Ferio Tego Metropolitan 30 Years

In the cigar industry, new blends are created for numerous types of anniversaries: when a company was founded, dates of important occasions for the company or its founders, even birthdays. However, most cigar lines cannot trace their roots back three decades, so when a brand turns 30 years old, it is not exactly a surprise when a new cigar is created to commemorate the occasion.

Metropolitan is one such brand: it was developed in the mid-1990s and debuted in either 1995 or 1996 with Connecticut and maduro blends made by the Quesada family for Nat Sherman. Over the years, a habano version was introduced in 2016, while the Host lines, which use sweetened caps, became incorporated into the Metropolitan Selection umbrella in 2018.

Shortly before that, in early 2017, Altria acquired Nat Sherman from the Sherman family. The tobacco giant was interested in its cigarette business, and while the cigar portfolio remained, in 2020, Altria wound down Nat Sherman’s cigar business. Two former Nat Sherman employees—Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott—ended up acquiring the rights to most of the intellectual property of Nat Sherman’s cigar portfolio, though the one name the pair didn’t acquire was the Nat Sherman name itself.

Herklots and Scott introduced their new company, Ferio Tego, in early 2021 and later that year, Ferio Tego announced that it was bringing back the Metropolitan lines, shipping them in January 2022.

Earlier this year, Ferio Tego announced it would be releasing a new blend to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Metropolitan. The aptly named Ferio Tego Metropolitan 30 Years is a 6 x 50 toro with a blend that uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper, a Dominican binder and a mix of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. The cigars are produced by the Quesada family at their Tabacos de Exportación (TABADEX) factory in the Dominican Republic.

Production is limited to 2,500 boxes of 10 cigars made, for a total of 25,000 cigars. Pricing is set at $135 per box and $13.50 per cigar.

“The Metropolitan blends have been enjoyed for generations,” said Micheal Herklots, co-founder of Ferio Tego, in a press release. “For many consumers and retailers alike, it was a first cigar, a go-to cigar, and often a celebratory cigar. That kind of loyalty and affection only happens when consistency remains core to the brand. When a blend is trusted, familiar, and respected over time, it becomes part of people’s personal history. After more than 30 years—and with a bright future ahead—that is certainly cause for celebration.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Ferio Tego Metropolitan 30 Years
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacos de Exportación
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $13.50 (Box of 10, $135)
• Release Date: February 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: 2,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

I love the look of the wrappers, medium brown with light red highlights, combined with the black, gold and white colors used on the bands of the Ferio Tego Metropolitan 30 Years. The third cigar is harder, while the second cigar has a huge soft spot just under the secondary band. The first cigar has the most veins of the trio, while the third cigar is smoother and more elastic wrapper compared to the other two. A sweet woodiness leads the aromas emanating from the wrappers, followed by earthiness, barnyard, leather, white pepper and a touch of a vegetal scent. That sweet but generic woodiness also dominates the scents coming from the feet of the first and third cigars—the second cigar is led by a creamy nuttiness instead—followed by creamy cedar, stone crackers, herbs, earth and light but generic sweetness. After straight cuts, the cold draws bring flavors of peanut butter, charred meat, honey sweetness, white bread, nutmeg and cedar.

Light spice, a bit of white pepper and anise all combine to start off each of the three Ferio Tego Metropolitan 30 Years cigars, and while there is more spice on the first cigar, the second cigar has slightly more of the anise flavor. Main flavors of creamy roasted peanuts and cedar emerge slowly—more peanuts in the second cigar, more oak in the first and third cigars—followed by additional flavors of toasted bread, chalk, coffee grounds, nutmeg, earth and light leather tack. On the finish, there is a small amount of anise as well, but it is not really strong enough to make much of an impact on the profile as a whole. The retrohale is smooth, with white pepper and a light bready graham cracker sweetness that seems to be getting a touch stronger as the first third burns down. Flavor is full, the body falls midway between mild and medium, and the strength is just under the medium mark. In terms of construction, the first and second cigars both need a minor touch-up to stay on track, but the third cigar is fine in that regard.

By the second third, the main profiles include toasted bread and cedar. Secondary flavors of roasted peanuts, gritty earth, powdery cocoa nibs, dry hay and coffee beans flit in and out, while the finish on all three cigars still has a light anise note. Although the amount of white pepper on the retrohale remains fairly consistent with what was present in the first third, the sweetness on the second cigar has changed to a light vanilla flavor, while the other two cigars stick with the bready graham cracker sweetness. Flavor remains at full, the body increases to land at a point under medium and the strength hits a solid medium. The second and third cigars need a burn correction after the halfway point, but those are the only construction issues.

Cedar and toasted bread continue to top the profiles of all three cigars, but the roasted peanuts note is not far behind, especially in the second cigar. Additional flavors include coffee beans, baker’s spices, dark chocolate, chalk and dried tea leaves, while the retrohale on all three cigars now features a similar combination of white pepper and a slight honey sweetness. There is still some anise on the finish, but it has become so light that it seems to disappear at times. Flavor ends at full, the bumps up to a solid medium and the strength remains at a solid medium. My first cigar needs a quick touch-up with my lighter to stay on track, but the other two have no construction issues, with plentiful smoke and excellent draw resistance.

FInal Notes

• According to the company’s website, Ferio Tego loosely translates to strike and defend from Latin. In fact, Ferio Tego is the Herklots family motto and appears on the Herklots family coat of arms, the design of which was inspired by an image of Hercules striking a Hydra.
• This would make an excellent cigar for someone who has smoked a few lighter cigars and is looking for a slightly stronger blend with plenty of flavor.

• I will run into a cigar with very obvious holes in the middle of the filler every once in a while, but my second cigar for this review actually developed a small hole on the side of the cigar next to the wrapper, the first time that has happened to me that I can recall. With that said, it was not a very deep hole and the construction did not suffer as far as I could tell.
• I photographed a portrait of Michael Herklots in New York when he still worked at Nat Sherman.

• As you can see by the photograph above, a massive amount of glue was used to attach the bands to these cigars. While I was able to carefully remove my bands with no damage, it took a bit of patience, and just be aware you might have an issue if you smoke these cigars.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• These cigars are listed as being 6 x 50 vitolas. Above are the measurements we took when we measured them.
• The final smoking time averaged out to two hours and five minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Ferio Tego Metropolitan 30 Years cigars, site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. sells them on its website.

Dominican Republic
Ferio Tego
Ferio Tego Metropolitan
Ferio Tego Metropolitan 30 Years
Tabacos de Exportación
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