Trinidad Espíritu Series No. 3 Belicoso
The Cuban Trinidad brand has been positioned internationally as a prestigious luxury cigar. In the United States, the brand has been a bit of a sleeper—that is, until recent years. The trademark for U.S. sale and distribution is owned by Altadis U.S.A., and the company has made some very smart decisions in its effort to bolster Trinidad’s image. In charge of the task was Rafael Nodal, vice president of product capability for Altadis U.S.A.’s parent company, Tabacalera USA. He brought some excitement to the brand by jazzing up the packaging and turning the line into a series, each one made with a different wrapper. The Espíritu Series No. 3 features Mexican San Andrés cover leaf.
To make it all work, Nodal turned to A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua, who not only grows the tobacco in the country’s fertile regions, but produces the cigars as well. Mexican wrapper leaf and Nicaraguan tobacco tend to blend well together, and you see the combination in many premium cigars. This was especially true for the Trinidad Espíritu Series No. 3 Belicoso, a harmonious assemblage of leaf that produces a dense and hearty smoke beautifully balanced by sweet aspects of toasted vanilla, nougat, brown sugar and toffee.
—Gregory Mottola
