Foundation Cigar Company is refreshing the packaging of their infused Jamaican line, Upsetters. Upsetters was first shown off at the 2016 IPCPR trade show and convention. The brand is inspired by the Jamaica’s musicians and created by Nick Melillo's love for Jamaican tobacco and their culture. These new designs for the Upsetters were done by Foundation's in-house creative laboratory, The ATOL Collective and were inspired by Jamaican album covers from the 1960's.
Foundation Cigars has announced that ATOL will become Foundation's new creative team and will debut their work at their year's IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas 2018.
"The cigar started out great with notes of wood and nuts. There was a overlying sweetness to the whole cigar that kept it all as one but had nice transitions throughout. The cigar kept me interested and waiting to see what the next third would be like. The draw was a little loose but I was getting an adbundance of smoke that was neither airy or light. " -Matt (Mattehh)
AJ FernandezAllAVOCaldwellCamachoCarson SerinoClaudio SgroiCornelius & AnthonyCrowned HeadsDavidoffDominican RepublicDon Pepin GarciaDrew EstateDunbarton Tobacco & TrustErik EspinosaFeaturedFred ReweyH. UpmannHector Alfonso Sr.Hendrik KelnerHondurasIPCPRJaime GarciaJon HuberJonathan DrewMy FatherNicaraguaNicholas MelilloNomadPete JohnsonRobert CaldwellRobert HoltRoMa CraftSerinoSkip MartinSouthern DrawSteve SakaTatuajeTop 25Willy Herrera
·Each of our panelists were given 10 votes to towards our top 25. Order mattered on their votes as their #1 vote is worth twice as much as their #10. Our list is made up of cigars that had a wide release this year. The cigars that are eligible do not have to have been reviewed on Blind Man's Puff, but the reviewer must have smoke it at some point to vote for it.
AllBlind Cigar ReviewsCoronaDaveFeaturedFoundation CigarJohn A.John I.Mickey T.NicaraguaNicholas MelilloRyan H.
·"Magnificent cigar in my absolute favorite vitola. The flavor profile hit all of my weaknesses, pepper, coffee, chocolate, and an ongoing background tease of spices from the Indian/North African flavor palette. Loved this smoke, and I want a bunch more of them as soon as possible. " -John I. (John I.)
This year, at the IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas, Nick Melillo will release an extension to his release from last year's The Wise Man Maduro in a lancero format. The cigar scored a 95 in our blind review and earned #1 Cigar of the Year.
Draw, burn, and construction were spot on and should be a mile marker what the quality of how a cigar should be rolled and constructed. The flavor profiles of chocolate, coffee, and leather appeared to be the dominate flavor profiles throughout the cigar which provided a nice relaxing experience. While I did not pair it with anything, a mocha latte or hot chocolate would pair wonderfully with this cigar as they would compliment each other immensely. Complexity was not in full force, however the profile was enjoyable enough to keep me happy throughout the duration of the session. Definitely something you should pick up if ever given the chance to attend a Foundation event!
"Definitely a good cigar with nice warm toasty and sweet flavors. Perfect to pair with a cool fall evening. Very warm transitions that built in strength and ended with a pop of nicotine goodness." -Adam B. (Bushboy)
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.