Foundation Charter Oak Habano

Today I decided that I wanted to blindly review a cigar. I asked my buddy Scott to pick out a cigar that I would likely enjoy, but something that I don’t already smoke regularly. My typical rotation is made up mostly of full-bodied smokes, so I’m a bit taken aback when a few minutes later, he came back with what I can only assume is a shade-grown toro that was de-banded and ready to smoke. 

 At first glance, this is a beautiful cigar. It may not be the toothy maduro wrapper that I typically reach for, but there’s nothing wrong with shaking things up every now and again. The cap is perfectly even, and the seams are damn near invisible. The wrapper also has a nice oily sheen to it, something often not found in shade-grown leaves. The cigar comes down to a closed foot, something I have mixed feelings about. A closed foot gives an immediate punch of flavor from the wrapper, but it also tends to get ash all over my clothes and, in this case, my laptop. 

 After a clean straight cut with my Xikar Xi1, the cold draw brings a smooth mixture of hay, almond, and cedar. Those notes carry into the light-up alongside savory spices and surprising amounts of white pepper. The draw is perfect, just the right amount of resistance. Surprisingly, no new holes arise in my shirt from the closed foot. I won’t give it any actual points for that, but it wins an emotional point from me. 

 The first third continues to surprise. More nuttiness and white pepper, with the savoriness taking a backseat to a subtly sweet creaminess. The ash wants to do its best to hold on for dear life, but in the interest of keeping my keyboard clean and my lap free of hot ash, I knock it off into the ashtray. The burn has kept even, and the flavors are very well balanced. Strength level is just a hair above medium-bodied.

 The second third brings more flavor changes. The spice and savoriness has all but disappeared, allowing the creaminess, mixed nuts, cereal grain, and sweet cedar to shine. The strength has dipped ever so slightly, down to true medium. I don’t think that this cigar is a puro, but Nicaraguan flavor is what comes to mind first in this blend. As the second third progresses, the spice returns in a big way, balancing out the sweetness emanating from the graininess, cream, and cedar. 

 Entering the final third, the balance keeps on shifting. The savory spice is gone entirely, with white pepper, sweet grains, and nuttiness dominating the profile until the end. It isn’t often that I smoke cigars down to the nub because they tend to become bitter with less than an inch left. However, with this smoke I almost went so far as to grab a pipe to squeeze every last bit of flavor out of this cigar that I could. I definitely owe Scott a thank you, he really can pick ‘em. 

 Well, you’ve known what I’ve been reviewing this whole time, but I was just told. I’m a huge fan of Foundation, and the Charter Oak Connecticut and Maduro are two of my favorite daily smokes, but this was my first time trying the Habano. Needless to say, I think it just earned a spot in my rotation. If you had told me I was smoking a $6 cigar, I would not have believed you. Excellent flavor, excellent construction, just all around excellent. If you’re looking for a medium-bodied daily smoke to stuff your humidor with, I can’t recommend this enough. Looks like I’m going to have to find room in my humidors to stuff yet another Foundation blend.