The Olmec Claro has received a 93-point rating and ranked among the top 25 cigars of 2023, with the review noting "Bursts of ginger and citrus provide the zest while accents of nuts, toast and vanilla bring sweet detail." A full-bodied cigar with noticeable notes of earth and spice underlined by a delicious sweetness. Its warm-tan Mexican San Andres wrapper covers a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Esteli and Jalapa. Olmec Claro imparts notes of almond, malted milk chocolate, and coffee bean before hints of crème brûlée punctuate the cigar's medium to full-bodied profile. At the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nicholas Melillo's Foundation Cigar Company introduced a two-blend cigar line known as Olmec. It pays tribute to the culture of the Olmecs, who were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. They flourished in the period of 1600 and 400 BCE. These leaves are bale aged for three years prior to being rolled. The cigar's signature ingredient is the San Andrés wrapper, which Foundation describes as "[being] fermented slowly at low temperatures to preserve the natural oils that give flavor." Handmade in Nicaragua at AJ Fernandez's Tabacalera factory, the Foundation Olmec Claro Toro's filler leaves are bale-aged for three years before rolling to allow their flavors to develop. The Olmec Claro was awarded Cigar Dojo's No. 2 Cigar of the Year for 2022. While not particularly balanced, the Olmec Claro Robusto is an enjoyable cigar because of how in command and vibrant the red pepper was for most of the cigar. If I'm going to smoke a cigar oftentimes led by a red pepper flavor, I appreciate the sensation being nuanced like this. Fortunately, the secondary flavors—at least the ones I could detect—were rather good enough that the overall package kept me interested from start to finish.