The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No.142 Corona

Much like Patrick Lagreid last week, I was struggling to find a cigar in my redux box that made much sense to pick for this review. I then checked out halfwheel’s Release List page and saw the name of a cigar I hadn’t smoked in quite some time.

The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No.142 Corona was one of the original four sizes of the line that debuted in late 2018. It’s an extension to The Tabernacle, which was one of Foundation Cigar Co.’s first two broadleaf-wrapped cigars, but as the name implies, it uses Havana Seed CT No.142. Both lines use the same list of ingredients for the internal blend: a Mexican San Andrés binder over a filler of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos, though there’s less Honduran leaf in the No.142 than in the original blend.

There are three main types of cigar wrapper grown in Connecticut: shade, broadleaf and habano. This is the latter, a Cuban-seed tobacco that is grown in Connecticut. When Foundation announced this release, it made a point to reference the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), a state-run agricultural program that was founded in 1875 and still operates today. Given Connecticut’s history of growing tobacco, the CAES has a long history of developing different types of tobacco.

Here’s what I said when originally reviewed the cigar in February 2019:

My initial thoughts after smoking three Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No.142 Coronas is that I really want to try one of the larger vitolas. While the Corona was a very good cigar, and likely only a few burn issues away from being a top 25 candidate, I feel like the flavors were a bit stuck together at times. I enjoyed the profile, though I do wish there was a bit more contrast and transition particularly if you aren’t retrohaling. I’d like to smoke the other vitolas before I give a verdict about whether this line is better than the original Tabernacle, but if you want to know which Corona is better, it’s definitely the 142.

• Cigar Reviewed: The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No.142 Corona
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Havana Seed CT #142)
• Binder: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
• Length: 5 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 46
• Vitola: Corona
• MSRP: $9 (Boxes of 24, $216)
• Release Date: Dec. 3, 2018
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

I grabbed one of these out of the same box as the cigars from the original review. The cigar is very dark and quite rustic-looking thanks to the vein structure and oils. While the entire cigar has a dark brown, even nearly black color, the cap is a lighter shade. These cigars were not shipped in cellophane, so it’s not surprising that there’s barely a medium level of aroma, with scents of barnyard over acidity and a raisin-like sweetness. The foot is very different, medium-full in intensity with scents of cedar, floral flavors and hay. Cold draws are surprisingly sweet with bubble gum, floral flavors, straw and something that reminds me of the umami from black truffles. If I had a blindfold on, I’d guess this is Cuban based on the cold draw.

After a surprising cold draw, I don’t really have any expectations for the first puff. It’s very earthy with lots of hickory wood and some creaminess. In my notes, I immediately write that I’m concerned that this cigar might have been aged for too long. It’s not that the flavor is all gone, but there’s a sense of hollowness after the first initial burst of flavor and before the finish kicks in. Fortunately, what flavors are there are very present. The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No.142 Corona eventually settles into a mixture of semi-sweet wood flavors—hickory, cedar and oak—along with saltiness, black pepper, toastiness and touches of mineral and creaminess that remind me of a mushroom soup. The residual flavors during the finish include earthiness, cedar and black over creaminess and some metallic accents. Retrohales are much spicier thanks to an initial blast of red pepper followed by sweet cedar, creaminess, some saltiness and a mild leather flavor. The finish has red pepper and creaminess though sometimes it’s got the familiar woody flavor. Flavor is medium-full to full, body is full and strength is medium-full. Construction is excellent in every regard: easy draw, even ash and plenty of smoke production.

There aren’t many changes for most of the first half or so of this particular The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No.142 but eventually—around where the final third begins—I realize the woody flavors have given way to a dry nuttiness. The earthiness remains seemingly unchanged in both intensity and the types of flavor, so the change isn’t immediately apparent. In addition, there’s toastiness, leather and white pepper. The finish has a different earthiness—it has some charcoal accents and is sharper—along with lots of leather, black pepper, white pepper and creaminess. Retrohales have white pepper, the first signs of floral flavors, lime skin, earthiness and creaminess. The finish has earthiness and leather over creaminess and sunflower seeds. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. Construction remains excellent with no issues from start to finish. Speaking of start and finish, the cigar takes right around an hour and a half to smoke.