The Foundation Cigar Company Tabernacle Havana Seed CT N° 142 is a boutique cigar blended by Nicholas Melillo, featuring a Connecticut Havana Seed No. 142 sun-grown wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers, produced at Tabacalera Fernandez in Estelí, Nicaragua. It scores 92 out of 100 from BLC — medium-full in body, complex in character, and priced between $9 and $12 MSRP. If you think you know what Connecticut wrapper tastes like, this cigar will make you reconsider every assumption.
- Nick Melillo's Connecticut Havana Seed No. 142 wrapper rewrites what you expect from Connecticut leaf — cedar, cinnamon, dark cocoa, and genuine complexity across all three thirds.
- San Andrés binder and Nicaraguan/Honduran filler give this cigar the body and backbone to match the wrapper's ambition. Medium-full, built to perform from clip to close.
- At $9–$12 MSRP this is one of the best value boutique cigars on the market. BLC rates it 92/100.
THE TABERNACLE HAVANA SEED CT N° 142 — FOUNDATION CIGAR COMPANY
Image courtesy of foundationcigarcompany.comTHE CIGAR
Foundation Cigar Company is the kind of operation that reminds you why boutique matters. Founded in 2014 by Nick Melillo — a Connecticut native who spent years managing tobacco procurement at My Father Cigars under Pepin Garcia — Foundation is a small-batch brand built around one idea: every blend should mean something. The Tabernacle is the cigar that put them on the map, and the Havana Seed CT N° 142 variation is the one that changes the conversation about Connecticut leaf entirely.
The Connecticut Havana Seed No. 142 is a hybrid Cuban-seed wrapper grown and sun-cured in Connecticut. Lighter than Broadleaf visually, but carrying more complexity and sweetness than the name might suggest. This is not your grandfather's Connecticut wrapper. It is medium-bodied with character, nuance, and a flavor profile that earns your attention without demanding it.
BLC BLEND BREAKDOWN
BLC CIGAR PROFILE
SMOKING IT
FIRST THIRD: CEDAR AND EARTH OUT FRONT
Cedar and toasted wood lead from the first draw, earth and black pepper close behind. Retrohale brings red and white pepper heat — immediate and direct without harshness. The San Andrés binder starts making itself known early, adding depth beneath the lighter character of the Connecticut wrapper. The smoke is thick, cool, and generous from the very first draw.
SECOND THIRD: WHERE IT OPENS UP
The cedar and wood soften, and a richer set of flavors emerge — cinnamon, sweet spice, almond, cashew, and a creaminess that coats the palate. Some retrohales bring floral notes and lime skin alongside the pepper. The middle third is unhurried and layered in a way that rewards smokers who pace themselves. The San Andrés binder and Nicaraguan/Honduran filler combination provides a fullness that the wrapper alone could not deliver.
"This is not your grandfather's Connecticut wrapper. Cedar, dark cocoa, cinnamon, clove, and it's still building."— Norm Farrar, The Cigar Fossil · BLC
FINAL THIRD: LONG AND LEATHERY
The finish is deep and earthy — charcoal accents, leather, and pepper building to a strong close. Licorice and damp wood take the finish long past the nub. Construction holds, burn stays clean, ash stacks firm. Strength settles at medium-full without harshness. A cigar that finishes better than most start.
CONSTRUCTION
The Tabernacle 142 is a masterclass in construction. The draw is effortless across all vitolas — firm enough to feel intentional, open enough to deliver a generous volume of cool, even smoke. The burn line stays true without touch-ups, and the ash holds cleanly past the inch mark with a consistency that tells you exactly how well this tobacco was rolled and bunched at Tabacalera Fernandez. Nick Melillo's production standards show in every inch — no sloppiness, no tunneling, no heat creep. It simply performs from clip to close.
THE VERDICT
The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT N° 142 is the rare boutique cigar that delivers on every front — blend, construction, character, and value. Nick Melillo set out to build a brand where every cigar tells a story, and this one tells it from the first cold draw to the final exhale. The Connecticut wrapper reframes everything you thought you knew about that leaf. At $9–$12 MSRP, it punches well above its price class.
BLC OVERALL RATING
The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT N° 142
Foundation Cigar Company · Estelí, Nicaragua
Medium-Full body · $9–$12 MSRP
WHO GRABS THIS
You wrote off Connecticut wrapper years ago — all cream, no character. The Tabernacle 142 is the one that makes you walk that back. Cedar, cinnamon, black pepper, and a leathery close that has nothing to do with what you expected from this leaf.
You chase small-batch releases, follow blenders, and have strong opinions about Tabacalera Fernandez. The Tabernacle 142 is a Nick Melillo signature — limited production, consistent quality, and a blend story worth knowing cold.
At $9–$12 MSRP this is boutique performance at a price you can justify regularly. Robusto for a focused hour, Toro when you have the time to let the second third fully open. Either way you're getting well above the price point.
The Tabernacle 142's final third goes deep and leathery — charcoal, licorice, damp wood. An aged Scotch or dark rum alongside it doesn't just pair, it elevates. This is a cigar built for a serious pour.
For more, visit foundationcigarcompany.com
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Everything you need to know about the Tabernacle Havana Seed CT N° 142.
