The Trinidad Cugan Cigars brand was first produced in 1969 in Havana. It is named after the beautiful, sixteenth-century city of Santisima Trinidad (The Holy Trinity), a UNESCO historical monument on Cuba’s south coast. In 1992, the manager of the El Laguito factory where they were produced, claimed in an interview that Trinidad was an ultra-exclusive brand that only Fidel Castro was authorised to hand out as diplomatic gifts. Castro contradicted this claim in his autobiography, saying he never used them, only Cohiba. They were however, initially produced for use as diplomatic gifts. Due to this, it was once described as Havana’s “Mystery Brand” and acquired an almost-mythical status.
In 1995,
cuban cigars Aficionado hosted the Dinner of the Century in Paris, where guests became the first people outside diplomatic circles to try Trinidad cigars. The brand was first released for public consumption in February 1998, initially in one size only, the Fundador or Founder and only in small quantities. The Fundador is unique because of two extra guage points added to its girth. It is totally handmade, long filler, with a medium flavor. It is made at El Laguito, to its own particular recipe of tobaccos, selected from the Vuelta Abajo region.
Some have claimed that the Trinidad brand was designed to appeal to American cigar smokers who could only obtain Cuban cigars from the black market. Three new sizes were added at a black-tie dinner at the Hilton Park Lane, London in November 2003: the Coloniale, Reyes and Robusto Extra.
The Trinidad is a superb cigar, with rich, full flavors and a wonderful wrapper. It is a cigar that needs a relaxed atmosphere and an abundance of time for it to be enjoyed to the fullest.
