The Aksum Maduro Robusto stands out as a box-pressed 5x50 parejo from Foundation Cigar Company's core lineup. Wrapped in oily Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf with Nicaraguan fillers, this medium-full smoke delivers concentrated coffee-chocolate notes that develop nicely through the burn. At $13.95 per stick, it's positioned as an affordable luxury for maduro lovers.
Initial draws deliver heavy espresso bitterness with a black pepper kick on retrohale. The dense smoke carries roasted walnut notes beneath the maduro's characteristic sweetness.
Flavors soften into milk chocolate territory while maintaining firm nicotine presence. Leather and damp earth emerge, balanced by occasional caramelized sugar flashes.
Burn gets uneven near the band with increasing tar buildup. Dark cherry acidity cuts through the cocoa powder finish - satisfying but demands slow pacing.
Foundation's blender Nicholas Melillo combines Jalapa's floral leaves with Estelí's spicy ligero in this homage to Ethiopia's ancient Aksumite kingdom. The Connecticut Broadleaf binder acts as sweet mediator between the wrapper's bitter coffee tones and filler's volcanic soil minerality.
