Foundation Aksum Claro Toro Cigar

Foundation Cigars have had a lot of new releases over the last year, one such that I have looked into repeatedly is the Foundation Aksum Claro. If you have any curiosity about how this cigar came about, check out our article on it: Foundation Aksum is rebranded from Foundation Metapa. Much like the Olmec releases there are two blends in this line, a Maduro and a Claro. This feels very much like a Padron-esque approach to a brand, having the natural and the Maduro versions. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s an awesome way to present a brand, instead of just doing the normal Habano, Maduro, Connecticut selections. It shows two sides of the tobacco and not just a mild and strong version.

Something I find interesting are insides of the blend. The Foundation Aksum Claro features a medium-shade Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. While most of the time, Broadleaf is used as a wrapper leaf, due to the thickness of the leaf, it’s interesting to see it as a binder. Then again, Nick Melillo has done this sort of thing in the past, like having a Mata Fina binder in the Foundation Highclere Castle Edwardian. The fillers are a combination of Nicaraguan tobaccos from Esteli and Jalapa. The cigars production is handled at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. We have seen a great deal of Foundation cigars come out of this factory, and it is cool to see the relation between Nick and AJ produce these projects. Foundation Aksum is available both in Maduro and Claro wrappers, and offered in four sizes:

Foundation Aksum 7 x 54 Double Corona: Soft Box Press
Foundation Aksum 6 x 52 Toro: Soft Box Press
Foundation Aksum 5 x 50 Robusto: Soft Box Press
Foundation Aksum 5.5 x 48 Corona Gorda: Soft Box Press

In terms of flavor notes, the Foundation Aksum Claro Toro brings a pleasant balance of black pepper, sandalwood, and earth at light up. Toasted nuts follow with a deep espresso, more dusty woods, earthiness, leather, and a hint of creamy sweetness. Through the transitions there are hints of a green, vegetal note, only hints. The spice on this cigar never overpowers but stays decently throughout. I enjoy the diversity between this and its Maduro counterpart. Foundation Aksum Claro is another cigar in the Foundation portfolio that raises the bar, and it’s exciting to see the company offer elite blends like this, Olmec, and Tabernacle that really set them apart from other companies.