Foundation Cigar Company: Nick Melillo, Charter Oak and Olmec
A Connecticut company named for what holds a house up, run by a man who spent a decade sourcing Nicaraguan leaf before he made his own.
Shop Foundation Explore Nicaraguan CigarsFoundation Cigar Company was founded in 2015 by Nicholas Melillo, who is also its master blender. Before that he ran production and tobacco sourcing at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Nicaragua, which is the detail that explains the whole company: Melillo spent a decade deciding which Nicaraguan leaf was worth buying before he started buying it for himself. The company is based in Windsor, Connecticut. Our Foundation collection carries The Tabernacle, Charter Oak, Olmec, Highclere Castle and Wise Man.
This profile covers the founder, the three factories, every line with its wrapper and sizes, the discontinuation of El Güegüense, and the awards.
Nicholas Melillo
Melillo is that unusual thing in the modern category: a founder who is genuinely the blender rather than a name on a band. His background is in leaf, and it shows in how Foundation blends are built, which is around a specific varietal rather than around a strength target. Corojo 99 grown in Jalapa is the recurring thread.
Four Foundations, one per line
Tabernacle for the broadleaf, Olmec for San Andrés, Highclere for Connecticut shade, Wise Man for the newest.
Three factories
Foundation does not own a factory, and it does not pretend to. Its cigars are made at three separate Nicaraguan operations, each chosen for the line it suits:
- Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A., known as TABSA, part of AGANORSA. The El Güegüense and Menelik home.
- Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí. The Tabernacle, Charter Oak, Highclere Castle and Olmec.
- My Father Cigars in Estelí, added in 2024 for the Wise Man lines.
Moving a line to a different factory is a real decision with a real cost, and Foundation has done it twice. That is a company optimising for the cigar rather than for the logistics.
Every line, wrapper by wrapper
| Line | Wrapper | Binder and filler | Sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Tabernacle, 2016 | Connecticut Broadleaf | Mexican San Andrés binder, Honduran and Nicaraguan filler including leaf from A.J. Fernández's La Soledad farm | Torpedo 4.5x52, Robusto 5x50, Corona 5.25x46, Toro 6x52, Lancero 7x40, Double Corona 7x54 |
| Charter Oak Habano, 2020 | Ecuadorian Habano | Nicaraguan binder and filler | Rothschild 4.5x50, Petite Corona 5.25x42, Toro 6x52, Grande 6x60, Lonsdale 6.25x46, Torpedo |
| Olmec, 2022 | Mexican San Andrés in Claro and Maduro | Nicaraguan binder and filler | Robusto 5x50, Corona Gorda 5.5x48, Toro 6x52, Grande 6x60, Double Corona 7x52 |
| Highclere Castle, 2017 | Connecticut Shade | Brazilian Mata Fina binder, Nicaraguan filler from Jalapa and Ometepe in criollo, corojo and the Nicadán hybrid | Petit Corona 5x42, Robusto 5x50, Corona 5.5x46, Toro 6x52, Churchill 7x48 |
| Menelik | Mexican San Andrés | Nicaraguan Corojo 99 binder from Jalapa, filler from Condega, Estelí and Jalapa | 4.5x52 box pressed short robusto, 6x52 toro |
| Wise Man Corojo / Maduro, 2024 | Nicaraguan Corojo / Mexican San Andrés | Dual binders from Estelí and Jalapa, Nicaraguan filler | Corona 5x48, Robusto 5.5x50, Toro 6x52, Double Corona 7x54 |
| 10 Year Aniversario, 2025 | Connecticut Broadleaf Habano hybrid, grown in the USA | Brazilian Mata Fina binder, Nicaraguan filler from Condega, Estelí and Jalapa | 7x58 Salomón |
Also in the range: The Upsetters, Aksum, Knight Commander and the event only Primer Fábrica 1810.
Charter Oak is the value line, and it is not a lesser cigar
Charter Oak exists to hit a low price, and Foundation does it by simplifying rather than by cutting quality. The Habano version sits between the Connecticut Shade and Connecticut Broadleaf versions in body. Cigar Aficionado named the Charter Oak Connecticut Shade Rothschild its Best Buy of 2018 with 93 points, which is the clearest possible evidence that price and quality are separable.
The value end, and the ashtray
El Güegüense and the Wise Man succession
El Güegüense, which translates as The Wise Man, was Foundation's debut brand in September 2015 and the cigar that made its reputation. It was a Nicaraguan puro: a Corojo 99 wrapper from Finca Puntalito in Jalapa, a Corojo 99 binder from Finca San Jose in Jalapa, and a Corojo and Criollo filler from Estelí and Jalapa, made at TABSA. Sizes ran Robusto 5.5x50, Corona Gorda 5.625x46, Toro Huaco 6x56, Torpedo 6.25x52 and Churchill 7x48.
It was discontinued in 2024 and replaced by Wise Man Corojo and Wise Man Maduro, made at My Father Cigars. If you see El Güegüense listed as current stock somewhere, it is old inventory rather than production.
Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle is a partnership between Foundation, Highclere Castle Cigar Co. and George Herbert, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, launched in 2017. The blend is a Connecticut Shade wrapper over a Brazilian Mata Fina binder with Nicaraguan filler from Jalapa and Ometepe, using criollo, corojo and the Nicadán hybrid, made at A.J. Fernández.
Three expressions exist: Edwardian, Victorian and Senetjer, the last added in 2022. The Victorian Toro made Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 of 2020 with 93 points.
The awards
| Year | Cigar | Recognition |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | El Güegüense Corona Gorda, 5.625 x 46 | Cigar Aficionado Top 25, No. 25, 92 points |
| 2018 | Charter Oak Connecticut Shade Rothschild | Cigar Aficionado Best Buy of 2018, 93 points |
| 2020 | Highclere Castle Victorian Toro | Cigar Aficionado Top 25, 93 points |
What we notice first-hand
Foundation is the most interesting mid priced portfolio we carry, because every line is a different idea rather than the same blend at three strengths. Tabernacle is Connecticut Broadleaf over a Mexican binder. Highclere is Connecticut Shade over a Brazilian binder. Olmec is San Andrés in two shades. Charter Oak is the value proposition. You could not confuse any two of them blindfolded.
The Tabernacle Lancero at 7 by 40 is the one enthusiasts hunt, and for good reason: Connecticut Broadleaf on a thin ring gauge concentrates the wrapper's dark sweetness in a way the Toro does not. Our Lancero collection holds the rest.
Charter Oak deserves a specific recommendation. If someone asks us for a genuinely good cigar under ten dollars, this is where we go. It is not a compromise, it is a simpler blend executed properly at a lower price.
Foundation at Cigar Inc., live
The bottom line
Charter Oak for value, The Tabernacle for the broadleaf, Olmec for the San Andrés, Highclere Castle for the lightest wrapper with real interior, and Wise Man for what the founding blend became. Very few companies this size have this little overlap between lines.
If you like Foundation's approach, our Espinosa profile covers another maker working in the same price band from a different direction. Or start with our Cigar Finder.
Keep exploring
Shop Foundation at Cigar Inc.
The Tabernacle, Charter Oak, Olmec, Highclere Castle and Wise Man. Order online or visit our Woodland Hills location.
Shop Foundation Visit Our Woodland Hills StoreFrequently asked questions
Who founded Foundation Cigar Company?
Nicholas Melillo, in 2015. He is also the master blender, and previously ran production and tobacco sourcing at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Nicaragua. The company is based in Windsor, Connecticut.
Where are Foundation cigars made?
At three Nicaraguan factories: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa, known as TABSA and part of AGANORSA; Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua in Estelí; and, since 2024, My Father Cigars in Estelí for the Wise Man lines.
What is The Tabernacle?
A 2016 line with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, a Mexican San Andrés binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan filler, including leaf from A.J. Fernández's La Soledad farm. It runs from a 4.5 by 52 Torpedo to a 7 by 54 Double Corona.
What happened to El Güegüense?
Foundation's debut brand, released in September 2015 as a Nicaraguan puro built on Corojo 99 from Jalapa. It was discontinued in 2024 and replaced by Wise Man Corojo and Wise Man Maduro, made at My Father Cigars.
What does El Güegüense mean?
It translates as The Wise Man, which is why the successor lines carry that name in English.
Is Charter Oak a lower quality line?
It is a simpler blend at a lower price, not a lesser cigar. Cigar Aficionado named the Charter Oak Connecticut Shade Rothschild its Best Buy of 2018 with 93 points.
What is Highclere Castle?
A 2017 partnership between Foundation, Highclere Castle Cigar Co. and George Herbert, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon. A Connecticut Shade wrapper over a Brazilian Mata Fina binder and Nicaraguan filler, made at A.J. Fernández.
What is Olmec?
A 2022 line using a Mexican San Andrés wrapper in both Claro and Maduro shades over Nicaraguan binder and filler, in five sizes from a 5 by 50 Robusto to a 7 by 52 Double Corona.
What is Corojo 99?
A Nicaraguan grown variant of the Corojo varietal. It is the recurring thread through Foundation's blends, particularly the leaf grown in the Jalapa valley.
What is the Nicadán hybrid?
A tobacco hybrid used in the Highclere Castle filler alongside criollo and corojo, grown in Jalapa and on Ometepe.
Which Foundation should I try first?
Charter Oak Habano Toro if you want the value entry, or The Tabernacle Toro if you want the cigar the brand is best known for.
Has Foundation won any awards?
Yes. El Güegüense Corona Gorda placed number 25 on Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 of 2016 with 92 points, the Highclere Castle Victorian Toro made the Top 25 of 2020 with 93 points, and Charter Oak Connecticut Shade Rothschild was Best Buy of 2018.
Does Cigar Inc. ship Foundation nationwide?
Yes, to states where we are permitted to ship. Call 1 818-719-9885 or email Info@Cigarinc.com for boxes or specific sizes.
For adults 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.
Cigar Inc. · 21900 Burbank Blvd UNIT 265, Woodland Hills, CA 91367 · 1 818-719-9885 · Info@Cigarinc.com
