This is the second part of my review of the Foundation Cigars Charter Oak.  This is for the maduro version of the Charter Oak I reviewed earlier with a Connecticut wrapper which you can read about here.  You can read about the cigar in my previous review because this is the same cigar, except in a Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper.  Let’s dive into the review.

Construction

The cigar has a slight rough looking wrapper, but this is Connecticut Broadleaf which, as I’ve said before, will win no beauty contests.  The cap looked sloppily applied, but it did it job in holding the cigar together.  The cigar has a closed foot, which limited the draw test, but I was able to get notes of cedar and earthiness with a hint of sweetness.

First Half

The cigar started off well.  The initial light was easy and it burned really well.  The draw was spot on as well and gave me generous amounts of smoke.  I got notes of cedar, earthiness, cocoa powder with some bitter and sweet notes.  I got some pepper spice, but only on the retrohale.  The cigar is well balanced and smokes surprisingly well for a cigar of its price point.

Last Half

The second half regressed a little bit.  I no longer getting any cocoa notes nor sweetness.  The earthiness and the cedar became more dominant and the bitterness increased some as well.  I was no longer getting any pepper on the retrohale either.  The last half of the cigar was a little anti-climatic as it fell a little flat to me was was mostly just bitter, earthy and woody.

Conclusion

I’m impressed by the Charter Oak line.  A cigar at this price point shouldn’t taste this good.  I enjoyed the cedar, cocoa powder, earthiness and the play of the bitter and sweet notes and all for a great price.  Both the Connecticut Shade and the Connecticut Broadleaf are very tasty, but I think I prefer the Connecticut Shade more.  Either way, you can’t go wrong with either of them.  Check them out at  you local B&M.