TRINIDAD CUBAN

TRINIDAD CUBAN

Lonsdale

Of all the brands the Cubans have released over the years, Trinidad remains the highest in quality, and the most underrated. Despite being a long and relatively thin cigar, it packs loads of coffee, tobacco and earthy flavors and burns slowly and surely. I have never smoked a bad one. Maybe I am lucky but I can't get enough of the rich, focused flavors of the Trinidad, which is why when I want to treat myself, I grab a Trinidad from my humidor.

The brand was commercially launched in early 1998. It was, and still is, only one size: 40 ring gauge by 7 1/2 inches long. The cigars were first sold in Havana and then a month or two after, they were available in Canada and Mexico. The Cubans unofficially admitted that the cigar was a brand aimed for the American market, even though we all know that Cuban cigars cannot be legally sold in the United States. This is why it was introduced in the countries that border the States.

Trinidad was made before the 1998 launch. The original smoke was the same length but slightly thinner, 38 ring gauge. According to Avelino Lara, the former manager of El Laguito, the only factory where Trinidads are made, it contained the same blend as Cohiba's Lancero but used a slightly darker wrapper. "This gave it a slightly richer, more powerful character than the Lancero," Lara said last year. Lara now oversees the production of cigars for The Graycliff Hotel in Nassau, the Bahamas, which, by the way, are excellent smokes if you haven't had one.

Before it became commercially available, Trinidad used to come in a simple, unmarked cedar box of 100 cigars, and the factory produced about 20 boxes a month. "In order to have something special and unique for Fidel Castro, we produced this special brand, Other Cuban diplomats and governmental officials give away Cohiba as gifts, but nobody can give Trinidad away except for Fidel Castro."

Of course, today is a different story. The "Diplomatic Trinidad" is no longer produced, and cigar gifts from Castro and the government are now mostly Cohibas. But there could be some interesting news about Trinidad next year.

Country: Cuba	Ring Gauge: 40
Filler: Cuba	Length: 7 1/8"
Binder: Cuba	Size: Lonsdale
Wrapper: Cuba	Price: £7.20

Posted in: 0 Cuba,El Laguito Factory,Lonsdale