Tag Archives: trinidad

February 15, 2026 · 8:58 am

Trinidad x Tommy Bahama, CAO Speed Shop and Recluse Draconian Cigars

The snow is very slowly melting off, VERY slowly!  It’s been three weeks since we’ve seen the lawn.  I definitely need to be on a warm beach smoking cigars this time of year.  Since that isn’t in the books, we decided to go have lunch last Sunday at the Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar in the King of Prussia (PA) Mall.  I have been itching to get my paws on the Trinidad x Tommy Bahama Island Collection cigars that came out late last year. I did some asking around and found out that Black Cat Cigar Co, down the road from the mall had these in stock, so I stopped in there and picked some up.  I got the toro, which they call the Breeze, which is 6″ x 54.  It was pricier than I prefer, but I was  (or should be) committed at this point. I went home and promptly lit one up.  This is a really nice cigar. It’s a Nicaraguan Puro that starts out with some wood, then the citrus kicks in.  I classify this as a bright flavor profile, it’s got a lot of flavor, is fairly light and refreshing, and was really enjoyable.  While I would have prefered being on a tropical beach while smoking this, it made my day a little bit better. Like most of the Altadis cigars I like, this one is a collaboration with not only Tommy Bahama, but A.J. Fernandez. 

 

Another cigar I picked up at Black Cat was the new CAO Flathead Speed Shop in the 6″ x 60 Carb size.  I grabbed a couple of these because I wanted to try it, of course. General Cigars usually sends me new stuff, and, of course, a five pack of them showed up this week. I was impatient, but I spent some money with a local small business, so I ain’t complaining.  I’m also glad it a really good cigar. This has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, San Andrés binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers.  Like the rest of the Flathead line, it’s severely box pressed with a flat head, which is tricky to cut if you don’t have the right tools.  I have an Adorini punch that has two sizes, 9mm and 13mm, the later is perfect for these. This reminds me of what I remember the Apehanger being. This was the round version of the Flathead with a Habano wrapper. I liked that cigar too. This one has a bit of a citrus twang also, along with some nutty earthiness.  I dig it. It’s been a while since they put out anything new in the Flathead line, this one is a nice addition.  

 

Somewhere along the line I got a sampler of cigars that included a Recluse Draconian toro.  I’ve known Scott Weekes from Iconic Leaf for a long time. If you’ve had any interactions with Scott, you’ll know he’s the king of the simile. He can turn a phase quicker than a fat kid on a snickers bar.  Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed the Recluse line, glad to see it’s still in the mix.  I actually have a few floating around.  This one looked delicious, so I lit it up. The Draconian has an Ecuador Maduro wrapper, a proprietary binder of some sort,  and Brazilian Braziado, Piloto Cubano and two Dominican ligeros, one of which is called Iconic Ligero, another proprietary leaf.  Maybe it’s just me with the citrus thing lately, but this had it. I rather expected a darker, heavier flavor, but I was pleased. This also has a flat head, fortunately I had failed to put my punch away, although the 6½” x 50 shape would easily have fit in a cutter. Another good cigar this week, breaking my two out of three streak!

 

That’s about all I have for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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December 28, 2025 · 10:19 am

Trinidad and Las Calaveras Cigars and a Giveaway!

It’s a busy time of the year and Christmas on a Thursday really threw off my week.  I had to go out yesterday and buy some new-to-me cigars for today’s post.  I also decided at the last minute to half-ass a giveaway!  More on the giveaway after I talk about a couple cigars.I ran into Cigar Mojo – The Grove, and found a few cigars that I haven’t smoked yet. This is an interesting problem to have, but I’m having trouble finding the combination of cigars I haven’t smoked, and cigars I want to smoke.  It’s come to me going through the humidor with my phone searching my own website to make sure I’m not repeating. And then there’s some cigars I just don’t have any interest in smoking.  I’m also price sensitive, and they have quite a few pricey cigars in the humidor. It’s easy when I want to stop in for a smoke, but less so when I’m looking for something new to write about. Anyway, I grabbed a Trinidad Espiritu Miami since I hadn’t had that one yet.  This is the fourth cigar in the Espiritu line, I rather enjoy the No. 2 the most, but they have all been good.  I want to get a hold of the Tommy Bahama edition. This is a 6 1/8″ x 52 Belicoso, and is a Nicaraguan puro made at the A.J. Fernandez factory.  While this is inspired by Miami, it contains no Miami tobacco!  This is probably a good thing. The bright colors and art deco look of the bands was very appealing to me and seemed to go along with this festive time of year.  I quite enjoyed the hour and a half I spent with this cigar.  It burned and drew well, and had some sweet, bready sensations.  I didn’t think the wrapper would fall into the beautiful category, it was on the ugly side, with some mottling and an odd color. Smoking with your eyes isn’t limited to packaging.  I liked this cigar, it was medium bodied and quite enjoyable.  Once again, most times if I enjoy an Altadis cigar, it’s made by A.J. Fernandez.  

