Category: Nicholas Melillo
Blind Cigar Review: Foundation | The Wise Man (El Güegüense) Maduro Corona
“The cigar for filled my appetite for a hearty smoke that would be great after any meal. It reminds me of one of my favorite cigars with a different wrapper and an amped up strength. I cannot wait to find out what it is so I can try the other sizes of this fabulous smoke.” -John A. (John A.)
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Cigar News: Foundation Announces The Wise Man (El Güegüense) Maduro
Windsor, CT – July 5 th , 2017 – Foundation Cigar Company announces the release of The Wise Man (El Güegüense) Maduro, for IPCPR 2017 in Las Vegas, NV. The release provides for a line extension to Foundation’s premier brand released during IPCPR 2015, where the Nicaraguan puro enjoyed a highly successful launch, going on to find inclusion in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 list for 2016.
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Cigar News: Foundation Cigar Announces Highclere Castle Exclusive Cigar
June 20, 2017 (Highclere Castle, Hampshire, England/Bristol, Connecticut, USA) – Globally recognized as the iconic face of the award-winning television drama, Downton Abbey , Highclere Castle is now producing a cigar reminiscent of those enjoyed at Highclere Castle during the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. To create and produce the cigar, Highclere Castle Cigar Company has partnered with world-renowned cigar producer Nicholas Melillo, the former head of Drew Estate Nicaragua. Nicholas formed Foundation Cigar Company in 2015 to craft hand-made
cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua, and this is the latest in Foundation’s exceptional line.
Cigar News: Foundation Cigar Company Introduces Collector’s Limited Edition Chest
June 12, 2017 Windsor, CT – Experiment Station: There is no question that Foundation Cigar Company is intimately tied to the Connecticut River Valley, but their newest offering has taken this love to the next level. To commemorate and honor the great state of Connecticut and its tobacco tradition Foundation Cigar Company has created for release, a very limited number of Chest Collector “Humidor” Boxes that will be available in stores. “We wanted to honor those predecessors who brought the leaf to the state, worked with different varieties and really put Connecticut on the map with regards to tobacco. We’re talking about hundreds of years of experimentation to arrive at the incredible point where we are today,” said Nick Melillo, President of Foundation Cigar Company.
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Blind Cigar Review: Foundation | The Tabernacle Toro
“It’s been a while since I had a cigar that I felt was truly extraordinary, and that dry spell has been broken! This cigar is firmly in my wheelhouse in all areas. The flavors were deep and meaty, the performance excellent, and the strength was just enough to pair with any meal or beverage that I’d want to enjoy it with. This probably isn’t something I’d push off on a new smoker, but really…I liked it so much that I’d be hard pressed to share it with anyone. Can’t wait for the reveal on this!” -Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
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IPCPR: 2016 – Foundation Cigar Co. Plus Nick Melillo Interview
Nick Mellio and Foundation Cigar Co. were showing off three new releases that this year’s IPCPR Trade Show: The Tabernacle, Charter Oak, and The Upsetters. You can read the original press releases by clicking on the respective names.
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Cigar News: Foundation Cigar Co. Announces Charter Oak
July 18, 2016 – Southbury, CT – Foundation Cigar President Nick Melillo announces the completion of his newest brand, Charter Oak, set for release at the 2016 IPCPR Show in Las Vegas.
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Cigar News: Foundation Cigar Company Announces The Tabernacle
“Broadleaf is more than tobacco for me. It is something sacred.”—Nick Melillo July 13, 2016 – Estelí, NICARAGUA – The Tabernacle is Foundation Cigar Company’s newest super premium cigar, boasting a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and some of Nicaragua’s finest fillers. It is a combination of tastes that calls on founder Nicholas Melillo’s roots in the Connecticut River Valley and also his work with the finest artisanal tobacco batches in Nicaragua.
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Cigar News: Rick Ardito Joins Foundation Cigar Company
Southbury, CT – July 8, 2016 – Rick Ardito has officially joined Foundation Cigar Company as Brand Manager, for the highly anticipated July 2016 release of Nick Melillo’s exciting new brand, “The Upsetters.” Ardito brings a wealth of knowledge and valuable experience to the project backed by nearly two decades of industry experience beginning with Drew Estate in 1997, retiring in 2010 as both a Partner and Executive Vice President of Public Relations. Ardito also served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for 7-20-4 Cigar Company from 2012-2015. Prior to the cigar industry Ardito served 8 years as a Cryptologist for the United States Marine Corps. Upon leaving the Corps Ardito began a career in comedy performing mainly from NYC to Miami Florida, residing in both cities during the 1980’s and 1990’s, moving back to his home state of CT in 1995 becoming a successful Restaurateur in New Haven.
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Cigar News: Miami Cigar to Distribute Upsetters by Foundation
Southbury, CT July 5th, 2016 – Nicholas Melillo, owner of Foundation Cigar Company formally announces the appointment of Miami Cigar Company as the Exclusive Distributor for the long awaited UPSETTERS brand set for release just prior to the 2016 IPCPR Show in Las Vegas.
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Cigar News: Foundation Cigar Company Announces “The Upsetters”
Foundation Cigar Company has announced its second line known as “The Upsetters”, a blend of Jamaican and Nicaraguan fillers which is a travel story itself, documenting Melillo’s endless trips to tobacco fields and curing barns. While Foundation’s first brand, El Güegüense was a Nicaraguan puro that paid homage to the culture of Nicaragua
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Top 25 – 2015
Voting Process
Each of our 16 panelists were given 10 votes to cast. Our list is made up of cigars that were RELEASED in 2015. The cigars that are eligible do not have to have been reviewed on Blind Man’s Puff, but the panelist must have smoke it at some point themselves.
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