Photo Credit: Bear Duplisea for Cigar Coop

2020 was definitely a quieter year for Foundation Cigar Company compared to previous years, but its an important year as Nicholas Melillo is celebrating five years at the helm of his own company. This year, Foundation brings a couple of brand extensions to the table, including one that commemorates the 5th anniversary.

For the 5th anniversary, Foundation is releasing the El Güegüense 5 Year Aniversario Collector’s Chest. El Güegüense was Foundation Cigar’s first release back in 2015. Produced at the Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) factory, the El Güegüense 5 Year Aniversario features a Nicaraguan Corona ’99 wrapper, a San Andres binder, and fillers from Jalapa and Estelí Nicaragua. The San Andres binder is unique in that this is not something often seen at TABSA. . The cigars will come in one shape, a limited edition 4 3/4 x 60 perfecto. Twenty cigars will be packaged in a collector’s chest resembling the one held by The Wise Man during Nicaragua’s Festival of San Sebastián Great Dance. Pricing is set at $300.00 per unit.

The Charter Oak brand receives an extension with the new Charter Oak Habano. Charter Oak pays homage to founder Melillo‘s home state of Connecticut where the Charter Oak tree is a historical symbol. The blend consists of a Habano Ecuador wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. There are six vitolas. Five of the vitolas are common to the Charter Oak Connecticut Shade and Connecticut Broadleaf lines. The sixth size, a torpedo, is unique to the Charter Oak Habano. Each size is presented in 20-count boxes except the torpedo which is presented in 50-count boxes.

Product Reports

Photo Credits: Foundation Cigar Company, except where noted