Foundation's Wise Man Corojo Robusto brings Nicaraguan tradition to your humidor in a 5.5"x50 parejo format. At around $10 per stick ($207/box of 20), this medium-full strength puro showcases Jalapa-grown Corojo 99 wrapper hugging Criollo 98 binder and filler leaves. The box art's vibrant Nicaraguan folk motifs hint at the cultural journey inside - though it's the oily, vein-free wrapper that really gets aficionados reaching for their cutters.
The cold draw whispers sweet cedar before ignition brings white pepper sparks. Thick smoke carries roasted nuts and bitter cocoa through the nose. Ash holds firm past the inch mark while a mineral undertone keeps the earthy core in check.
Pepper mellows as the burn line approaches the band, revealing cashew butter richness. Retrohale now shows baking spices - think nutmeg dusting on espresso foam. The draw stays cool despite increasing tar notes near the halfway mark.
Leather and loam dominate the last third, with occasional raisin sweetness peeking through the earthy veil. Strength builds noticeably, though never crosses into harshness. Most smokers nub it around the 50-minute mark before nicotine weight sets in.
Rolled in Estelí's tropical heat, this puro sources all tobacco from Nicaragua's prime growing regions. The Corojo 99 wrapper - actually Honduran-seed leaf grown in Jalapa's mineral-rich soil - undergoes extended fermentation to tame its fiery reputation. Foundation's skip-the-middleman approach ensures consistent construction across production runs.
