Cigar Info
Altadis U.S.A. announced the new Trinidad Espiritu Series back in 2019. This was to be a three part collection made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Trinidad brand, with each of the three using tobacco to celebrate a different country. The first was the Espiritu Series No. 1, a Nicaraguan puro presented in boxes with bright and colorful art inspired by 1960’s Havana, Cuba. Then, in 2020 came the Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 inspired by Brazil.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Both cigars released in the Espiritu Series so far are rolled at AJ Fernandez‘s Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. factory in Nicaragua. The blend for Espiritu Series No. 2 starts with a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and fillers from Brazil and Nicaragua. It comes in 5 vitolas: Robusto 5 x 50 $9.90, Toro 6 x 54 $10.15, Magnum 6 x 60 $10.65, Belicoso 6 1/8 x 52 $10.40, and Fundador 7 1/2 x 40 $10.90. All come in boxes of 20. No details of the Espiritu Series No. 3 have been released yet.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Brazilian Arapiraca
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Brazil
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
Blender: AJ Fernandez
Number of reviewers: 5 – Jason H. (Jokey Smurf) Mickey T. (irratebass) Kevin A. (Kevin A.) Quinn (quinnpins269) John A. (Bostoneo)
Price: $10.15
Age: 1 Year
Release Date: Feb 2021
Contributed by: Altadis U.S.A.
Initial Impressions – Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 Toro
Appearance: 92
“Very oily, dark chocolate-colored wrapper. This thing is almost black. The seams are tight but visible, and there is quite a bit of mottling throughout the wrapper. There are just a few raised veins, other than that, the surface of the cigar is fairly smooth with quite a bit of tooth.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Aroma: 88
“A nice and easy cold draw reveals medium-full bodied notes of aged tobacco, leather, cream, and graham crackers. On the nose, medium-full bodied scents of bold leather, peppery earth, and cream dominate with a wonderful balance.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Well, this cigar starts off interestingly. Charred wood, leather, and burnt meat. The retrohale is fresh ground pepper and coffee, with a heavy mustiness on the finish. Overall, the profile has quite a bit of dryness to it and is fairly bitter. Burn and draw are outstanding, with smoke output on the medium side.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“I get heavy barnyard flavors on the cold draw. Notes of baking spices, rye bread, and some black licorice. The strength is medium at best. There are some cream notes on the finish.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Second Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The second portion of this cigar hasn’t really seen any flavor shifts but that is actually just fine with me as the earthy and leathery profile is one of my favorites. I have noticed a lingering pepper tingle on my that is reminiscent of a mild chili pepper…I’m not getting the flavor of chili, just the sensation which is very enjoyable! Through the nose, the smoke is a bit zingy but enjoyable and I’m retro haling every puff!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)”
“In the second third, the cigar started to smoke great. With each puff hints of white pepper continued to be at the forefront. But a nice amount of nutmeg and gram cracker brought a sweetness to the profile.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
Final Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The final portion has the intensity turn almost completely off as the chili sensation left and the earthy and leathery flavors faded into a nice nutmeg and clove…I’m in love with this cigar right now!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The last third is medium-full bodied with plenty of flavors. Sweet notes of leather and black pepper with a malty finish continue to satisfy my appetite for a good smoke. This sample finally ends with additional notes of peanut butter, malt, and dark sweetness that isn’t off-putting, well done.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Overall Impressions – Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 Toro
Draw: 96
“An absolute gem to smoke draw-wise, could have been a slight bit tighter, however, it smoked so well!” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Burn: 93
“I had a very nice burn on this cigar. It stayed close to razor-sharp and I did not need to touch it up at any point.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
Construction: 90
“The cigar was constructed fairly well. There was a small hiccup midway through but did not warrant a mention during the smoking experience as it had no effect on it. The cigar looked amazing at the start and performed well.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 91
“I am absolutely impressed with all aspects of this cigar. As a lover of a full-bodied smoking experience, this was exactly perfect for me…if you are like me, this is very highly recommended. I need to find out what this is so I can order a box before they sell out!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Overall this cigar was a bit of a letdown for me. It started out decent enough with some chocolate, cherry, and baking spices, but in the end, the cigar became overpowering with the spice (not baking spice) and made the cigar too harsh to really enjoy and really upped the strength as well which was disappointing. I would have liked the cigar more if it stayed as the first to thirds. I probably would not seek these out.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“This was a no go for me. From the muted notes in the pre-light to the bitterness and dryness all the way through. It just never got off the ground for me in the enjoyability department.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“I really enjoyed smoking this cigar. The profile and construction were both on point. I would consider it to be overall medium-full. A great choice for later in the day for me.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
“This cigar had many of the things I enjoy… great construction, draw, and burn with a wonderful medium-full bodied profile. The complexity of this cigar was fairly decent as well, ranging in flavors from leather, black pepper, cream, peanut butter, and malt made for a fantastic combination. All these fine attributes made for a smoke I’d pick up again, and so should you!” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 80
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Jason H. | 95 | 97 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 97 | 97 | 95 | 95 |
| Mickey T. | 85 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 83 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| Kevin A. | 90 | 85 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 95 | 95 | 85 | 80 |
| Quinn | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 93 | 93 | 90 | 90 |
| John A. | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 95 | 97 | 88 | 92 | 92 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.