Foundation 10 Year Aniversario

Foundation Cigar Company has spent the past decade carving out a reputation built on storytelling, historical influence, and intentional blending. Founded by Nicholas Melillo in 2015, the brand has consistently leaned into tobacco traditions while keeping a strong foundation in Nicaraguan-grown leaf. To mark a decade in the industry, Foundation introduced the 10 Year Aniversario in 2025, a release meant to recognize where the company began and where it stands today.

The 10 Year Aniversario features a Connecticut Broadleaf/Habano hybrid wrapper over a Brazilian Mata Fina binder and Nicaraguan fillers from Estelí, Jalapa, and Condega. It’s rolled at the Tabacalera A.J. Fernández Cigars de Nicaragua factory, pairing tobaccos known for richness and structure. The cigar is crafted in a 7″ × 58 Salomon format, which is often thought to allow the blend to evolve in a gradual and methodical way. With production limited to 35,000 cigars (split between two box layouts), it’s one of the more limited, significant projects within the Foundation portfolio.

On paper, the blend combines the familiar Nicaraguan backbone that has shaped much of Foundation’s identity with more “new age” components less commonly associated with its core lines—namely, a hybrid wrapper and Brazilian binder that introduce a slightly different direction while still staying within the brand’s established identity.

Foundation 10 Year Aniversario Breakdown

Appearance

The 10 Year Aniversario shows off from the start with a dark, matte wrapper that has light tooth and subtle marbling throughout. Veins are visible but not distracting. The Salomon format gives it a defined, almost sculpted look with its tapered ends and broader center section. I’ll try not to get too in-depth in this section, but I have to make note of the cigar’s box presentation. It’s just plain cool. Pop the lid and the interior opens in a butterfly-wing style, with two side trays swinging out—five cigars on each side—and the rest fanned out underneath… It’s one of those designs that makes you pause and actually take it in instead of just grabbing a cigar and moving on. I should note that there are two box designs: the one mentioned here along with the more readily available 10-count display shown in the photos above.

There’s a clear handcrafted feel to the cigar itself, with minor surface irregularities and small imperfections that reinforce its artisanal character without detracting from the overall presentation. In hand, the cigar feels solid and evenly packed, which is reassuring, as Salomon vitolas can easily be rolled either too light to achieve the shape or too heavy to allow for a proper burn.

From the wrapper, aromas of cocoa, damp barnyard soil, and faint molasses rise immediately. The foot adds cedar and a dark, almost stewed fruit note. The cold draw lands at a 7/10, offering a firm resistance without feeling restrictive. The initial cold draw gives dark chocolate, dried fruit, and a light black pepper spice.

Smoking Experience

From the first light, this cigar lets you know it’s not playing in delicate territory. Dark cocoa and roasted coffee come out immediately, backed by a dense, earthy base that sits heavy on the palate. There’s a noticeable spice on the retrohale early on, not sharp or aggressive, just present enough to set the tone. The smoke itself has real weight to it, coating the mouth instead of being wispy or thin. Flavor and body land solidly in the medium/full range, with strength already creeping toward medium-plus.

Now that I’m firmly settled into the 10 year Aniversario, the Brazilian Mata Fina starts to show a bit more personality. A deeper sweetness develops underneath the darker coffee notes, more like cooked-down fruit than anything sugary. It rounds things out without muddling the flavors. There’s also a subtle herbal sweetness floating around that reminds me of black licorice—not overpowering, just enough to notice if you’re paying attention. The burn line isn’t razor sharp, but it’s steady, and the ash holds together better than expected.

Heading toward the midpoint, the profile gets a little busier. The cocoa deepens and takes on a richer, slightly malty quality, almost like what you get from a strong, barrel-aged beer. At the same time, the fruit note thickens briefly, feeling more concentrated before easing back again. Everything starts to overlap here—sweetness, toast, spice—rather than showing up one at a time. Strength nudges further into medium-plus, while body and flavor stay right where they’ve been.

As I approach the band of the Salomon, the cigar tightens back up. The draw expectedly has done what most Salomon-shaped cigars do. The unique format has caused all of the oils in the tobaccos to concentrate. The sweeter elements are pulling away, and the profile leans harder into coffee, wood, and pepper. The espresso note takes on a more charred edge, and the earlier licorice-like nuance fades out. Retrohales stay controlled, giving notes of sharp dark chocolate, black pepper, and a still-permeating barley wine profile. The finish is starting to dry out but isn’t parching my palate.

In the final stretch, the cigar stays true to itself. Cocoa shifts more toward baker’s chocolate, the wood dries out further, and pepper hangs on longer through the finish. The earlier sweetness is mostly gone, replaced by a more direct mix of dark coffee, oak, and spice. Construction holds all the way through with no touch-ups needed, letting the cigar close out cleanly.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

I absolutely would. As a blend, the 10 Year Aniversario does a really good job of capturing what I’ve enjoyed about Foundation cigars over the last decade. It leans into darker, structured flavors and keeps things balanced. The profile feels intentional and familiar in the best way, which is what you want from an anniversary release. The Salomon vitola, however, just isn’t my preferred way to experience a cigar like this. I’d personally love to see this blend in a Lonsdale or even a more traditional toro, where the flavors could open up and progress a little more naturally. That said, I get why a brand chooses a format like this for a milestone cigar—it adds presence and makes the release feel like an occasion rather than an everyday smoke.

• The Foundation 10 Year Aniversario ranked as Cigar Dojo’s No. 6 Cigar of the Year for 2025.
• Currently, the Foundation 10 Year Aniversario ranks on Dojoverse as “100% Smokable,” placing in the top 30 percent of cigars on the all-time leaderboard.

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