Foundation Charter Oak Especiales Pasquale

Foundation Charter Oak Especiales Pasquale

The Foundation Charter Oak Especiales Pasquale is a medium to medium full bodied, soft box pressed cigar wrapped in a dark, toothy USA Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro leaf over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers, handcrafted at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua. Created by Nicholas Melillo, founder and master blender of Foundation Cigar Company, and named after his grandfather Pasquale, who was an avid Connecticut Broadleaf smoker, the Pasquale is one half of the Charter Oak Especiales duo, a higher end, limited production extension of the Charter Oak line that delivers richer, more complex flavor than the core Charter Oak Maduro. Finished with a pigtail cap and a soft box press in a single 5 1/2 x 48 vitola, the Pasquale opens with mocha, cream, and fruit sweetness before settling into a coffee driven profile layered with earth, black pepper, toasted oak, baker’s chocolate, and a natural Broadleaf sweetness that carries through the entire smoke. Packaged in boxes of 12.

• USA Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper with a dark roasted coffee bean color, light tooth, slight mottling, and a rustic, old school quality that signals genuine Broadleaf character before the cigar is even lit.
• Nicaraguan binder provides structural backbone and a toasty, peppery underpinning that supports the Broadleaf wrapper without competing for attention.
• Nicaraguan fillers deliver earth, fruit, and spice that combine with the Broadleaf wrapper to create a profile described by Cigar Coop as mocha, cream, fruit sweetness, earth, and pepper, earning a score of 90.
• Soft box press format provides a comfortable grip, a slightly flattened profile, and an even burn that allows the Broadleaf wrapper to express its full range of dark, sweet, earthy flavor.
• Pigtail cap, a traditional Cuban style finishing technique that adds visual elegance and allows smokers to simply twist off the pigtail instead of using a cutter.
• Named after Nick Melillo’s grandfather Pasquale, whose love of Connecticut Broadleaf cigars directly inspired this blend and the Especiales project.
• Companion cigar to the Pegnataro, which uses a Connecticut Shade wrapper and is named after Melillo’s other grandfather, who preferred Shade wrapped cigars.
• Box count of 12, reflecting the Especiales line’s elevated positioning above the 20 count core Charter Oak boxes.

Nick Melillo and Foundation Cigar Company

Nicholas Melillo spent over a decade at Drew Estate, where he oversaw tobacco operations in Nicaragua and was instrumental in developing iconic blends including the Liga Privada lines. In May 2014, Melillo left Drew Estate to build his own brand. After a year of planning and blend development, he officially founded Foundation Cigar Company in June 2015, headquartered in Connecticut. Foundation debuted at the IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans in July 2015 with El Güegüense (The Wise Man), which earned immediate critical acclaim.

“My love for handmade cigars exists because of my grandfathers,” Melillo said when announcing the Charter Oak Especiales. One grandfather loved Connecticut Shade. The other, Pasquale, was an avid Broadleaf smoker. The Especiales line transforms that family story into two distinct cigars, each bearing a grandfather’s name and wrapped in the leaf that grandfather preferred. “These blends are also completely different than the Charter Oak core line,” Melillo said. “They are richer and more complex.” The Especiales project also marked the opening of Foundation’s new office on a 300 acre farm in the Connecticut River Valley.

The Charter Oak Especiales

The Charter Oak Especiales launched in late 2023 as a limited production, higher end extension of the core Charter Oak line. Both Especiales are rolled in the same 5 1/2 x 48 soft box pressed format with a pigtail cap, both use Nicaraguan binder and filler, and both come in boxes of 12. The wrapper is the dividing line between the two personalities.

The Pasquale and Pegnataro are meant to be experienced as two sides of the same family story. The Pasquale brings Broadleaf’s dark, mocha driven richness. The Pegnataro brings Shade’s cream, berry, and baking spice elegance. Both are richer and more complex than their core Charter Oak counterparts, and both honor the men whose passion for Connecticut tobaccos planted the seed that became Foundation Cigar Company.

Connecticut Broadleaf on the Pasquale

Connecticut Broadleaf is a thick, heavy tobacco leaf grown in full sun in the Connecticut River Valley. It develops a dense, rugged structure with high oil content, visible tooth, and a naturally dark color that deepens through extended fermentation. The Broadleaf on the Pasquale has a distinctly rustic, old school quality: dark roasted coffee bean color, slight mottling, and a toothy texture that speaks to the leaf’s natural character rather than cosmetic perfection. Reviewers consistently note that the Pasquale’s Broadleaf looks and feels like a throwback to an earlier era of handmade cigars, when wrapper leaves were chosen for flavor above all else.

That rustic Broadleaf delivers mocha as its signature contribution, a term used by Cigar Coop to describe the combination of coffee and chocolate that defines the Pasquale from first light. The coffee component grows stronger as the cigar progresses, eventually stepping out from the chocolate and becoming the dominant flavor. The natural Broadleaf sweetness threads underneath everything, providing a constant counterpoint to the earthier, spicier elements contributed by the Nicaraguan internals.

Smoking experience

The wrapper is dark brown with light tooth, slight mottling, minimal oil, and a few visible veins and seams. The soft box press gives the cigar a comfortable, slightly flattened profile. The pre light aroma from the wrapper is sweet, with cedar and a faint curing barn quality, while the foot delivers a buttered popcorn note. The cold draw brings mocha, cedar, and an herbal quality with mild spice on the lips.

