This year, Foundation Cigars showed off three new products at IPCPR, all extensions of existing products. These included the Menelink, a previously event-only cigar, Tabernacle Havana Seed #142 lancero, a new size in the line, and the Highclere Victorian, a maduro followup to the previously Connecticut-shade wrapped Highclere Castle. All three of these products are now shipping to retailers.
The Menelik comes in one vitola, a soft-box pressed petit robusto that measures 4 1/2 x 52. It is finished with a pigtail, or culita, cap. It was previously only available as an event-only cigar and came in packs of 5 and unbanded. Now the cigar has a band and comes in a box of 20.
Tabernacle Havana Seed #142 was released in 2018, now this blend comes in a 7 x 40 Lancero. The lancero vitola has a higher wrapper to filler ratio, and Nicholas Melillo felt this was the perfect blend to showcase wrapper.
The Highclere Castle Victorian uses a Habano Ecuador maduro wrapper, which replaces the original shade-grown Connecticut wrapper. This newer version is said to be a full-bodied experience. The flavor profile of the cigar was created as a tribute to the style of cigars most popular during Victorian times, when smoking rooms became the fashion in grand country homes and castles.
