New Foundation Cigar Honors Nicaraguan Poet
Foundation Cigar Co. and its owner Nick Melillo are paying tribute to the cultural heritage of Nicaragua with a new brand that honors Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío. Named after his town of birth, the cigar line is called Metapa, and features a portrait of Darío on both the bands and boxes. The cigars will be on display in a couple of weeks at the PCA trade show, and will ship to retailers in the fall.
Wrapped in Ecuador Sumatra cover leaf—a first for Foundation—Metapa also consists of a Connecticut broadleaf binder and Nicaraguan filler. It’s offered in both Maduro and Claro, and comes in four softly-pressed sizes: Double Corona, measuring 7 inches by 54 ring gauge; Toro at 6 by 52; a 5-by-50 Robusto and Corona Gorda at 5 1/2 by 48. Suggested retail prices range from $14.50 to $18 per cigar, all of which come in 10-count boxes.
“Metapa is a tribute to the poetic soul of Nicaragua,” says Melillo. “The image of Rubén Darío is iconic; he is considered one of the greatest poets in the Spanish language. I have always wanted to make a brand in his honor, and I have always wanted to introduce a blend around Sumatra Ecuador wrapper. Metapa is the result.”
If you can’t find Metapa on a map, it’s because the town was renamed Cuidad Darío after the poet in 1920. It’s located in the Matagalpa region of northwest Nicaragua.
The cigars are made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez.