The Pasquale opens with mocha, cream, fruit sweetness, and earth. The mocha, that rich combination of coffee and chocolate, establishes itself immediately as the defining flavor. Black pepper surfaces on both the tongue and retrohale, providing a sharp bite that cuts through the sweeter mocha and cream notes. Toasted oak joins with an earthy, woody quality, and baker’s chocolate adds a slightly bitter, unsweetened depth behind the sweeter chocolate component. The smoke is thick, chewy, and abundant from first light. Strength sits at medium, and body reads medium to medium full.

The second third sees the coffee component of the mocha take the lead, separating from the chocolate and becoming the primary driver of the profile. Earth builds alongside the coffee and gains presence, while fruit sweetness and cream remain as supporting notes. The black pepper gradually increases through the middle section, adding intensity without harshness. The toasted oak that was present in the first third holds steady, providing woody structure, and a natural Broadleaf sweetness persists underneath the earthier, spicier elements. The creaminess begins to subside toward the end of the second third, and the profile shifts toward a drier, more earth and coffee forward character.

The final third is coffee dominant with pepper as the most prominent background flavor. Earth and fruit remain present but secondary, and the baker’s chocolate from the opening has fully departed. The natural Broadleaf sweetness holds its ground against the bolder coffee, earth, and pepper, preventing the finish from turning bitter or harsh. The cigar finishes cool, with a slightly soft nub and a clean, lingering coffee and earth aftertaste. Construction is excellent throughout, with a straight burn path, ideal burn rate, and a silver grey ash that stacks in neat sections. Total smoking time runs approximately 75 to 90 minutes.

Pasquale versus core Charter Oak Maduro

The Pasquale and the core Charter Oak Maduro both use USA Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers and Nicaraguan tobaccos, but the blends are different and the smoking experiences are distinct. The core Maduro is darker, more chocolate forward, and bolder in its earth and pepper from the opening, with a medium to full body that stays consistent throughout. The Pasquale is more nuanced, opening with mocha and cream before transitioning into a coffee driven profile with fruit sweetness, toasted oak, and gradually building pepper. The Pasquale’s body is more measured, sitting at medium to medium full rather than the core Maduro’s more assertive medium to full. The soft box press and pigtail cap add a tactile and visual distinction, and the 12 count box and elevated pricing reflect the Especiales line’s higher tobacco selection and limited production. The core Maduro is the reliable everyday Broadleaf. The Pasquale is the refined weekend upgrade.

Summary

• Box Count: 12
• Region: Nicaragua
• Strength: Medium
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Wrapper: USA Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
• Filler: Nicaraguan

What is the Foundation Charter Oak Especiales Pasquale?

It is a medium to medium full bodied, soft box pressed cigar wrapped in a USA Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro leaf over Nicaraguan binder and filler. It is a limited production, higher end extension of the Charter Oak line named after Foundation founder Nick Melillo’s grandfather Pasquale, who was an avid Broadleaf smoker.

What does the Pasquale taste like?

Mocha (coffee and chocolate combined) leads from first light with cream, fruit sweetness, and earth. The coffee component gradually takes the lead through the middle and final thirds, supported by black pepper, toasted oak, baker’s chocolate, and a natural Broadleaf sweetness. Cigar Coop scored it 90 and Stogie Press scored it 96.

How does the Pasquale differ from the core Charter Oak Maduro?

The Pasquale is more nuanced, opening with mocha and cream before transitioning into a coffee driven profile with fruit sweetness and gradually building pepper. The core Maduro is bolder and more chocolate forward from the start. The Pasquale comes in a soft box press with pigtail cap in boxes of 12, versus the core Maduro’s round format in boxes of 20.

Who is the Pasquale named after?

Nick Melillo’s grandfather Pasquale, whose love of Connecticut Broadleaf cigars directly inspired this blend. The companion cigar, Pegnataro, is named after Melillo’s other grandfather, who preferred Connecticut Shade.

What is the soft box press format?

The Pasquale is pressed into a slightly flattened shape that provides a comfortable grip and even burn. Combined with the pigtail cap, it creates a tactile and visual distinction from the round, straight cut core Charter Oak cigars.

What is the pigtail cap?

The pigtail is a twisted extension of the cap leaf at the head of the cigar. It is a traditional Cuban style finishing technique that allows smokers to simply twist or bite off the pigtail to open the cigar without using a cutter.

How strong is the Pasquale?

Cigar Coop assessed the strength and body as medium, with both remaining in the medium range from start to finish. The experience is rich and flavorful without overwhelming nicotine, making it accessible for Broadleaf fans who prefer refined complexity over raw power.

How does the Pasquale compare to the Pegnataro?

The Pasquale brings Broadleaf’s dark, mocha driven richness with coffee, chocolate, earth, and pepper. The Pegnataro brings Connecticut Shade’s cream, berry, citrus, vanilla, and baking spice elegance. Both are richer and more complex than their core Charter Oak counterparts, sharing the same 5 1/2 x 48 soft box pressed format with pigtail cap.

Try Charter Oak in a sampler.