Trinidad Fundadores MSE NOV 11: Review

[Lant63]

Prelight: Stunning looking cigar from a 24 count box. Very well made with no visible soft spots. Aroma at cold is sweet almost honey like. I love the extra 2 clicks on the ring guage, 40 instead of 38. Reminds me of a Cohiba or a well refined PL on the predraw. The draw is a tad tighter than I like it. I may have to use my palio later but we will see. Time to light her up with my Dunhill.

Drink Pairing: Knob Creek Mint Julip with a squeeze of lemon.

Opening:Milk chocolate and short bread right of the bat. Some white pepper as well.

First Third: Chocolate continues on, and a sweet hay note become apparent. The chocolate fades and the hay evolves into a honey sweetness. The draw has opened up as well. An almond nuttiness enters the stage and plays nicely with the honey. This cigar is delivering on all cylinders in the taste department. It is like I have two bowls of almonds siting in front of me. One has honey and the other covered in milk chocolate. Each puff they seem to go back and forth between the two. The burn is razor sharp, fabulous.

Second Third: Graham Cracker starts to come through as we enter the second third, and the honey sweetness coats the back of the mouth creating a mouthwatering finish. The hay and honey enters again and the chocolate has almost completely faded away. The ash falls half way through the second third, the burn is still razor sharp. More honey-hay sweetness that reminds me of a good Cohiba except this is more powerful in my opinion.

Final Third:And here comes the chocolate. This soon evolves into baker's cocoa and some coffee aspects.The honey comes into play every couple of puffs, not as much as earlier in the cigar It has definitely turned "darker" and I am really enjoying the evolution in this final third. A tad of pepper mixed in with the coffee and chocolate once again. Short bread replaces the pepper and the honey-hay-sweetness is making one final curtain call.

Final Thoughts: Great cigar, well priced in my opinion as well. I am glad I went with 24 instead of only 12. I wish there was more left in the Trinidad lineup. I will most definitely add some Coloniales to my humidor eventually. I guess I will have to test out the Vigia when it is released depending on pricing.

In terms of all of the Cuban lanceros I have smoked this comes in behind the Bolivar Especiales no 2 Re 2009. This beats the CoLa as well as the Monte version, but both of those are from 2012 and 2013 respectively. I believe these will reach the Especiales level in two more years, but at the price the Boli goes for I will add a couple more boxes of those before I grab another of these. The pres has said that Trinidad quality is suffering, and I just may have to wait until that passes.

Thanks all, Enjoy!

Appearance:15/15

Construction: 23/25

Smoke production:8.5/10

Flavor : 29/30

Evolution 18.5/20

total 94

[Lant63]

Sent by telepathic superpowers.

-Stogieboy

[Lant63]

Sent by telepathic superpowers.

-Stogieboy

[Rye]

I do love me some Fundies!

[andysc83]

Thanks for review! I have yet to try one of these but it's on my list for sure!

[Optic101]

Great review !

[ogus]

I love
Trinidad fundadore and the reyes even more - however they are as inconsistent as my other fave the montie 2.

Cruel to be kind?