Meet the Foundation The Wise Man Maduro Lancero - a 7.5" x 40 parejo-shaped stick sporting a dark Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper. This box-pressed lancero comes 13 to a box, its oily outer leaf hiding Nicaraguan filler tobaccos from Estelí and Jalapa. The slow-burning format demands patience but rewards with evolving flavors perfect for contemplative afternoon sessions.
The initial third delivers espresso grounds and baking chocolate, with San Andrés's signature raisin sweetness peeking through. Midway transitions to earthier territory - damp cedar and black pepper spice mingle with roasted almond textures. Final inches introduce leathery depth, the lancero format concentrating mineral notes without harshness.
Triple-seam caps hold firm through the 90-minute smoke. The slightly box-pressed shape maintains structural integrity despite thin ring gauge. Ash holds firm in 1" segments, combustion staying even when puffed at 45-second intervals. Minimal wrapper splitting observed at final third under 65% humidity.
Blender Nick Melillo channels Ethiopian legend through Nicaraguan soil - San Andrés Maduro wrappers aged 18 months marry with Jalapa's floral binder leaves. Produced at Joya de Nicaragua's Estelí factory, the blend undergoes triple fermentation for signature smoothness beneath its bold exterior.
