PCA 2023: Foundation Cigar Co.

There was plenty of big news from Foundation Cigar Co. this year. In addition to numerous new releases shown off at the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show and signing with 1573 Cigars to distribute Foundation’s cigars in the United Kingdom, the company also opened a brand new office located on a 300-acre farm in Ellington, Conn.

As far as I can tell, the Foundation booth is the same as the one the company used last year—albeit with a slightly different layout—including the twin wood pyramids that tower over most other booths on the trade show floor. It is not only one of the largest booths on the floor but also one of the busiest; in fact, there was not one time that I passed by where every single one of the five tables was not occupied.

There is a very obvious personal vein running through the majority of the creations that Foundation released at PCA 2023. Two of the releases are based on cigars company founder Nicholas Melillo’s grandfathers enjoyed smoking, one cigar is named after a notable honor that Melillo was awarded last year by the Crown Council of Ethiopia, and one was inspired by one of Melillo’s favorite Nicaraguan poets.

Charter Oak Pasquale

The Pasquale is blended with a Connecticut shade wrapper to honor the cigars that one of Melillo’s grandfather preferred. According to Melillo, this cigar and the Pegnataro are made at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. and incorporate higher-priming tobaccos compared to the original Charter Oak lines in order to increase the amount of body in the blends.

• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Shade)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Charter Oak Pasquale (5 1/2 x 48) — $13 (Box of 12, $156)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Fall 2023

Charter Oak Pegnataro

The second of two cigars named after Melillo’s grandfathers, this time for the grandfather who loved smoking Connecticut broadleaf-wrapped blends.

• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Charter Oak Pegnataro (5 1/2 x 48) — $13 (Box of 12, $156)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Fall 2023

Metapa

This new blend is also being made at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. is named after the hometown of famed Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío, although that town has since been renamed to Ciudad Darío. Darío is considered the founder of modernismo, a Spanish literary movement focused on poetry that also included the Cuban poet José Martí.

• Wrapper: Equador (Sumatra)
• Binder: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Metapa Claro/Maduro Robusto (5 x 50) — $15.50 (Box of 10, $155)
• Metapa Claro/Maduro Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 48) — $14.50 (Box of 10, $145)
• Metapa Claro/Maduro Toro (6 x 52) — $16.50 (Box of 10, $165)
• Metapa Claro/Maduro Double Corona (7 x 54) — $18 (Box of 10, $180)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Fall 2023

The Tabernacle Knight Commander

Melillo was inspired to name this cigar Knight Commander after the Ethiopian Crown Council awarded him the title of Knight Commander of The Ethiopian Star of Honor last March, an order of Knighthood that was established to honor both foreign and domestic people for their service to the country of Ethiopia.

While the blend is the same as previous Tabernacle releases, the Knight Commanders were aged for an additional 15 months after being rolled. Foundation will also be donating all of its proceeds from the sales of Knight Commander cigars to Ethiopian charities in order to help with philanthropic initiatives like rebuilding churches and paying for scholarships. It too is made at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.

• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
• Binder: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

• The Tabernacle Knight Commander (6 3/4 x 52) — $40 (Box of 12, $480)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Fall 2023

Highclere Castle Senetjer (2023)

Released last year as a limited edition, the Senetjer will now become an annual release that will continue to be produced at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. It shares the same size and vitola as The Tabernacle Knight Commander, albeit at a price point that is $7 less than that cigar.

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Brazil (Mata Fina)
• Filler: Undisclosed

• Highclere Castle Senetjer (6 3/4 x 52) — $33 (Box of 12, $396)

Production: 500 Boxes of 12 Cigars (6,000 Total Cigars)

Release Date: November 2023