Is Trinidad the best brand?

[hulklogan]

... had a Monte 4 today and was underwhelmed. Followed that up with a Trinidad Reyes, and enjoyed it IMMENSELY. Every time I have a Reyes I am impressed by the smooth and nutty/salty flavour. I have a box of Robusto Ts from 2010 that are also smoking great, probably the best robusto I have had to date.

Anyone else think that Trinidad cigars are underrated relative to the big CC brands?

[Diamondog]

They have a distinct following especially the reyes...imo they do not command the price point, that being said i am looking forward to trying the Vigia...if the title of the post was a serious question rather than an attention grabber, for some I guess but i don't know anyone that would claim that...

[DoubleDD]

Maybe underrated but definitely can be over priced.

[stogieluver]

Like the Trini Reyes, but I'm absolutely loving the Monte 4's (BUT Apr 13) I'm smoking right now. I'm burning my fingers every night with these things.

[paulF]

I think they got their own distinctive flavour profile for sure. Found the Robusto T to be pretty woody and recall a very nice sweet but faint floral taste to it too. I'd say definitely underrated.

[Smallclub]

Given the number of fans of the Reyes and the Fundadores, I can't see how they are "underrated"…

…and the wording "the best brand" is meaningless.

[Stanislaw]

No

[oliverdst]

Yesterday I had a Coloniales 08 that was wonderful.

[mk05]

I'd argue that your internal barometer is not far off the mark. For some of those who study cigar culture, Trinidad is very special and dear to the heart due to its history, philosophy, and production values. However, I find that most smokers do not give a hoot, and thus mostly pass over them, because to most end consumers, cigars are either, "good, meh, or bad." And if we are to judge Trinidad on just that scale, it wouldn't stand out against the others. So for all intents and purposes, Trinidad's either underrated or undersold, however you decide to translate Trinidad's lack of sales and quick discontinuations.

[AussieCanuck]

Underrated no, overpriced perhaps.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Laxman]

Very good cigars but outside the Reyes overpriced IMO.

[Stanislaw]

It's all a matter of opinion... People might scoff at the fact that, to me, I consider montecristo the best but I have my reasons...

What's great is that we have many to choose as the "best" and my choice really changes with every great cigar I have....

[Blakes]

I've only smoked the Reyes and Fundadores and love them however I don't smoke them often due to the price, I would if they were more in line with say Montecristo. I think people have a hard time justifying the price for whatever reason, and it shows in the sales or lack of. (I think Rob mentioned a while back that Fundadores is a very slow mover) whereas with Cohiba people have accepted the higher price and are more than happy to pay it... I don't think it's the actual cigar, well for me it isn't as I enjoy them just as much but they just haven't caught on like Cohiba.

I'm guessing the new one will do the same if priced inline with previous Trini's a good year or two but when the buzz has died down so will the sales.

[jrb5783]

Loves Trinidad's but I only buy Reyes and when I do they are on sale. Great morning cigar with a coffee

[galtline]

Trinidad is a great cigar without a doubt a better cigar than a Cohiba. Right now If I had to pick one cigar, hands down would be an epicure #2. To me its just cant be touched right now.

[maxcjs0101]

I think that the Monte's are sometimes a hit and miss affair especially the No.1 - 5 range compared to the Trinidad line where its said to be more consistent..

But thats just an opinion from a novice cigar smoker.

[sw15825]

Well, the one I buy the most are Reyes. On sale, I stock up and when they get a couple years on them, one of my favorite small cigars. Not overpriced on sales time to me. Slightly, otherwise imo.

[kwsaw63]

I don't think Trinidad is under rated but they are overpriced for what they are. If Habanos was to price them in the same range as Montecristo, Partagas, etc I think sales would improve significantly.

[El Presidente]

I'd argue that your internal barometer is not far off the mark. For some of those who study cigar culture, Trinidad is very special and dear to the heart due to its history, philosophy, and production values. However, I find that most smokers do not give a hoot, and thus mostly pass over them, because to most end consumers, cigars are either, "good, meh, or bad." And if we are to judge Trinidad on just that scale, it wouldn't stand out against the others. So for all intents and purposes, Trinidad's either underrated or undersold, however you decide to translate Trinidad's lack of sales and quick discontinuations.

Marc I would argue that a significant amount of love/passion/care/know-how has gone out of the Trinidad line for some time. Don't get me wrong, I love a great Fundadores, Coloniales, Reyes. It is just that from underfilled Funadores to so so Reyes (construction and wrapper), I have watched them fall away for some time.

When I am asked to select a box for a member of Trini's, it is consistently the hardest assignment I am given. The Coloniales from what I have seen is the most consistent of all month to month but that is coming off a low benchmark currently.

[LGC]

In my subjective opinion, no. Pricing and brand name alone cannot support the line. Despite what one would think, price cannot be equated with quality when it comes to Cubans. Consistency and Cuban cigars should never be mentioned in the same sentence.

[KoreanCowboy]

I'm fairly new to all things Cuban but I'm getting my wings fairly quickly, just ask Di. Anyway, I've only smoked 2 Trinadads and really disliked both. I disliked them both so much that I have no idea what sizes they were nor did I even make a mental note about the flavors. I just remember both being very bland and nothing special. These 2 cigars actually kept me from buying any Cubans for almost a year because the friend that gave them to me said Trindads were one of his favorite Cuban brands and I figured if this is how Cubans taste than I wasn't going to waste my money.

[oliverdst]

My only box of Trini at this moment is a Coloniales'.

After 6 years they are smoking magical. If you had asked me 6 months ago, though, I would agree with you.

[MPS]

Never was a big fan except for those OR Fundies and Robusto Extras.

[Lotusguy]

Best at discontinuing vitolas maybe

[mk05]

Marc I would argue that a significant amount of love/passion/care/know-how has gone out of the Trinidad line for some time. Don't get me wrong, I love a great Fundadores, Coloniales, Reyes. It is just that from underfilled Funadores to so so Reyes (construction and wrapper), I have watched them fall away for some time.

When I am asked to select a box for a member of Trini's, it is consistently the hardest assignment I am given. The Coloniales from what I have seen is the most consistent of all month to month but that is coming off a low benchmark currently.

I don't know anything about the marca post-'09 as I have zero experience with that. Could be true, last box of Trinidad's I bought was back in 2009, and boy were (are) those '08s spectacular! Of course every vintage is a variable, just like each factory and roller is a variable for a given box, so finding the right batch of production is paramount for box code hunters. I did have a handful of '12 Reyes, and while good, it's not enough points of reference nor time to form an opinion.

To clarify my original point, Trinidad is very precious to some (or maybe just me), because it is the only marca to preserve marca identity by being rolled at one mother factory. Name me one marca that has continued such a tradition. Therefore, arguably, the blend stays true, and the taste is true (given normal batch fluctuations per crop), every year. Unless of course, we're all smoking Vegueros by accident, and I'm the biggest fool.