The history of the Trinidad brand

Trinidad is one of the world’s most iconic premium cigar brands. Although it accounts for only 0.2% of Habanos S.A’s annual production, it ranks among the group’s “Alto” brands, alongside Cohiba and Montecristo. Produced in very limited quantities, Trinidad cigars are distinguished by their exclusivity and enjoy significant popularity among knowledgeable aficionados.

A closely guarded secret

The Trinidad brand takes its name from a municipality in the province of Sancti Spiritus, located in southern Cuba. Founded in 1514 by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, this city is today renowned for its historic center and colonial architecture. It was also inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988.

Like the brand Cohiba, with which it shares a common history, Trinidad was born at the instigation of Fidel Castro after the Cuban Revolution. According to the archives of Habanos S.A, the first Trinidad cigars were rolled in 1969 at the famous El Laguito factory. However, it would not be until 1998 that the brand was officially launched on the international market. Before then, Trinidad cigars were produced exclusively for the personal consumption of the “Lider Maximo”.

In an interview published by the magazine Cigar Aficionado in 1992, Avelino Lara, the director of the El Laguito factory, stated that this brand was produced “in order to have something special and unique for Fidel Castro”. Before this article was published, very few people, including Cubatabaco executives, were aware of its existence. The magazine even titled its article “Trinidad: Cuba’s best-kept secret”.

A cigar of extreme rarity

From 1969 to 2003, the Trinidad brand had only one vitola: the Laguito No.1. Made from the finest tobacco leaves from the Vuelta Abajo region, this cigar was produced in very limited quantities and reflected the dimensions of the Cohiba Lancero (38 x 192 mm). It was also topped with a perilla (pig tail), which has since become one of the brand’s signature traits.

For Avelino Lara, it was a “very special cigar.” He even added, “It’s better than the Cohiba. It is the selection of the selection of the selection.” For this reason, only Fidel Castro was allowed to give Trinidad cigars as diplomatic gifts. This exclusivity helped reinforce the brand’s prestige, which would later be described as the “choice of the chosen.”

In October 1994, two years after the publication of the first article on Trinidad, the editor-in-chief of Cigar Aficionado, Marvin R. Shanken, organized a charity evening dubbed the “dinner of the century.” During that evening, some Trinidad cigars sold for $700 each. It was the first event at which the Laguito No.1 was auctioned. Three years later, a box of 25 Trinidad cigars fetched 16,100 Swiss francs at an auction organized by Christie’s in Geneva.

In 1996, an article published in Cigar Insider noted a change in Trinidad cigar packaging. The brand moved from 100-count boxes to 50- and 25-count boxes. The inside of the boxes was also decorated with gold labels. When the magazine asked a Cubatabaco official whether this change reflected a desire to prepare the brand for the international market, he replied, “no comment.”

The launch of Trinidad on the international stage

In 1998, the first Trinidad cigars were released. Also finished with a pigtail cap, they were first sold in Cuba, then in Mexico and Canada. They measured 192 mm in length, with a 40 ring gauge, giving them a slightly larger diameter than the Laguito No. 1. Called Trinidad Fundatores, these vitolas would be the only modules marketed by the brand until 2003. The original Laguito No. 1 were therefore never sold on the international market.

In 2003, three new vitolas were introduced to the public: the Reyes (40 x 110 mm), the Coloniales (44 x 132 mm) and the Robusto Extra (50 x 155 mm). The Robusto T (50 x 124 mm) was launched in 2009. At the end of 2004, demand for Trinidad cigars exceeded the production capacity of the El Laguito factory. As a result, production was moved to Pinar del Rio, which is still regarded today by many experts as the best tobacco-growing region in the world. Between 2012 and 2014, Trinidad continued to revise its catalog and stopped production of its two Robusto sizes. It then added the Vigia (54 x 110 mm), which received a score of 94/100 from Cigar Aficionado and was named the 14th cigar of the year on the Top 25 Cigars of 2015 list. In 2019, Trinidad celebrated the brand’s 50th anniversary by adding three new vitolas to its lineup: the Esmeralda (53 x 145 mm), the Topes (56 x 125 mm) and the Media Luna (50 x 115 mm). It also released a limited edition: the Trinidad 50 Aniversario. Presented in elliptical humidors inspired by the architecture of the Habana Libre hotel in Cuba, these Figurados (59 x 155 mm) are the brand’s first vitolas not to feature the famous pig tail. They are available only in these eponymous humidors, for a total production run of 5,000 Trinidad 50 Aniversario worldwide.

A Controversial History

On the American market, the Trinidad brand is sold under the name Trinidad y Cia. It is a non-Cuban brand launched by the Trinidad family. According to them, the brand’s history dates back to 1905, when Diego Trinidad founded the Trinidad y Hermanos tobacco company. In 1958, Diego Trinidad Jr. renamed the company “TTT Trinidad”.

After the Cuban Revolution, the company was nationalized and the family went into exile in the United States. They then teamed up with the Fuente family to produce non-Cuban Trinidad cigars. These cigars were launched in Tampa in 1968. After a long legal battle against Habanos S.A, the Trinidad family eventually obtained the right to market their cigars in the United States. In 2002, the brand rights were sold to the American branch of Altadis, which now manufactures Trinidads for the American market.