Foundation Cigar Company: The Tabernacle Havana CT-142 Lancero Cigars

Hailing from Connecticut and owning a 50-acre tobacco farm there, Foundation's founder and master blender, Nicholas Melillo, has a passion for Connecticut tobacco. Melillo wanted a blend that showcased this leaf, leading to the creation of The Tabernacle.

The original blend of The Tabernacle features fillers from Jamastrán, Honduras and the Nicaraguan regions of the Jalapa and Estelí, and the Havana Seed CT #142 extension trades the original's Broadleaf wrapper for a rare and unique Havana seed #142, grown in Connecticut through a partnership between Melillo and local Connecticut River Valley farmers and having undergone a three-year fermentation process.

Boasting a medium- to full-bodied smoke with balanced flavors of woody earth, spice, and subtle sweetness, Foundation's The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT #142 displays bands that bespeak the line's name: The artwork depicts Haile Selassie, the 225th King of Abyssinia. Selassie's ancestry dates back to King Solomon, who built the temple that safeguarded the Ark of the Covenant. Like that ancient edifice, The Tabernacle houses Melillo's special Connecticut leaf — a leaf that, for him "is something sacred."