Charter Oak Habano to Debut in a Few Weeks
Foundation Cigar Co. will soon launch Charter Oak CT Habano, a new line extension for Charter Oak, the cigar brand created by company owner Nick Melillo as an homage to his home state of Connecticut.
Unlike many other cigars from Foundation, this new release is made without tobacco from The Nutmeg State. Instead, Charter Oak CT Habano is made with a blend of Nicaraguan filler tobaccos and binder from Nicaragua, all covered by an oily Habano wrapper grown in Ecuador.
According to Melillo, he considered using Habano grown in Connecticut, but supply was low.
“Unfortunately, there is not enough supply of Connecticut Habano for this brand and also it is very costly,” Melillo said. “Connecticut Habano needs almost three years in fermentation and we only have enough for use on our Tabernacle Havana Seed CT blend.”
Like Charter Oak CT Shade and Charter Oak CT Broadleaf, the new Habano version will launch in 20-count boxes in fives sizes: Petite Corona, which measures 5 1/4 by 42 ring gauge and will cost $5.50 before taxes; Rothschild, 4 1/2 by 50, $5.70; Lonsdale, 6 1/4 by 46, $6.00; Toro, 6 by 52, $6.20 and Grande, 6 by 60, $6.50.
There will also be a Torpedo measuring 6 inches by 52 ring gauge, which will come in special, 50-count boxes. The cigars will retail for $350.00 per box, or $7.00 per stick.
When Melillo debuted his Charter Oak brand in 2016, it was dubbed a love letter to his home state of Connecticut because the wrapper on both versions, Charter Oak CT Shade and Charter Oak CT Broadleaf, hailed from Connecticut. Both versions of the brand have scored well in Cigar Aficionado tastings, and in 2018 the Charter Oak CT Shade Rothschild led our annual Best Buy list with a score of 93 points and price tag of only $5.00.
The cigars are rolled by A.J. Fernandez at his Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
