Foundation Olmec Maduro

I have spoken many times about the talents of Nick Melillo and his blending style. In fact, before opening Oak Glen Tobacconist, Foundation Cigar Company was always one of my favorite brands I had stocked in my personal humidor. Regarding tobacco knowledge, Nick is a wealth of knowledge. And why not? The proof is in the pudding from His El Gueguense, the Menelik, Tabernacle, and now his newest line, the Olmec Maduro and Olmec Claro. I find the new Foundation Olmec to be exceptionally interesting, being offered in two different ‘forms’ of San Andres tobacco. While both blends use a San Andres wrapper, one is fermented to be a Maduro, which is far more common in this market, and the other is a Claro.

“Olmec is the mother culture of Central America.” Says Nick Melillo of Foundation Cigars. “They ruled in the region of San Andes Tuxtla where all the San Andres Negro tobacco comes from. The image on the box is the oldest image we know of a cigar being smoked. It comes in five sizes in a Maduro and Claro wrapper. All the tobacco in the filler is aged in bales for three years, and the wrapper-aged for two. Olmec is rich, full-bodied, but not overwhelming on the palate.”

All sizes are box pressed, which, of course, I love. The wrapper, as stated, is a Mexican San Andres, Binder is Nicaraguan, and the fillers are undisclosed. Foundation Olmec offers that high quality balance you expect from ultra-premium brands. The Flavor on the Maduro is out of this world. I get notes of black pepper on the light-up coupled with dark chocolate, dried cranberry, hints of espresso powder, earth, cedar, and perhaps cinnamon but on the sweeter side. The Foundation Olmec Maduro is, in my book, a box worthy cigar. Being that it is offered in 12 count boxes, this makes it easy to say yes two. The Olmec also won top pick #3 from OGT in 2022!