Trinidad
A cigar with a beautiful name and of Cuban origin - the Trinidad - has been produced since 1969 and given as a gift to the diplomats. However, the public at large has got to know it at the end of the 20th century, namely in 1998.
The Trinidad brand was named after a medieval city of La Santísima Trinidad (The Holy Trinity), founded in 16th century on Cuba's south coast. The city is listed as a historical monument by UNESCO and declared a World Heritage Site for the medieval Spanish architecture and various places of interest.
According to Avelino Lara, the former manager of El Laguito factory, Trinidad's birth place, the brand has been produced since 1969 and given only to the diplomats who were attending Cuba by Fidel Castro personally. However, Fidel Castro denies this fact in his autobiography, saying he knew almost nothing about the Trinidad brand, and, thus, couldn't offer it as a gift to the diplomats.
Avelino Lara has also stated that the Trinidad's had much resemblance to the Cohiba cigars, being even of a better taste. However, Adriano Martínez, a former executive of Habanos SA, disclaimed that statement, saying that the Trinidad cigars were made of a tobacco blend similar to that used in Cohibas but without the third barrel fermentation that the Cohiba brand receives.
At first, the Trinidad cigar was introduced in only one vitola - the Fundadores or Fundador, and although it resembles the Cohiba Lanceros in size, it is unique because of the 2 extra ring gauge points. However, they have since added three new formats: Reyes (40 x 110 mm), Coloniales (44 x 132 mm) and Robustos Extra (50 x 155 mm).
The cigars are unusually packed (other Cuban cigars usually come in boxes of 10, 25 and 50 cigars) and come in boxes of 12 and 24, as well as in packs of 3 and 5.
All cigars from the Trinidad brand are handmade ("totalmente a mano", Spanish) with a long filler ("tripa larga", Spanish) and medium flavor ranking.