Foundation Celebrates 10 Years With Anniversary Cigar
Ten years is an important anniversary in any industry. This is especially true in the cigar world, so Foundation Cigar Co. is celebrating a decade in business with the Foundation 10 Year Aniversario. It’s a large Salomon-style smoke made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez and features a hybrid wrapper grown in Connecticut. Those going to the PCA trade show next month will get an advanced look at the cigars before they ship later this year.
The double-tapered Aniversario cigars measure 7 inches long by 58 ring gauge at their fattest point. Dark and imposing, these figurados are covered in a wrapper from the Nicholas Melillo says is a hybrid between broadleaf and Habano seeds. Underneath is a Brazilian Mata Fina binder that holds together an entirely Nicaraguan filler blend, a combination of tobaccos from Estelí, Jalapa and Condega. The Nicaraguan components are grown by A.J. Fernandez.
The cigars will be pricey, $35 each, or $350 per box of 10. Foundation is only producing 2,000 of these boxes. An even more limited, 20-count box geared toward collectors will also be released for $700 (750 boxes total). Both are adorned with the biblical image of St. George slaying a dragon. Melillo says that this artistic choice was made to “represent the many challenges faced in the cigar industry and the journey of overcoming obstacles as a business owner.”
While the cigars will be previewed at the trade show in New Orleans, they won’t be released until late summer or early fall.
“This cigar is not just a celebration of 10 years in the industry,” Melillo says. “It’s a tribute to the ion, hard work and relentless dedication it takes to build something meaningful.”
