Trinidad Cigars

TRINIDAD BRAND HISTORY

Trinidad is a famous Cuban-legacy brand named for the historic, picturesque town in the island nation’s central province of Sancti Spiritus. A bit of debate swirls around the Trinidad backstory. Unlike other well-known Cuban brands such as Montecristo or Partagas, which were in commerce for decades before Castro assumed power, Trinidad came into existence in roughly 1970, well after the Cuban Revolution. Its premiere was quiet, however. Trinidad was not made available for sale to the Cuban public until 1998.

The intense allure behind Trinidad cigars was cast in a 1992 Cigar Aficionado interview with Avelino Lara, famed creator of Cohiba and head of Cuba’s revered El Laguito factory. Lara is credited with training women as cigar rollers for the first time and personally overseeing the tobacco selection and production of the prized Cohiba brand for many decades. His insight into Cuban cigar making is legendary.

In the interview, Lara recounted that Trinidad was a slightly thinner (38 ring-gauge), slightly stronger version of Cohiba with a darker wrapper leaf. Originally, Trinidad was rolled in just a single long, thin shape called a Fundadore with its signature Cuban pigtailed cap. While the Cohiba brand was officially handed out only for Cuban government officials to enjoy and pass out as diplomatic gifts, Lara confirmed its more exclusive cousin, Trinidad, was the cigar that no one was allowed to hand out but Fidel Castro himself, although this account had been contradicted in a subsequent interview with Castro. Boxes of Trinidad cigars signed by Castro that were gifted to visiting dignitaries occasionally come up for auction where they command significant sums.

The Cubans have admitted, off the record, that Trinidad was a brand with which they originally intended to target the U.S. market, one day. Shortly after Trinidad was released for sale to the general public in Cuba, the government also made it available in Canada and Mexico, due to the proximity of these countries to U.S. consumers. The Cuban version was eventually released in a handful of additional formats, although some have been discontinued. The Cuban Trinidad Vigia scored 94-points in Cigar Aficionado in 2016 and was included in the ‘Top 20 Cigars of the Year’ in 2015. The short, fat shape (4 3/8 x 54) readily challenges the longer, thinner profiles of traditional Trinidad cigars.

If your efforts to get your hands on Cuban Trinidad cigars hit a roadblock, fear not. Like other iconic Cuban smokes, Trinidad exists in the U.S. as a Dominican-produced cigar in the portfolio of tobacco giant Altadis U.S.A., parent company of the Dominican-made Montecristo and Romeo y Juliet brands, among others.

TRINIDAD BRAND OVERVIEW

While the historic and exclusive reputation Trinidad cigars possess generates a fair amount of consumer interest, the brand’s presence in the U.S. market may be best characterized as harboring a bit of an experimental portfolio. Some releases have caught on and commanded an audience better than others which have been closed out or reblended over time.

The original, 92-rated Trinidad Churchill garnered praise with an Ecuador wrapper leaf over a multinational core of Connecticut, Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian tobaccos that expressed notes of caramel, tea, wood, and spices.

The makers of Trinidad haven’t been afraid to test the waters with trendier releases such as Trinidad Paradox, a medium-bodied blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos wrapped in an approachable and flavorful San Andrés leaf. Although the blend was eventually closed out, our remaining inventory presents a marvelous opportunity to try Trinidad at a deeply discounted price every day of the week.

Trinidad Reserve was handcrafted in Honduras from a mild to medium-bodied recipe of Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos beneath a succulent Ecuador Habano wrapper. Notes of coffee beans, cocoa, and cedar display a creamy balance that you can also taste for an amazing value while we sell through the discontinued stock for less than $2 per cigar during a number of featured promotions.

More recently, the brand unveiled Trinidad Santiago, a glistening all-Dominican puro that weaves a tapestry of classic spices through notes of leather and nuts. Choose from a handful of traditional shapes and give Trinidad a try today.

Its strong brand name and boutique portfolio make Trinidad an ideal cigar to indulge in when you want to add the appeal of a Cuban-heritage brand to your collection. Check out some of our Trinidad reviews when you’re curious about the opinions of other cigar lovers. From time to time, we’re also able to feature a number of popular accessories that show off the classy Trinidad logo. Taste an iconic reputation that doesn’t cost a fortune with Trinidad.