Trinidad Fundadores - MUP JUL 18 (SSSTRW)

[slowsmoke]

This is from a 24:24 quarter box.  I’ve only had about 4 or 5 of these ever, and they’ve varied in flavor, but all were amazing.  Today was no exception.

Construction seemed ok, draw was perfect.  Sweet aroma to the wrapper.  Paired with a whopper of a negroni using plymouth navy gin.

First puffs were dry wood, light cedar, a little spice, almost black pepper on the back of the tongue.  This quickly gave way to what is the signature Trinidad flavor for me: black tea.  And I love it.  I am working through a box of Reyes that are tea bombs and I love those.  This was similar, but more relaxed.  This is more of a floral earl grey, while the Reyes are English breakfast.

I also get something that I have only ever found in Fundadores: mushrooms.  Not funky forest floor shrooms, but raw white salad toppers, kind of dry and crunchy.  It is an awesome flavor and goes well with the tea.

A definite sweetness appears on random puffs, hitting the back of my mouth before I’ve even finished the draw, and then disappearing as quickly as I expel.  Maybe it was just the cocktail, but it was great.

Smoking slow rewards you with much clearer flavors.

I remember nothing of the second third, as I was engrossed in aerial dogfights of some very territorial hummingbirds in my back yard.  Also made friends with a lizard.  I did give it a touch up to prevent some slight tunneling.

Final third gets a bit funky, which is to be expected I suppose.  Some tannin, espresso, and a nicotine buzz.  And yet I still taste black tea through it all.

Wonderful cigar.  On my scale of crap/decent/good/very good/excellent, I’m giving it a Very Good +.  Good enough that I ordered a box when they popped up on 24:24 clearance a few hours later 

Stay safe everyone.

[JoeyBones777]

We had very similar experiences. Great stick! Elegant and classy.

[david9985]

Very good. From your review, the experience doesn't sound a whole lot different from the Reyes that I reviewed for the comp too. I completely agree about tea being the signature flavour.

[RDB]

Lovely review, and I agree about the tea flavour. Hard to think of a cigar which is so reliably complex as the Fundadores. 

Also that shade works well for these, a slightly paler orangey claro.