 

Another cigar I picked up was the Las Calaveras LE 2025 from Crowned Heads.  I selected the LC54 size which is 6″ x 54. This cigar has a mid-priming San Andrés wrapper that’s not your usual maduro wrapper, but Colorado in color.  I haven’t smoked too many of the Las Calaveras line in the past, but the ones I have I’ve enjoyed.  This one was also enjoyable.  I almost grabbed the 2024 (they have 2’23, ’24 and ’25 on the shelf) because the band has red and green in it and I’m still feeling Christmassy, but I went for the newest one instead.  Mojo is a mile away, I can always grab more.  These are made at the My Father factory. There is an earthy cocoa flavor with a little bit of spice. Interestingly, the first half of this cigar burned really fast,  I was maybe 20 minutes in when I started wondering if it was going to make it to thirty minutes.  At the halfway point it slowed down, and I got to somewhere around an hour and a quarter.  It finished off well, nice cigar. I’m thinking I may have to go grab a ’23 and ’24 next time I’m there. 

 

It’s a bit of a tradition around here to give stuff away around the holidays. I have some goodies lying around, so here’s what going to happen!  I have a neat Don Doroteo leather case, with a cutter and lighter. This is a really nice item, it’s just not something I’ll use. There’s a. J.C.Newman Bricktoberfest stein.  There’s a nice Villiger lighter.  I’ve had this silver plate Gurkha ashtray in my closet for a few years, it can use a little shining up, but it’s a nice ashtray. Ironically, I’ve heard that mixing some cigar ash with water makes a good silver polish.

 

Top that off with some miscellaneous goodies, along with at least a dozen cigars from my humidor which I’ll and pick, and you’ve got a pretty nice bunch of stuff.  So leave a comment here on this blog post.  Facebook comments, IG, Threads, X comments don’t count.  I look forward to reading your comments!  I’ll select a winner randomly next Sunday.  Good luck!

 

That’s all I have for today!  Happy New Year to all.  Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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July 6, 2025 · 10:24 am

Tatuaje, Villiger and Cavalier Geneve Cigars

We’re coming off a holiday weekend that’s had beautiful weather.  I spent my weekend running around doing estate stuff, but I did manage to get a few good cigars in. Friday was my wedding anniversary (38), so I had a traditional Padron 1964 Exclusivo Natural from a box that the Padrons gifted me in 2014. I published my first magazine article in Prime Living Magazine (which is, sadly, no more) and featured the Padron 1964 Exclusivo, back when they were really expensive at $12.  People say that Padrons don’t age well, I beg to differ, this one was just fine.  I also had a Trinidad Vigia that was given to me several years ago, and I’ve been a little concerned about it.  The guy that gave it to me didn’t really know me, he was running a shop a few towns over that we more of a shipping operation of cigars to China. There was something weird about the operation, and, to be honest, I don’t think the cigars I bought out of their large walk in humidor were ever charged to my card. I haven’t stopped back, they keep strange hours.  The Trinidad was real, had a floral profile that while good, wasn’t really my preference. I capped the day off with a Micallef Firecracker, which was too strong for me for late in the evening!  Good stuff, I hope everyone got through the holiday intact. 

 

One of the cigars that my son got me for Father’s Day was a Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin. This is a 5 1/8″ x 52 Robusto Extra that’s made in the My Father Factory in Esteli.  It has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan binders and fillers.  This is a new cigar this year, at least this version is.  I don’t think I’ve smoked any of the Pork Tenderloins before, they’ve always been hard to get.  I should get more of these, because they are really good.  It captivated me from the first light, with some spice, espresso and sweet earth.  There was a cinnamon stretch midway through.  I finished it in time for a friend to reach out to me saying he was in the ER, and asking if I could sit with his dogs for a bit.  We took care of his dogs and I picked him up at the ER and all was well. 

 

Yesterday I was running around taking are of business, and when I got done I lit up a La Capitana toro from Villiger. This is a reimagining of a La Capitana that was around back in 2013, which was a Nicaraguan puro made in the DR, and a pretty good smoke if I recall.  This one has an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. This one was an old school 6″ x 50 Toro. It’s made at the Villiger de Nicaragua (Joya) factory.  This was a nice, nutty, medium bodied Connecticut cigar. It was smooth, burned well, although a bit fast, and was a pretty darned good smoke.  Villiger is a brand that seems to go unappreciated.  The have a lot of good premium cigars. Don’t dismiss their TAA cigars, which are usually very interesting. 

 

I wrapped up the day yesterday with a Cavalier Geneve BII-Viso Jalapa Robusto Gordo.  I believe Brian Motola either gave this to me, or it was included in the Cigar Circus swag from my visit to Clearwater back in the beginning of March.  This beauty has the gold leaf diamond on the wrapper, with a very thin band, a really nice presentation.  This started out spicy, but settled into the expresso thing I like pretty quick.  I really enjoyed this cigar, it was super good!  The burn and draw were perfect, it was just a really, really good smoke.  I’m going to shop for some ore of these at some point.  I remember meeting Sebastian at the IPCPR show maybe in 2016?  He’s a very cool dude, Brian’s pretty cool as well. 

