Tabernacle

Tabernacle

Strength: 5 / 5
Size:  Toro (6 x 52)
Origin: Nicaragua
Price (local): $14.50
Wrapper: Maduro
Flavor Text:

Dark, decadent, and super delicious

Like many of us, Foundation Cigar Co. Founder Nick Melillo has a strong connection to his home - in his case, that’s Connecticut. Which means, he has fondness for Connecticut tobaccos - especially the Broadleaf variety. He went biblical with his latest release, The Tabernacle and blended a seriously epic cigar.

Crafted at AJ Fernandez’s La Soledad farm in Estelí, Nicaragua, Tabernacle is dressed in dark, oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Beneath the sheets, you’ll find fillers from Estelí and Jalapa Valley. Deep and hearty notes of cocoa, leather, and black pepper make this cigar a divine offering from Foundation, with all the strength you'd expect from an AJ blend. 

The Tabernacle recently earned a well-deserved 90-rating, noting, "It offers notes of rich woods, cocoa, and a hint of salt and pepper. The finish is long and sweet."

I had a Tabernacle many months ago, my first sample of this very powerful cigar. I was celebrating a special day with a close friend of mine, and as he was buying our smokes for that day, naturally, I made sure to grab something I wasn't as familiar with. I had a choice of Maduro, Broadleaf Conn. and regular Conn., and the choice for me is always clear: it's Maduro every time. Maduro wrappers have a natural sweetness to them that I have come to love and appreciate, and I find their taste to combine very well with what the natural flavor of the tobaccos offer. It's an amazing combination, especially when combined to form the Maduro Tabernacle.

This cigar is a load. Truly. It is very powerful! It starts out strong and that intensity carries through the remainder of the cigar. I loved this cigar for quite a few reasons, but the strength and flavor profile is paramount to why I liked it so much. A neat thing about it was that this cigar was stiff to the point that I thought it was stale, but to my surprise, the taste was fresh and the draw was completely uninhibited. I was surprised that I was able to draw so well off of this one, given that there was no actual 'give' to this cigar when given a little press, but the construction was flawless and at no signs did it ever show me anything that gave me cause to worry.

There is a sweet earthiness to this cigar, and plenty of black pepper to back it up. You'll find that a lot with some of the market's stronger cigars, but behind it lurks some rich leather as well, and a nice, toothy aromatic smoke. This cigar combines pretty much everything that there is to love about a powerful cigar to form the Tabernacle. It's another AJ cigar, so that means it is full of some of the richest Nicaraguan tobacco that AJ has to offer with a shimmering, oily wrapper to keep it all together. I love this cigar for the fact that it is powerful, knows what it wants to do, and mixes flavors perfectly with a brilliant and tasty wrapper.

I wouldn't actually recommend this one to anyone who likes a mild smoke; it's almost impossible for you to like this one if you prefer the milder stuff. However, if you fancy a tough, toothy cigar with a great taste, especially from the wrapper, this is the one for you. Pricey, but worth the investment if you want a memorably strong experience from your next cigar. Try it.

Happy smoking! CB