Today, we review the 2024 edition of the Wise Man Maduro in the Toro size from Foundation Cigar Company. Early last year, Foundation Cigar Company announced it would no longer be producing its El Güegüense and Wise Man Maduro lines at the Aganorsa Leaf factory. At the same time, it announced that El Güegüense was being rebranded as Wise Man Corojo (with Wise Man Maduro remaining the same). The blends for the old El Güegüense and Wise Man Maduro lines would be retired and replaced with two new blends under the Wise Man Corojo and Wise Man Maduro lines. What would also be significant about these new blends is that they would be Foundation Cigar Company’s first blends made at the My Father Cigars factory.

Foundation Cigar Company was founded in 2015 by Nicholas Melillo. When he launched the company, the first line he released was called El Güegüense. El Güegüense originates from the Nahuatl language, a Central American Indigenous language, and translates to “The Wise Man.” El Güegüense is also the name of one of Nicaragua’s earliest literary works.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Wise Man Maduro in the Toro size and see what this cigar brings to the table.

The Wise Man Maduro Toro by Foundation Cigar Company – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Wise Man Maduro, produced by the My Father Cigars factory, features a SanAndréss wrapper over Nicaraguan tobacco. As mentioned, the My Father Cigars blend of the Wise Man is different than the Aganorsa blend.

Wrapper: San Andrés Mexican
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
County of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Wise Man Maduro is available in four standard production sizes. Each comes in 20-count boxes.

Corona: 5 x 48
Robusto: 5 1/2 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Double Corona: 7 x 54

A Lancero size is also being added to the Wise Man Maduro line. The Lancero is slightly different from the rest of the line, as a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper replaces the San Andrés wrapper found on the other four sizes.

Appearance (*)

The San Andrés Mexican wrapper of the Wise Man Maduro Toro had a medium-roast coffee bean color. It wasn’t the darkest San Andrés wrapper I’ve seen, but it wasn’t the lightest either. There wasn’t much in the way of oils on the surface of this wrapper. Upon closer examination, a slight amount of toothiness could be seen on the wrapper. The wrapper had some thin veins, and most of the wrapper seams were minimally visible.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Wise Man Maduro Toro. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw had notes of cedar and cocoa with a touch of black cherry. For me, this was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of The Wise Man Maduro Toro and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Wise Man Maduro Toro opened up with notes of damp earth, cocoa, coffee, black cherry, and mineral notes. Early on, the cocoa and mineral notes took center stage. The damp earth was a close secondary note with the mineral, coffee, and black cherry more distant. The retrohale produced a combination of mixed pepper and cedar.

Toward the end of the first third of the Wise Man Maduro Toro, the mixed pepper notes emerged on the tongue. Going through the second third, the cocoa and earth remained primary, but as the cigar progressed, the damp earth notes became more prominent. Just before the midway point, the cocoa receded into the background, and the damp earth joined the mineral notes. Going into the second half of this cigar, the mineral and damp earth notes became more intense.

The final third saw the mineral and damp earth firmly in control. The mixed pepper was the next most prominent note. There were still some coffee notes and touches of black cherry. By this point, most of the cocoa had dissipated. This is the way the Wise Man Maduro Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The construction of the Wise Man Maduro Toro was excellent, as reflected in the burn and draw. The burn maintained a relatively straight line, and the burn also had a straight burn path. Minimal touch-ups were needed to maintain the straight burn. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side. The ash was silver-gray. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were ideal

Draw

The draw on the Wise Man Maduro Toro was pleasing, offering just the right amount of resistance that I personally enjoy. At the same time, it was easy to keep enjoying the flavor without any hassle.

Strength and Body

The Wise Man Maduro Toro opened with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. Both the strength and body increased early on. By the end of the first third, the flavors were medium to full-bodied, and by the midway point, the strength level also went medium to full. Ultimately, when it came to strength versus body, the body had the edge.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

In addition to updated blends, the new Wise Man Maduro and Corojo also received updated packaging. The Wise Man Maduro maintains the red-colored bands. Gone is the imagery of the El Güegüense story. These have been replaced by a cross patte (a type of cross motif). It’s a simplified packaging, and while I miss the old El Güegüense packaging, the new packaging works. The boxes of the Wise Man Maduro are painted red.

Packaging of the Wise Man by Foundation Cigar Company

The Wise Man Corojo also uses a similar design theme, but incorporates blue instead of red on the box and band.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Toward the end of the run of the Aganorsa-made Wise Man Maduro, several members of the Cigar Coop Coalition team noticed an increase in construction issues. The good news is that the Wise Man Maduro has excellent construction. The bad news is the flavor isn’t in the same league as the original Aganorsa version. The Aganorsa Leaf edition of The Wise Man Maduro is one of the most successful cigars in the history of cigar media’s end-of-year lists. This cigar isn’t at that level, and unfortunately, it really wasn’t a cigar I enjoyed. There was too much dankness and minimality in this blend. Ultimately, this is a cigar that I don’t see myself returning to.

Summary

Key Flavors: Mineral, Damp Earth, Cocoa, Coffee, Black Cherry, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Finish: Very Good