Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are rescoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at The Tabernacle Goliath by Foundation Cigar Company. The Tabernacle is a cigar line we previously assessed in the David size back in March 2021.Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Mexican San Andres
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
Goliath: 5 x 58 (Perfecto)

In 2020, Foundation Cigar Company announced a pair of line extensions to The Tabernacle line. The line extension of these perfectos is called “David and Goliath.” Fitting in with the Tabernacle theme, the David and Goliath releases draw inspiration from the Old Testament. The story of David and Goliath is well known as the young shepherd (David) kills a Philistine Giant (Goliath) and eventually becomes King of Israel. The Tabernacle Goliath is a 5 x 58 perfecto while The Tabernacle David is a smaller 5 x 54 format. Today, we take a closer look at the Tabernacle Goliath.

Blend-wise, both the David and Goliath feature an analogous blend profile to the rest of The Tabernacle line. This includes a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Mexican San Andres binder, and a combination of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos. Like the remainder of The Tabernacle line, both the David and Goliath are produced at AJ Fernandez’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The David and Goliath are also each presented in 25-count boxes.

The David and Goliath extensions feature different bands from the rest of The Tabernacle line. The primary bands are highlighted by an image of David defeating Goliath. The secondary band features the vitola name and the size.

At the start of the smoking experience, The Tabernacle Goliath delivered notes of cocoa, red pepper, citrus, and earth. The cocoa and earth moved into the forefront while the citrus and pepper settled into the background. During the first third, some mineral notes surfaced in the background. By the second half, the earth notes took over as the primary note, and the pepper started to increase. The last third saw the cocoa notes re-emerge from the background, but both the pepper and cocoa didn’t quite displace the earth notes.

The flavors delivered were medium to full-bodied countered by medium to full strength. Throughout the smoking experience, The Tabernacle Goliath delivered a draw with the right amount of resistance. The burn did require several touch-ups along the way to keep a straight burn path and a straight burn line.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The ultimate question is whether it’s David vs. Goliath as far as a choice of perfecto with the Tabernacle line. Without question, the Goliath gets the edge here. I found the larger ring size offered a little more in the way of complexity. The Goliath didn’t deliver as prominent a mineral component on the flavor profile and I think that worked in favor of this blend – plus it gave it a little more boldness (something I thought the David needed). In the end, when you ask me David vs. Goliath vs. the Tabernacle Toro, the Tabernacle Toro still is going to get the edge for me. Like the David, I didn’t find the Goliath delivered the rich Connecticut Broadleaf flavors that I would expect from a Broadleaf line. In the end at $14.00, this is a cigar I’d recommend giving a try first and seeing if it hits your flavor profile.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Mineral, Cocoa, Citrus, Red Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good