The Tabernacle is the cigar that showcases Nick Melillo aka Chief of the Broadleaf’s passion for the Connecticut Broadleaf. Nick-R-Agua blended this smoke using a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over a San Andres binder and combined filler using tobacco from Jamistran in Honduras and the Jalapa and Esteli Valleys in Nicaragua. The bold smoke itself is rich and meaty with a roundness of flavor that touches on almost every pleasurable aspect of the palate, with earthy tones, hints of raisin, ripe fruit and steak, and a finish of a fine dark Swiss Chocolate paired with an espresso.

The Tabernacle Box tells the story of the cigar’s name. The artwork features an image of none other than Hailie Selassie, 225th King of Abyssinia, whose lineage traces directly to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The reference to “Tabernacle” is as a container for the Ark of the Covenant. “They call me ‘Chief of the Broadleaf’ for a reason,” Melillo said. “I have been working closely with farmers in Connecticut for over ten years. Broadleaf is more than tobacco for me. It’s something sacred.”