Trinidad Espiritu Series 2 Belicoso (6 1/8 x 62) Cigar

Trinidad takes its name from the Cuban brand first rolled in 1969 at Havana's El Laguito factory, where the cigars were reserved as state and diplomatic gifts long before reaching the open market. The non-Cuban Trinidad is produced under Altadis U.S.A., which introduced the Espiritu series in 2019 to commemorate the brand's 50th anniversary. Espiritu Series No. 2, released in 2021, is a collaboration between Rafael Nodal, head of product capability for Tabacalera USA, and A.J. Fernandez, shifting the series' focus from the Caribbean to the tobaccos of Brazil.

An oily, dark Brazilian Arapiraca maduro wrapper cloaks a Nicaraguan binder over a long-filler core of Brazilian and Nicaraguan leaf. The cigar is handmade at A.J. Fernandez's Tabacalera Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua. Reviewers describe a firmly packed, seamless roll with a well-applied cap and virtually invisible seams beneath the dark, toothy wrapper.

A balanced, earthy smoke built around cinnamon, black pepper, coffee and dark chocolate. Black pepper leads on the retrohale from the opening puffs and persists throughout, balanced by woodsy earth, leather and a raisin-like sweetness that emerges past the midpoint. The final third builds in intensity, closing on espresso and rich dark chocolate with a long, peppery finish.