Trinidad Reyes

This cigar is kind of special for me. My very first premium cigar was a Trinidad, and I’m very excited to be having a second one, now that I actually know what I’m doing. Also, I love petit coronas. This is going to be fun! It should be noted that this is a very young stick for a Cuban (only about 6 months old), so I’m expecting a bit more roughness and pepperiness than is probably characteristic of this line.

Statistics

CotM: August 2013



August 2013





Shape: Parejo







Chosen by: QuikAF77







Size: 4.37″ x 40







Country of Origin: Cuba







Wrapper: Cuban







Binder: Cuban







Filler: Cuban







Color: Colorado

Colorado





Strength: Medium







Price Paid: Trade

Trade





Smoke Date: August 23, 2013

August 23, 2013





Box Date: February 2013

Accessories Used

Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter (Silver & Carbon Fiber), Bugatti B-2002 lighter with “pyramid” double-flame torch, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Four Roses Small Batch bourbon served neat in a Sagaform rocking whiskey glass. This bottle was a bit rough when I first got it, though tasty. I’ve left it in my liquor cabinet half-full for a couple months (which I find generally improves a whisky), and that has done wonder for the smoothness. The sticky sweetness served as an excellent compliment to the honey notes of the Reyes.

Appearance/Nose

This cute little thing featured a light brown, smooth wrapper with some speckling. The little pigtail at the top was twisted into a beautiful little spiral.

Usually, I find Cuban bands to be too “traditional” (a.k.a. boring) but the “newer” (i.e. post-revolution) marcas like Cohiba and Trinidad have some really nice labeling. The Triple T logo is pretty and immediately identifiable. The nose reminded me of toffee and molasses.

Construction

There were no soft or hard spots. This was a very small stick, with very precise construction. The triple caps were straight, and a perfect little pigtail on the head finished it off. The burn was a little crooked at times, and required a couple touch ups, but I’m going to attribute that mostly to the youth of the stick. The ash held on amazingly for about an inch nearing two (!) at a time, except for a weird 2 mm drop at the beginning,

Cold Draw

An easy cold draw revealed light grassy hay and yeasty bread.

Smoking

First third

The first flavors I got from this stick were cream and pepper. The youth of this stick really shined through in the pepper. But just like that, the pepper faded and a sweet, grassy, honey taste with a cookie undertone took over.

Honey and cream dominated. A little bit of ash fell of the tip early, which was a bit weird.

Shortly after that, the smoke production ramped up, and I began to get a bit of roasted nut flavor coming in, amidst the honey and cream.

Second third

In the second third, the nut flavor grew and displaced some of the honey finish. There was a grassy note underneath the team and nut flavors.

The grass was especially noticeable on the retrohale, which still arrived a bit of that “young” peppery taste. The smoke output was full, and thick billowy clouds were released with each puff.

Final third

As the final third began, the creaminess turned into a sort of butter flavor. Butter, hazelnut, and sweet floral honey tickled my palate.

The honey grew stronger at the end, leaving a deliciously sweet finish that lasted for about a half hour after the smoke was done.

Notes

Draw: Easy-medium

Easy-medium





Body: Medium

Medium





Primary Flavors: Cream, honey, hazelnut

Cream, honey, hazelnut





Smoke Output: Full

Full





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Overall

If this is what a young Reyes is like, I can’t imagine how good a mature one would be. If these were more readily available, I could easily see it displacing the AF Short Story as my go-to short smoke. The construction and flavor were impeccable. When it was done, I wished it wasn’t. As much as I love petit coronas, this one left me wanting another inch or two. Great stuff!

Rating