2019 Cigar of the Year Countdown #15: The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 Toro by Foundation Cigar Company

“When it comes to the Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 Toro, this is a cigar that is going to excel in the most important category – flavor. Add in some excellent construction and the right amount of complexity, and it’s going to make for an excellent cigar experience. ”

Wrapper: U.S. Connecticut Havana Seed #142 Grown in Connecticut
Binder: San Andres Mexican
Filler: Nicaraguan (Estelí, Jalapa), Honduran (Jamastran)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez
Toro: 6 x 52
Price: $11.50
Review: Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 Toro by Foundation Cigar Company (4/12/19)
Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Brand): 2 (2017, 2019)

Coming in at #15 is The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 Toro by Foundation Cigar Company. Foundation Cigar Company was founded by Nicholas Melillo and is based in Connecticut. As Melillo has developed the brands in his portfolio, he has paid homage to both the country of Nicaragua (where he lived for many years) and his home state of Connecticut. As a part of paying homage to those countries, he also leverages tobaccos from those countries. The Tabernacle utilizes a Broadleaf wrapper from Connecticut. The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 uses a special hybrid Havana seed wrapper grown in Connecticut known as Havana #142.

The Havana Seed #142 wrapper of the Tabernacle Havana Seed No. 142 is grown in Connecticut. Since 2014, Melillo worked with farmers in the Connecticut River Valley on the plants produced by that seed. This seed was developed by combining the Havana Seed #38 with Havana Seed #1207 (also called Page-Comstock). In addition, there was an extended fermentation process used on the leaf grown from the Havana Seed #142 wrapper. The remainder of the blend of the Tabernacle Havana Seed No. 142 uses a San Andres binder and a combination of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos. The Toro size on the Countdown measures 6 x 52. Like the Connecticut Broadleaf Tabernacle, the Tabernacle Havana Seed No. 142 is produced at AJ Fernandez’s factory in Nicaragua.

The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 Toro lands Foundation Cigar Company on a Cigar Coop Countdown for the second time. This is the fourth cigar out of Tabacalera AJ Fernandez to land on this year’s list – and is the leader in the clubhouse in terms of a factory landing on the 2019 Countdown.

As you smoke The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 Toro, it delivers a mix of coffee, earth, red pepper, and orange sweetness with a nice amount of flavor transitions. The flavors are medium to full-bodied countered by medium strength.

One thing that makes the Cigar Coop Countdown unique compared to many Cigar of the Year lists is we look at how the cigar progressed over time throughout the year. In the case of The Tabernacle Havana CT No. 142 Toro, it smoked nicely when it first came out, but it is a cigar that has responded very nicely to aging – and as a result, it pulled itself into contention for a Top 15 spot on this year’s Countdown.