Foundation Cigars

Founded less than a decade ago in 2015, Foundation Cigars has quickly found a home in humidors across the country, including my own. This incredibly popular boutique brand is headed by Nick Melillo, a Connecticut native who grew up amongst the vast fields of tobacco grown in the state. Before founding Foundation Cigars, Nick Melillo worked at the famous Drew Estate Cigars as a tobacco purchaser and blender, and that experience proved to be invaluable for Foundation Cigars.

Boasting a portfolio full of top-rated blends, Foundation Cigars found success by consistently providing quality blends with balanced, deliciously good flavors. Nick Melillo is also a huge history buff, and his passion for history shines through and inspires every blend in the Foundation Cigars portfolio. The cohesive theming combined with top-notch cigars has made Foundation Cigars a memorable household name.

Foundation’s first release was Foundation El Gueguense, launching to huge success and cracking into Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2016 list. El Gueguense, or “The Wise Man,” is inspired by an old Nicaraguan work that satirized the newly arriving Conquistadors. El Gueguense is a Nicaraguan puro brimming with vintage Cuban-seed tobaccos that deliver rich medium-full bodied flavors of leather, cedar, leather, and sweet toffee. Check out this cigar review for a closer look at El Gueguense!

2016 saw an expansion of the Foundation Cigars portfolio with the introductions of The Upsetters, The Tabernacle, and the Charter Oak lines, and all were well received. Charter Oak, a trio of affordable blends that cater to any aficionado, are some of the best cigars out there for the cost and are cornerstones of my weekly rotation.

Another big year for Foundation Cigars was 2018 when it released the top-rated The Wise Man Maduro. These gems are a maduro expression of El Gueguense that uses a top-quality San Andres Mexican wrapper in place of the Nicaraguan Corojo. The Wise Man Maduro delivers a bold medium-full bodied tapestry of chocolate, pepper, leather, coffee, and sweet cream that earned it the #3 cigar of 2018 from Cigar Aficionado. Take a look at this cigar review for a deeper dive on The Wise Man Maduro.

Foundation’s most recent release, Olmec, has swiftly won over the palates of discerning aficionados. This two-blend line honors the ancient Olmec people with the use of two unique Mexican San Andres wrappers, grown in the same area that the Olmecs once lived long ago. Be sure to check out Olmec and the rest of the Foundation Cigars lineup by ordering them online with Cigars.com!