The Tabernacle by Foundation Cigar Co. is a long, luxurious smoke, and the history behind the brand is nearly as long. The band has a picture of of Haile Selassie, the 225th emperor of Ethiopia, and regarded as a deity by the Rastafari movement).

Selassie is mooted to be a descendant of King Solomon. The Tabernacle is said to be said to be a protective resting place for the Ark of the Covenant and located in King Solomon’s temple.

The tie-up with Foundation? Well, in his younger years, Nick Melillo (Foundation’s owner) spent a lot of time smoking Broadleaf cigars with his grandfather, a time he reflects as being almost sacred, to the extent he considered his humidor his Tabernacle.

Back to reality, and this cigar, rolled at the Fernandez factory in Esteli, contains filler grown on his farm in Jalapa and Honduran leaf from the Jamastran valley. It has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and a Mexican San Andres binder.

Light up and experience some wonderful flavours from this full-bodied beauty. There’s coffee and pepper mixing it with dark chocolate and dried fruits, a great balance between sweetness and spice.

A nice bold smoke that may not suit a beginner but definitely does what it says on the can, full marks.