Vitola: Corona- 5.25” x 46 ring gauge
- MSRP ~$9.00
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
The Battle of the Broadleaves is on! Or I might have just been a little premature in declaring Connecticut Broadleaf the “Leaf of the Year” a couple years back…although it is my favorite wrapper varietal. It shouldn’t be a huge surprise to anyone that knows me, then, that I was pretty ecstatic about the announcements that both Steve Saka (Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust) and Nick Melillo (Foundation Cigar Company) would be producing Broadleaf blends this year…hey, guess what? Each of producing not just one new Broadleaf blend, but two! Holy hole-in-a-donut, Batman!
The first to show up at Burns was The Tabernacle from Foundation Cigar Company (actually it showed up the same day as the Charter Oak Maduro…they’re more budget-friendly Broadleaf, but I wanted to smoke this one first). I was able to smoke a Toro that was a show sample and that prompted me to pick up the Corona for this review. Here’s a little background on the make-up of this cigar from the company:
“They call me ‘Chief of the Broadleafs’ for a reason,” Melillo continues. “I have been working closely with farmers in Connecticut for over ten years. Broadleaf is more than tobacco for me. It is something sacred.”
On the outside, this cigar uses a CT Broadleaf wrapper, selected by Melillo for this project two years ago.
“AJ Fernandez has been meticulously fermenting this broadleaf wrapper and the combination of both of our passions for tobacco is dangerous.”
The Tabernacle also uses a San Andreas Mexico binder and filler from Jamastran Valley in Honduras, plus the Esteli and Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua.
There are 6 sizes available, although we only got 3 in at Burns initially. We started selling them pretty quickly and called up Foundation for a quick re-order before the Chattanooga Tweet-Up event…only to be told that they have sold out of everything available right now and won’t have more until next month. I say that to encourage you to pick them up if you see them…they will initially be in very short supply.
As indicated above, the cigars are made in the AJ Fernandez factory. This review sample is the second of the blend I’ve smoked and I bought it at Burns. Also of note, I wrote this article before I saw Steve Saka decrying the “competition” being ginned up by bloggers…Saka vs. Melillo!!! I want to put right up front that my writing about this “battle” is all in good fun…both men have a shared history at Drew Estate and it is a might coincidence that both have 2 Broadleaf ligas hitting the streets at the same time, but as far as which is better, ultimately YOU have to be the judge of that. Last year, I preferred Sobremesa to Gueguense, but I know plenty of people who are the opposite…and some people who inexplicably don’t like either.
Prelight
The artwork for this release is best explained by the company:
The Tabernacle box tells the story of the cigar’s name. The artwork features an image of none other than Haile Selassie, 225th King of Abyssinia, whose lineage traces directly to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The reference to “tabernacle” is as a container for the Ark of the Covenant.”
Truly, this is one unique-looking box and band. There’s a grayscale image on the band, trimmed in lots of gold foil and small red accents. The gold is very shiny under the lights and offsets from the dark wrapper leaf quite well. And the wrapper IS dark…almost unbelievably dark. It was a dark, dark chocolate or espresso bean shade of brown that gave up almost no oils to shine in the light, but I could feel the oiliness under my fingers. Really, having the leaf this dark might help in hiding the uglier aspects of most Connecticut Broadleaf.
The aroma from the wrapper was pure dark chocolate richness. The foot had a rich mix of earth and cedar, with slight hints of cocoa powder and coffee bean. The cold draw was very good; flavors pre-light were a mix of earth and unsweetened cocoa, along with touches of cedar and red pepper.
Flavor
Upon light, the Tabernacle displayed a very full body with a heavy, mouth-coating oily smoke. The flavors initially were of espresso bean, semi-sweet chocolate, and earth. Secondary flavors of cedar, tea and strong red pepper came in quickly after, while the retrohale was mostly just intensely peppery. Broadleaf blends are usually on the fuller-bodied side, but this stick was the most full-bodied Broadleaf I’ve had since maybe the Tatuaje Cojonu 2012 Reserva…and that applies to both the Toro and Corona vitolas of the Tabernacle.
As I got into the second third, the flavors of earth and cocoa powder were the most dominant. I got a slight dark fruit sweetness in the mix, while the pepper had subsided quite a bit.
The final third was dark earth and unsweetened cocoa with the hints of fruit sweetness around the periphery. A slight pepper burn resurged.
Construction
I had to touch up the burn a couple times, but nothing unexpected for a Broadleaf wrapper. The draw was excellent and the ash was solid the whole way.
Value
The price tag on these is fair for a relatively small production cigar with such a good flavor, especially in these FDA-regulated days.
Conclusions
The Battle of the Broadleaves kicked off in a fine manner with Nick Melillo’s Tabernacle. The cigar was full-bodied and strong without sacrificing a flavor that showcased the dark leaf. I would have preferred just a little more sweetness in the mix, but it was still quite pleasing from beginning to end. Coming very soon, we have a “Battle Part 1b” with Foundation’s “budget friendly” Broadleaf entry, the Charter Oak Maduro…and hopefully sooner rather than later, I’ll be delving into Dunbarton’s entries into the battle royale. One last note: long before I declare a preference as to which cigar is best for me, I can tell you who the ultimate winner of the Battle of the Broadleaves is: US. The Consumer…especially those like me who really dig Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
