Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $10.50
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
The original Tabernacle blend came out in 2016. Sporting a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers and a Mexican San Andres binder, I always thought of the blend as Nick Melillo’s updated take on the Liga Privada #9 blend, which he was instrumental in creating. I guess, then, it should be no surprise that the extension of the Tabernacle branding uses a “Havana Seed Connecticut” wrapper, which is at least nominally similar to the Liga Privada T52’s Stalk-Grown Connecticut Habano. Of course, since Nick is from Connecticut and Foundation is based there, it could just simply be about celebrating the tobacco grown in his home state.
At any rate, the Foundation Cigar Company’s website has this to say about the blend:
Master blender, Nicholas Melillo, has been working with choice farmers in the Connecticut River Valley since 2014 to develop the Havana Seed CT #142 wrapper. The seed is extremely rare and unlike any other tobacco in the world. Due to the incredible amount of oil from the plant, it takes 3yrs to undergo the fermentation process. The results make for a delicious medium to full-bodied blend with hints of cedar, spice, rich earthiness and natural sweetness.
The blend makeup of this release is very similar to the original Tabernacle, with Nicaraguan and Honduran Jamastran fillers, along with the Mexican San Andres binder. I was told by a rep, though, that this blend is totally different, and after smoking both I have no reason to doubt it.
I have smoked several of these in both Corona and Robusto sizes. To be honest the first one I smoked did not have any wow factor for me at all…but it had just showed up at the shop that week. I waited a couple weeks and smoked it again…and it was like a totally different cigar. I should know better by now, but it’s hard to resist smoking something the moment we open it up…it’s much better to wait a week or two to let the cigars acclimate properly. I bought this review sample at Burns Tobacconist.
If your local shop doesn’t carry this blend, Small Batch Cigar and Cigar and Pipes both do…they are both Leaf Enthusiast sponsors.
Prelight
The boxes for the Tabernacle Havana Seed CT are very similar to the original Tabernacle boxes, being just a plain stained wood with a one-color cliche burned into the lid and sides. The artwork on the top of the box is a slightly different view of Haile Selassie, the 225th emperor of Ethiopia. The original bands had the same side view as the original box lid, with the image rendered in black and white, with plenty of gold foil and black ink surrounding it all. The new bands has the new image in color, surrounded by red ink and gold foil. It’s immediately identifiable as being related to the original, but has a totally new and different appearance. It’s rare that a line extension of any kind improves on the packaging of the original in any way—usually they are just “different,” not really “better”—but this is one of those instances.
The wrapper leaf was a dark chocolate brown color with some lighter mottling in places and a very oily feel to it. Underneath the oiliness, there was also some sandpaper toothiness. The leaf had a rich natural tobacco aroma, with notes of wood, earth, and leather. The foot of the cigar was earthier, with touches of cedar in the mix, as well.
Once I clipped the head, I got an excellent test draw that tasted of wood and earth, with a slightly leathery overtone.
Flavor
The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT #142 (I’m just going to refer to it as “Tabernacle 142” from now on) burst into life with a thick cloud of oily medium-to-full-bodied smoke. There was a ton of woodiness at the outset, along with earth and black pepper. On the nose I got leather and red pepper heat. While not as full-bodied as the original Tabernacle release, the 142 has a unique and rich flavor. About 10 minutes into the first third, I started picking up sweet and salty flavors, while the cedar faded a bit.
The second third had notes of cinnamon taking over for the cedar flavor. There was earth and citrus and leather and black pepper all playing around in the background. On the nose, I got some cedar and roasted nuts, along with a touch of black pepper.
The final third of the Tabernacle 142 had more earth with cinnamon flavor receding. There was still some sweetness in the background along with a peppery accent.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line and solid ash the whole way.
Value
The Tabernacle lines are slightly above average price, but deliver a great flavor profile, so I think they are worth it.
Conclusions
The Tabernacle 142 was an excellent cigar with tons of complexity. I had notes of earth, leather, cinnamon, cedar, citrus and pepper among others along the way, exceeding the complexity of the T52 that could be considered a precursor of this cigar. Of note is that this cigar is less expensive than the earlier Connecticut Habano-wrapped stick. While I prefer the original Tabernacle in most instances, this is a fantastic addition to the line.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
