Trinidad

Espiritu Series No. 1

Not recommended 👎 Aged 8 mos. Dry-boxed 11 hours⏳️ This is a third and final review of this cigar. This cigar is mysterious to me. It gets top marks in every way except flavor. Construction, draw, and burn are all flawless. But unless you like burned vegetables, this flavor sucks. Starts with a basic wood core. Still slightly bitter and vegetative. Light fig arrives almost immediately this time; still vegetative. It's like the flavor of burnt jungle. White pepper briefly appears in the retro. Perhaps these need a few years of aging to get the full fruity and jammy flavors to appear. Personally, I don't think any cigar needs to wait that long to become interesting. And if it does, the manufacturer should take care of that before selling it. I'm throwing away the rest of what I have.

Not recommended 👎 Aged 8 mos. Dry-boxed 8 hours⏳️ This is a second review of this cigar. Starts with a basic wood core. Slightly bitter and vegetative. Light fig arrives in second half; still vegetative. These are reminding me of Honduran cigars; not a compliment. Raisin makes a brief appearance. Finally something interesting. I'll probably test a third, but my interest in these is quickly fading.

TL;DR - top marks for everything except flavor. I will retest hoping this was a one-off bad cigar. Not (yet) recommended 👎 Aged 8 mos. Dry-boxed 5 hours. ⏳️ A Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez collaboration. Sweet barnyard pre-light. Goldilocks draw; noticeable quality ingredients and construction. Light-up impressions of cashew fade quickly, settling to a calm grass or hay. First third ends the same with a hint of unsweetened dried-blueberry far in the background. Half way through, the burn has been perfect with generous and pleasant smoke volume 👌 Faint and intermittent white pepper; core remains unchanged. There's a sudden shift to bitter, cooked fig. Bitterness falls away; cooked fig (not sweet) remains. The last third starts with the cooked fig turning into more of a slightly burned vegetative flavor. I'm now worried about the smokability of this cigar. Final thoughts: subtle / light flavors and medium nicotine strength. Pairing ideas include white and sweet red wines 🍷 Last, I expect a lot from this premium price range. So far, and in that context, the cigar failed. More tests to come.

A return to the Age of Aquarius. The late ‘60s and early ‘70s were a strange time to be alive, but a great time be a cigar fan. This era is referred to by some as the ‘golden years’ of tobacco, specifically in reference to the fantastic blends coming out of the Caribbean at the time. Now the iconic heritage brand Trinidad is pairing up with the great AJ Fernandez to produce a Nicaraguan puro reminiscent of the spirit of cigar excellence from those years, and they named it the Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 1. The Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 1 contains all Nicaraguan tobacco carefully blended to speak to the soul and hearken back to the delightful island cigars of yesteryear. The packaging is a true representation of vintage Caribbean culture, and the cigars are medium-full bodied and satisfyingly full in flavor. If you’re looking for rich, chewy flavors of pepper, citrus, vanilla, and toast in perfect harmony, you’ll want to grab a box of Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 1 today. No time machine or passport required. Good news! The Trinidad Espiritu No.1 has received a well deserved 94-point rating and a spot on the top 25 cigars of 2023, with the review noting "First puffs start with concentrated notes of fig, raisin, date and dried blueberry. A meaty, savory element brings it all together for a jammy finish reminiscent of a California Cabernet."

This is the Espiritu Series 3. Mexican Habano San Andres wrapper, Nicaraguan blend filler. Rolled at AJ Fernandez. Beautifully constructed. Cold draw and a smell of the foot gives barnyard earth. A smell of the body of the cigar gives sweet tobacco. On first like there is spice, red pepper, light leather and earth, lots of smoke. As it settles down, a nice nuttiness comes through at times. Lots of creamy smoke throughout, she’s a chimney. Sweet tobacco and earth through first third. Once it hits the first band, wow. Strong nuttiness mixed with mocha. Spicy red pepper always available on the retrohale. Tingly. Sweetness going away at the end, she’s spicy. Little bitterness, like she’s mad to say goodbye. Burn and draw were perfect. 94/100

Clean and smooth flavor

Clean wheat, fresh cut flavors.

Livery Cigar Emporium Fayetteville, NC