There were just a few minor blemishes on the wrapper leaf, but that was about the only visible flaw on this box pressed, pigtail-capped Corona Gorda. The draw was a dream immediately upon lighting with a lightly buttery but powdery smoke texture, excellent smoke output, and delicately layered flavors on the draw and retro. I found myself retrohaling most of the time, the notes were so enjoyable. Burn was excellent almost the entire stick, with just a few moments of irregularity in the final third. The progression of flavors was immensely enjoyable, starting off with very delicate notes, building up to somewhat more robust nuances that kept my attention. The finish was clean and pure, leaving the palate feeling caressed by the texture and flavor. Just outstanding by every metric. The second sample demonstrated some imbalance on the draw flavors and some draw hesitation which did take away from the score.
This is just a great example of a palate starter cigar for the morning with coffee, either black or with cream.
Rh: 61% Smoke time: 55 minutes
The Foundation Charter Oak Pegnataro was crafted to celebrate the opening of Foundation Cigar’s new office in 2023, located in the heart of the Connecticut River Valley, where the prized Connecticut Shade and Connecticut Broadleaf tobaccos are grown. This cigar also pays homage to Pegnataro, one of founder Nick Melillo’s grandfathers, who had a deep appreciation for Connecticut Shade tobacco and instilled in Melillo a passion for tobacco and cigars.
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Vitola: Corona Gorda/ Size: 5 1/2“x48
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A./ Country of Origin: Nicaragua
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Cream, almond, strawberry/rhubarb, cedar, powdered sugar
Retrohale: toasted pecan, cream, nutmeg, soft white pepper
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Retrohale: White pepper, florals, salted peanuts
Butter cookies, salty brown butter, vanilla bean,
Retrohale: white pepper, lightly charred cedar, tamarind, florals, subtle melon nuances
