Foundation Cigar Co. Rebrands Metapa as Aksum
Foundation Cigar Co. has announced that its Metapa line has a new name, as it is now being called Aksum.
The new name gets its inspiration from the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, and is now named for an ancient city and kingdom that existed from approximately 150 BC to 960 AD. Aksum—the city and kingdom—is located in East Africa and South Arabia, in modern-day Northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. On its website, Foundation Cigar Co. writes that “according to local legend, the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Aksum by Menelik the First, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. To this day, one priest guards the Ark his whole life, day and night.”
The packaging gets an update as well, as the image on the box and band of Aksum is that of Haile Selassie’s father, Ras Makonnen, who lived from 1852-1906. According to a press release from Foundation Cigar Co., Makonnen was once governor of a more modern-day Aksum, though other sources list him as as the governor of Harar from 1887-1906 after it was incorporated into the Ethiopian Empire by his cousin, Emperor Menelik II.
“The decision to rebrand reflects a deeper connection to the brand’s inspiration—the Ark of the Covenant—and its symbolic journey,” the company wrote in a press release.
The blends of the line remains the same, using an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper in both claro and maduro options, with a Connecticut broadleaf binder and fillers from Nicaragua’s Jalapa and Estelí regions. It remains available in four sizes, all of which get a soft box press:
- Aksum Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 48) — $14.50 (Box of 10, $145)
- Aksum Robusto (5 x 50) — $15.50 (Box of 10, $155)
- Aksum Toro (6 x 52) — $16.50 (Box of 10, $165)
- Aksum Double Corona (7 x 54) — $18 (Box of 10, $180)
The Metapa line debuted in October 2023 and was named for the hometown of famed Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío, although that town has since been renamed to Ciudad Darío. It featured an image of Darīo on its band, with Nicholas Melillo, founder of Foundation Cigar Co., calling the cigar “A tribute to the poetic soul of Nicaragua.”
The Aksum line will begin shipping to retailers later this week, and will also be featured at the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show in late March.
Patrick Lagreid
I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.
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