Aksum Claro Staff Review
Today, I’m smoking another small-batch blend from Foundation Cigars called Aksum Claro, and I’m firing up a classic 5-by-50 Robusto. Foundation brand owner Nick Melillo splits his production between a couple of different factories in Nicaragua, including My Father Cigars and the AJ Fernandez factory, where Aksum cigars are made. The critics in Cigar Aficonado ranked Aksum Claro in their ‘Top 25 Cigars of the Year’ for 2024.
Aksum cigars are named after the Kingdom of Aksum, which was where the Ark of the Covenant was supposedly brought 3,000 years ago and where it remains in a chapel in present-day Ethiopia. Melillo, a history buff, chooses biblical and cultural themes for many of his cigar lines. Although the names are sometimes difficult to pronounce, the images on the boxes and cigar bands are colorful and depict specific historical characters.
Aksum Claro is blended from Nicaraguan long-fillers and a Connecticut Broadleaf binder tucked under an oily, medium-brown Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf. The blend comes in three box-pressed sizes, including the 5-by-50 Robusto I’m smoking now. The cigar is quite firm when I pinch it, and the head features a tightly wound pigtail cap. When I remove the cellophane, the wrapper is as smooth as a chocolate bar. Delicious aromas of grain, gingerbread, and earth fill my nostrils with a faint sweetness coming through.
AJ Fernandez makes dozens of excellent cigars for his own portfolio as well as under contract for other brands, like Foundation. Despite expanding his farms and factories at an aggressive pace over the past decade, he continues to produce cigars with a high level of quality control and consistency. Aksum Claro offers a solid first impression. After smoking the cigar for five minutes, a bold spice singes my nose hairs while a nutty vegetal flavor layers my palate. Before I know it, a stable white ash has grown to an inch, and a bold profile of leather and earth takes over.
Aksum Claro relaxes after the first third. Smooth and creamier notes of fresh bread and oak offset the cigar’s spicy nuances. The retrohale resonates with notes of dark chocolate and dried fruit, while a continual foundation of earth lies under the cigar’s more delicate flavors.
I would smoke this cigar with a Belgian-style beer. Aksum Claro goes down smooth but stays intense without becoming too heavy. The draw is clear and cool, and a strong ash continues to form every time I gently tap it off. I also enjoy that this blend offers an experience that’s different from other AJ Fernandez cigars. I believe Nick Melillo is a hands-on brand owner when it comes to blending cigars. Even though AJ makes several brands throughout his bourgeoning operation, the blends he produces for Foundation offer a unique experience.
Buttery notes of wheat toast, pepper, and wood complement a lasting finish of coffee bean, cashew, and coconut. Aromas of earth and leather hang in the air and in the aftertaste several minutes after Aksum Claro has fully expired in my ashtray. This complex, boutique smoke has plenty to offer if you’ve sampled other cigars from AJ Fernandez or Foundation. And you can compare its lighter Ecuador Sumatra wrapper against the darker leaf that goes on the Aksum Maduro I’m reviewing later.
