Altadis And A.J. Fernandez Collaborate For Trinidad Espiritu
Cigarmaker A.J. Fernandez can now add the Trinidad brand to his list of classic Cuban cigars that he’s reblended for the American market.
Made entirely from Nicaraguan tobacco, the upcoming Trinidad Espiritu is a collaboration between Fernandez and Rafael Nodal, head of product capability for Tabacalera USA. It marks the first time that Fernandez has ever worked with the Trinidad brand, but the second time for Nodal. (Astute smokers will recall the Trinidad Santiago brand, made in the Dominican Republic by José “Jochy” Blanco.)
The Nodal-Fernandez team has worked together before, most notably on brands such as Montecristo Nicaragua and Romeo San Andrés by Romeo y Julieta.
“The Trinidad Espiritu is a continuation of the work that A.J. Fernandez and I have been doing for a few years,” says Nodal. “We are reimagining the blends of legendary brands and creating new flavor profiles.”
Trinidad Espiritu comes in four sizes: Robusto, at 5 inches by 52 ring gauge; Belicoso, 6 1/8 by 52; Toro, 6 by 52; and Magnum, 6 by 60. The cigars are made in Estelí, at Fernandez’s Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua factory, but prices have yet to be determined.
A Fundador size measuring 7 1/2 inches by 40 ring gauge will be available only at events, which start in June once the brand launches. According to Nodal, each event will have a Caribbean theme reminiscent of the late 1960s and early ’70s, complete with period-appropriate cocktails and music.
The cigars are packaged in colorfully festive boxes of 20. The words “Series No. 1” appear on the boxes and bands, as this brand is the first in a three-part series of smokes.
Tabacalera USA is the parent company of Altadis U.S.A., the maker and distributor of high-profile brands such as the non-Cuban versions of Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Trinidad and H. Upmann.
