surrounded by a gold ring. The upper part of the band is mostly gold. On the left and right sides of the upper portion of the band is the text “FERIO” and “TEGO” respectively. The lower part of the band is mostly black.

The secondary band rests just below the primary band. This is a mostly gold band with some white design elements. The most prominent of these design elements is a white oval with the text “ELEGANCIA” in gold font.

The third band is a footer band that is mostly black with gold design elements. The most prominent of these design elements is a gold oval with the text “2021” in gold font.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the Ferio Tego Elegancia, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw was pretty straightforward for a Connecticut Claro cigar as notes of cream, citrus, cedar, and hay were delivered. Overall this was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band, toast up the Ferio Tego Elegancia and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Ferio Tego Elegancia continued with the cream, citrus, cedar, and hay notes that were present on the pre-light draw. The difference was there was a vanilla note that was also present. The vanilla notes moved to the forefront with the cream, citrus, cedar, and hay going into the background. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of vanilla on the retro-hale.

As the Ferio Tego Elegancia moved into the second third, the citrus notes joined the vanilla notes in the forefront and then took over as the primary sole primary note. By the second half, some of the hay notes along with some earth notes moved into the forefront. Some mixed pepper notes also emerged in the background. These pepper notes joined the vanilla on the retro-hale. Toward the latter part of the second third, the earth and hay notes were primary. These were rounded out by the cream, citrus, cedar, vanilla, and pepper notes.

There wasn’t much of a change in the final third. The earth and hay notes remained primary. The cedar and pepper notes were a little more prominent than in the previous third. Meanwhile, the citrus, cedar, and vanilla notes rounded out the flavor profile. By this stage, the cream notes present throughout the first two-thirds had dissipated. This is the way the Ferio Tego Elegancia came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn to the Ferio Tego Elegancia performed excellently. This cigar maintained a straight burn line and a straight burn path requiring very few touch-ups. The resulting ash was silver-gray in color. This was an ash on the firmer side. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.

Draw

The draw to the Ferio Tego Elegancia performed excellently as well. This had a touch of resistance to it – which is something that I like. This was also a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The Ferio Tego Elegancia is a dialed-back cigar. This is a cigar that started out with mild strength and mild to medium-bodied favors. There was a small increase in the intensity of both attributes, but in the end, the cigar remained in the mild strength, mild to medium-bodied ranges. In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained a slight edge.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Elegancia seems to be the perfect name for this cigar. As mentioned, it is a dialed-back smoke, but it is by no means short of flavor. In fact, the flavor is where this cigar shines. The flavors are nuanced but very much present. Add on top of it that this cigar has a nice amount of complexity and impeccable construction and this is how you determine if a cigar reaches the Standard of Excellence level. When I smoked the other Ferio Tego blend, the Generoso, I noted how the blend responded to some short-term aging. I would also put the Ferio Tego Elegancia into that category. A solid score of 90 makes this cigar one to recommend to any cigar enthusiast and one that I certainly would buy and smoke again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Vanilla, Cream, Citrus, Cedar, Hay, Earth, Mixed Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium to High
Strength: Mild
Body: Mild to Medium
Finish: Very Good