October Cigar of the Month: Foundation Tabernacle Broadleaf Robusto

We had a plan for October. Then our first pick went missing somewhere out at sea. So did the second. Hijacked, the both of them.

The Tabernacle made port.

October's Cigar of the Month is the Tabernacle Broadleaf Robusto from Foundation Cigar Co., a new maker in our humidor. Five inches by 50. Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder, with Honduran and Nicaraguan filler, some of it from A.J. Fernández's La Soledad farm. Rolled at his factory in Nicaragua.

Nicholas Melillo blended it to show his love for Connecticut Broadleaf. The Tabernacle was the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, and the man on the band is Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian emperor. Ethiopia says it still holds the Ark. Melillo says his humidor became his tabernacle. We know the feeling.

It is a full-bodied smoke. Reviewers find dark chocolate, earth and black pepper in it, with dried fruit and fig coming up in the Robusto and leather on the finish. One of them scored this size a 93.

We put a ridiculously low price on it. The deal runs until the box is empty or the missing cigars finally make port, whichever comes first. Ask the crew.

Pair it with the Mocha Pumpkin Lovin' Krack, October's Coffee of the Month. Dark chocolate in the cup, Broadleaf in your hand.