 

That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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January 14, 2024 · 9:41 am

Belvedere Cigar Lounge Some Epic Cigars, and a Trinidad Espiritu No. 3

Thursday evening my wife had a thing she wanted to go to in New Jersey, and she found a cigar lounge three miles away I could visit! It turned out that Belvedere

Cigar Lounge in Lawnside, New Jersey, was hosting Irving Rodriguez of Epic Cigars doing a cut and light event.  I know Irv, and I love Epic Cigars, so it was a no brainer. Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered, the lounge is really nice.  It’s 1300 square feet, has seating for a little over 40, and has some massive TVs and a sound system. It has 24 hour member access, with a BYO bar. I would have been happy to buy a couple cigars from their modest, but well curated, retail selection and enjoyed one there.  As is was, I spent the better part of an hour enjoying a delicious Epic Habano and talking with Irv.  I’ve known about Epic cigars for the better part of ten years, and been a fan of them. They are made in the same factory that Kristoff cigars are made in, are really tasty, and always well made.  Dean, who sold the brand to Nat Cicco Cigars a few years back, is a cool dude who I like to call a friend.  The Habano should be first on your list of Epic cigars to try, it’s got a nice swee

tness I like. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, a Cameroon binder (this might be the seced sauce!), and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. I had the 5½ x 52 Robusto. I love maduro cigars, but the Habano might be my favorite in the line.  

 

Of course, I bought a handful of cigars while I was there, why wouldn’t I? I was rather hoping they would have the tenth anniversary, but that wasn’t available, so I bought some Habanos and Corojos.  Friday I smoked an Epic Corojo in the toro size. The Corojo has an Ecuador Corojo wrapper, Dominican binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. They call the 6″ x 54 toro a Double Corona for some reason.  Great cigar, although on the leathery side of the spectrum to my palate. It was much more savory than the Habano, it really lacked any sweetness at all. I enjoyed it before heading in to watch a Flyers game.  on a side note, last week’s weather took out our power for 14 hours overnight, and in the process somehow damaged our Verizon set top box. After the customer experience I’ve had trying to get the situation resolved, I think this

might be the impetus to “cut the cable” finally, and ditch the TV service.  I’ve been hanging on mostly for access to the Flyers games, but I  think there’s enough alternatives available now that we can ditch the $100 a month.  That’s today’s project.

 

Yesterday I picked up a couple cigars that I hadn’t smoked before, one of which was the Trinidad Espiritu No. 3. I was really looking forward to trying this one, I loved the No. 2, and the No. 1 was pretty good too.  The No. 3 is a tribute to Mexico, with a San Andrés wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers, made by AJ Fernandez in Nicaragua.  This was very different from the No.2, now that I’m thinking of it, I’d have swapped the two based on flavor. I thought the 2 tasted more typical of a San Andrés than the 3. There’s an

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interesting exotic spice flavor present, with an overall savory base flavor.  I thought it was really interesting, far more interesting than the La Gloria Cubana TAA 2023 cigar I bought and was severely disappointed by. I love La Glorias, but this one had nothing going for it. It didn’t draw well, it didn’t have much flavor, and just wasn’t good. I thought TAA cigars should be a good re

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presentation of a brand?  The LGC is a pass for me, but the Trinidad Espiritu line is a winner, and there are not a lot of Altadis cigars that I can say that about (ironically, almost all the Altadis cigars I like are made in one factory). 

 

That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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March 24, 2021 · 9:25 pm

Trinidad Espiritu No.2 Toro Cigar

I was out over the weekend looking for some specific cigars and couldn’t find them, so, being me and all, I couldn’t walk out of a cigar shop empty handed, so one of the cigars I picked up that was new to me was the Trinidad Espiritu No.2 in the Toro size. They had the Magnum and Robusto as well, but I like Toros, so

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that’s what I got! I’ll admit, there aren’t a great many cigars in the Altadis portfolio that I get excited about, but I’ve found in the last few years, the cigars that have been made in collaboration with A.J. Fernandez have been to my liking. This is such a cigar. 

 

The Trinidad Espiritu No.2 has a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Brazilian fillers, and is a collaboration with Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez and, one assumes, made at A.J. Fernandez’ factory in Esteli. It’s beautiful dark, oily wrapper, very rustic looking, and appealing to my pers

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onal aesthetic. I certainly didn’t mind shelling out over $10 each for a couple of these. I remember smoking a Trinidad Fundadores one New Years Eve about 20 years ago and it was spectacular, but absolutely nothing like this Trinidad. This was a heavy, lush cigar. It was my kind of cigar, loaded with dark chocolate and espresso flavors,

with some spiciness. This flew to the top of the list of my fa

vorite Altadis cigars. This cigar was exploding with flavor and I loved it.

 

That’s a

ll for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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