Quick Draw Episode 9 – Trinidad Reyes (Cuban)

With winter on the horizon now is a good time to start stocking up on some of those shorter cigars that you can still enjoy before your hands fall off. Up here in the Great White North, we’ve already started to dip into the freezing temps and my polar bear parka is still at the cleaners so I decided to do a quick draw on one of these shorter smokes.

Now the problem I tend to have with a lot of smaller cigars is that they simply can’t develop the complexity and flavor profile that something like a robusto or torpedo size can. But there are exceptions to this rule, so is this Trinidad Reyes one of them? The Trinidad name isn’t super popular but it does have a strong following, especially for it’s highly priced “Robusto T” vitola. I had heard some good things about this little Reyes vitola that measures in at 4.3 x 40 so I decided to give it a try.

The quality here is definitely top notch, the wrapper is super clean with a bit of oil and toothiness all topped off with a pigtail cap. The aroma is definitely in the cedar range with a bit of peppery spice kicked in there too. The foot looks very well packed yet the Reyes does have a nice springiness to it.

After a quick and simple cut I move on to toasting this little cigar with a single flame torch. I quickly end up with an evenly glowing foot and I’m off to a good start. Right from the first draw you get smacked in the face with a nice burst of pepper and strong earthy notes. This is exactly what I expected from Trinidad. The Robusto T has always been touted for it’s power but I wasn’t too sure it would translate well into this vitola. As I keep going, the pepper dies down just a tad while the earthy and cedar notes start to shine through a bit more.

As I get to the halfway mark, the earthy and cedar notes are still the most prominent with a bit of coffee poking it’s head here and there. The body is getting into the higher end of medium and the retrohale has a nice little kick to it. There is some interesting woodsy notes going on with this cigar, and not just cedar. It’s almost like I’m picking up some kind of oak or something, makes it interesting.

Through the last bit, the pepper and spices made a comeback but it’s still fairly well balanced with the woodsy and earthy profile. Although the coffee was around, it never really become all that prominent. Straight through tp the end, this cigar burned perfectly and puffed out a nice thick cloud of smoke. This would also make a great commuter cigar because of it’s good construction. Right down to the nub and I’m not getting any harshness at all. A very nice smoke, especially for the size and definitely worth adding to the humidor for those chilly winter days when you need a good cigar that won’t take too long.