Started in 2015, Foundation Cigar Co. has paid homage to cultural heritage, archeology and anthropology with brands such as The Tabernacle and El Güegüense. Now, owner Nick Melillo is turning to philanthropy with a figurado dubbed the Tabernacle Knight Commander. The new size is made from Foundation’s core Tabernacle blend and was created just for charity. Melillo pledges to donate all proceeds from the sale of Knight Commander to Ethiopian charities involved in various philanthropic initiatives, from scholarships to rebuilding churches.
The Knight Commander will be available in one size, as a figurado measuring 6 3/4 inches long by 52 ring gauge. The cigars are made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez, who produces several of Melillo’s cigar lines, such as Olmec and Metapa. Cloaked in a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, the Knight Commander consists of a Mexican San Andrés binder and Nicaraguan filler from Estelí and Jalapa. According to Melillo, the cigars were aged an additional 15 months in cedar after being rolled.
Melillo drew inspiration for this new smoke by way of an honor bestowed upon him from the Ethiopian Crown Council. The cigarmaker received the title of Knight Commander of The Ethiopian Star of Honor, an order of Knighthood from the Ethiopian Empire established by Emperor Menelik in 1889. The Emperor’s name may sound familiar, as the cigarmaker has a brand that mirrors the ruler’s namesake, Menelik, a two-size line that debuted in 2019.
Foundation Cigar Co. owner Nick Melillo after receiving the The Ethiopian Star of Honor.
The Tabernacle Knight Commander will come in 12-count boxes at $40 a cigar, or $480 per box. The cigars are scheduled to be introduced at the PCA trade show when the showroom floor opens on July 8 in Las Vegas. They will then ship to retailers this fall. Melillo plans on keeping production limited to yearly releases of just 700 boxes each autumn.
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