Today, we review The Tabernacle Knight Commander from Foundation Cigar Company. The Knight Commander is a limited-edition cigar measuring 6 3/4 x 52 in a perfecto shape, belonging to the Foundation’s Tabernacle brand. The name “Tabernacle” refers to a biblical resting place for the Ark of the Covenant, which is traditionally believed to be a wooden chest that holds the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. According to legend, the Ark is said to be located in Ethiopia, which adds a rich narrative connection to The Knight Commander’s story.

The Tabernacle Knight Commander is inspired by a significant accolade awarded to Nicholas Melillo, the owner of Foundation Cigar Company, by the Ethiopian Crown Council. Melillo was honored with the title of Knight Commander of The Ethiopian Star of Honor, an order established by Emperor Menelik in 1889. This order recognizes foreign and domestic civilian and military officials for their contributions to the Ethiopian Empire. Following his honor, Melillo committed to supporting philanthropic initiatives, with all proceeds from the sale of the Knight Commander being donated directly to charity.

The Knight Commander is Foundation’s most premium offering to date – coming in at $40.00 per cigar.

Let’s go ahead and break down the Knight Commander and see what this cigar brings to the table without further ado. This assessment is based on the 2024 release.

The Tabernacle Knight Commander by Foundation Cigar Company – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The blend features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder and fillers from Nicaragua’s Estelí and Jalapa regions. The cigar is produced at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. The boxes and banding for the Knight Commander are different than the rest of the core Tabernacle line.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Mexican San Andrés
Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí, Jalapa)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A

Vitolas Offered

The Knight Commander is offered in one size – a 6 3/4 x 52 Perfecto. Production is limited to 700 12-count boxes on an annual basis.

Appearance (*)

The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper of the Knight Commander had a rich chocolate brown color to it. There was a light sheen of oil on the surface of the wrapper. The wrapper itself also had a slightly silky complexion. There were some thin, visible veins. In addition, there also were some thin visible wrapper seams. The perfecto shape had a nozzle-shaped footer that was slightly opened. The head of the cigar had about 1/2 inch of tapering converging on a tip.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut was made to remove just over half of the tip of the Knight Commander. Once the tip was removed, I began the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw presented a blend of cocoa, earth, and baker’s spice, which I found to be pleasing and satisfying. It was now time to light the Knight Commander and discover what the smoking phase would bring.

Tasting Notes

The Knight Commander opened up with notes of mocha, earth, and baker’s spice. The mocha was a classic fusion of cocoa and chocolate. The mocha had more of an emphasis on its cocoa component early on as it quickly became the primary note. There was a combination of cedar and pepper on the retro-hale. The cedar and pepper soon emerged as a secondary note joining the earth and baker’s spice.

The latter part of the first third of the Knight Commander saw increased cedar and pepper. There also was an increase in the coffee component of the mocha. During the second third, the fusion of the mocha split into distinct coffee and cocoa notes, and the coffee notes became primary. The cocoa settled with the cedar, pepper, and baker’s spice. The second third also saw a slight increase in the baker’s spice.

As the final third commenced, there was another increase in the pepper notes. The pepper didn’t quite emerge in the forefront with the coffee notes, but it was now the most prominent secondary note. There still were notes of cocoa, cedar, and earth rounding out the flavor profile. This is the way the Knight Commander closed out. The cigar would finish up with a soft, cool nub.

Burn

A lot of times perfectos can be frustrating when it comes to the burn. This was not the case with the Knight Commander. The cigar required minimal touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and a straight burn line. The resulting ash was firm and had a light gray color. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.

Draw

The draw of the Knight Commander also performed excellently. It had a touch of resistance to it – which I like. On top of that, this cigar produced a nice amount of smoke.

Strength and Body

In my experience, the Tabernacle brand of cigars packs a punch, and the Knight Commander is only a bit less robust. The cigar started out with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. By the second third, it progressed to medium to full for both strength and body, where it remained for the duration of the cigar experience. Both the strength and body of the Knight Commander balanced each other out nicely, with neither attribute overpowering the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

The presentation of the Knight Commander is outstanding. Though it’s part of the Tabernacle brand, it has been given its own packaging – highlighted by the Ethiopian Star of Honor and the finished wooden boxes. I would prefer including a reference to The Tabernacle on the banding. However, this packaging is impressive—Foundation did an excellent job making it stand out and worthy of an ultra-premium cigar.

Packaging of the Tabernacle Knight Commander

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

In recent years, I’ve observed Foundation Cigar Company doing some great things. Regarding The Knight Commander, this is one of the finest cigars I’ve encountered from the company— and they’ve released many excellent options. This excellent Broadleaf blend lives up to blender/owner Nicholas Melillo’s moniker of “Chief of the Broadleaf.” It’s a cigar I’d steer toward a more experienced cigar enthusiast, but I would not discourage a novice from trying. Coming in at 91 points, it exceeds the Standard of Excellence threshold on Cigar Coop.

The $40.00 price point is steep, but this is an excellent blend with excellent packaging – plus, there is a charity component. Since this purchase exceeds $30.00, it falls under the “Splurge” or “Don’t Splurge” scenario. It was an easy decision in this case and is worth the splurge.

Summary

Key Flavors: Mocha (Coffee, Chocolate) Earth, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Finish: Very Good