Foundation Olmec Claro Toro Cigar - Box of 12

Length: 6"
Ring Gauge: 52
Strength: Light to Medium

Packaging: Box of 12
Vitola: Toro
Smoking Time: 55 Minutes

Wrapper: San Andres Negro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

FOUNDATION CIGARS

In 2014 Nick Melillo faced a stark choice - He could well have stayed on as Executive Vice President of International Operations and Head Blender of Drew Estate (a role he had held since 2003), or he could seize the chance to finally use his 20 years of hard-earned experience and his access to the highest quality cigar tobacco to make his own cigars – the cigars of his dreams!

The choice was easy, and in 2015 Foundation Cigar Company was born, all for the love of the leaf.

Nick’s cigar journey started in high school, on Saturdays he would go for a smoke with his grandfather and brother at their local shop in New Haven, Connecticut. After memorising all details of every cigar in the humidor; Nick persuaded them to give him a weekend job.

Nick’s passion for working with cigars was immediately apparent, but following four years at Calabash Shoppe, the wide world was calling, and Nick took off to travel the globe. Following a lengthy global trip remarkably reminiscent of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, it was in 2003 that Nick received a call from Jonathan Drew...

Jonathan needed someone who knew and loved cigars and was willing to move to Nicaragua to oversee the setup and operations of his new cigar company - Drew Estate. Nick jumped on board and immediately started blending cigars and fermenting tobacco; cigars and tobacco that completely changed the cigar industry in the early 21st Century.

In 2015 Melillo branched out on his own, finally forming the Foundation Cigar Company.

Famously and without being prompted, paid or promoted, the cigars are now regularly being championed as the best cigars available by Joe Rogan (the world’s most popular podcaster) and winning awards and ratings such as #1 Best Buy (Cigar Afficionado), Cigar Of The Year (Cigar Snob) and #3 in Cigar Afficionado’s top 25 2019.

But what is at the heart of Foundation Cigar Company is the cigar smoker themselves – that smoke-filled moment of pure presence, that quietly thunderous connection to ancient heritage, modern science, and genuine passion for the leaf. This is something that Melillo and Foundation Cigar Company will provide endlessly to any who will sit and take audience. All for the love of the leaf.

OLMEC CLARO

The Heart Lands of the Olmecs is the tropical lowlands of modern day Mexican states of Veracruz, Tabasco, and San Andres Tuxtla. Today, this is the same region that grows some of the finest San Andres Negro wrapper tobacco. This seed variety is considered one of the oldest seed varieties in the world.

Olmec cigars contain the finest Nicaraguan fill tobaccos from the Esteli and Jalapa valleys. After Fermentation, these filler tobaccos are bale aged for three years before arriving on the production floor. The San Andres Negro wrapper tobacco comes from the rich volcanic soil of the land of the Olmecs. It is fermented slowly at low temperatures to preserve the natural oils that give flavour, which is the technique Nicholas Melillo developed when he originally introduced the San Andres leaf to premium cigars in the early 2000s.

The blend is a true masterpiece in the storied stables of Nicholas Melillo – light to medium in body, exceptionally well balanced and notably refined, whilst using that San Andres in a way that differs to almost all other uses on the market. These qualities have led to the Olmec being a seriously sought after cigar, consistently selling out in shops worldwide and being honoured as Cigar Snob Cigar Of The Year and on 2023’s Cigar Afficionado Top 25.

A truly befitting homage to the Olmec – the original cigar smokers.

White pepper and charred oak smoothly transition in to nutmeg, cacao and light espresso tones. A malty grain runs throughout, with hints of minerals and an earthy, leathery finish.