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Initial Smoke

Liftoff certainly excites the senses, though, with oily tobacco tastes, spiced dark fruits, and loads of leather being the most direct flavors. Following these tastes come some exotic coffee and tea leaves, which work surprisingly well when combined, and a smooth mixture of soil and chocolate upon retrohale with very little bite or bitterness. The finish is medium in length, as is the body, and is punctuated by hints of hardwood and cinnamon. This leads to a mighty fine ignition process and is far more fascinating than unlit impressions.

1st Half

Lazy waves of pepper spice swirl across the tongue, as toasted cedar staves and sea salt show themselves in the first third. Faintly fruity and bitter flavors of cacao nibs come forth to add their names to the top note registrar, as lingering baking spice tastes and dark fruits continue to unfold underneath. Still oily and leather-heavy up front, the finish and texture of each retrohale starts to dry out a touch, thus lightening the load while keeping body well within medium status.

But by the time you begin to near the centerline on the stick, a moderate amount of fermented funk has established itself. If it were not for the malted milk chocolate ball flavor of Whoppers candy, this would be a touch out of place, but together these two tastes work well at complementing one another. Retrohales are still smooth and satisfying in a medium dry sense, and the oiliness of the smoke makes each pull a pleasure, without getting too dense or dank.

2nd Half

For a moment there in the final portions of the second third, the taste of celery seed can be detected, and this vegetal note is both unexpected and completely out of place. It's not that I dislike the taste. I just feel that it would be better suited to something like a habano or even a corojo smoke.

However, these vegetable-based tastes eventually fade and give way to some subtle potpourri spices and a kiss of black licorice. Still leather and spice strong on the tongue, but also fruitier and chewier by the puff, the build-up within the final third is a focused affair, and only gets oilier the deeper down you go. Sweeter, saltier, spicier, and significantly soil-focused, the section just prior to the band's removal is a medium-full moment, and is where many Mexican San Andrés maduro smokers will start to salivate. 

Parting Puffs

Growing bolder by the minute, parting puffs are a take-it-or-leave-it section of the stick, and depending upon how aggressively you smoke, they can get bitter. Funkier than ever before, and defined by a strong soil and medicinal sweetness, the syrupy molasses tastes of the tobacco blend grow fuller and oilier, until eventually a mixture of heat and spice causes me to set the stick down for good.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Despite feeling overly tight in the hand, this little corona vitola produced a near-perfect draw and a respectable burn rate. There were some issues with overheating down the line, though, with anywhere beyond the band line requiring some restraint on my behalf when it came to puff rates. Smoke texture was a real standout with this one, with just enough oiliness to keep the medium-full body balanced without going too big or heavy. This also encouraged me to retrohale the vast majority of the smoke up until parting puffs, for it truly was smooth enough to do so, with not nearly as much spiciness as what was detected on the tongue.

Final Thoughts

Nearly a decade after its launch, The Wise Man Maduro remains a best-seller for Foundation Cigars. Take the time to smoke one for yourself, and you will surely see why this is so, as this oily blend certainly has some tasty moments and a very good texture to the smoke it produces. 

Alright, so there were some overheating issues later on, and I have found that certain sticks are far spicier than others, but the overall cigar flavor profile remains gratifying. Although I personally prefer a touch more chocolate and sweet dark fruit flavors in my Mexican maduros, I recognize that not all blends will lean heavily upon these traits, and that this one is more of a leather and medicinal mixture.

That leaves us with a very smooth dark cigar that has some seriously slick shelf appeal, and an overall profile that builds in potency and weight as it combusts. Ergo, if you have yet to sample this blend, or haven't torched one in a while, now would be a great time to smoke the cigar that really put Foundation Cigars on the map.

Overall Balance & Repeatability