Trinidad history: Why the brand always remained in the shadow of Cohiba

The Trinidad story begins with a paradox: the brand is known worldwide - and yet from the very beginning it was overshadowed by its big sister Cohiba. What characterises it is not a myth before 1959, but a clearly datable origin after the revolution, a diplomatic gift with a limited production run and many years in which there was only one cigar of the brand.

Today, the three „T “s also adorn the cigar ring. In the past, the cigar rings were simply labelled with the name: Trinidad.

Trinidad history in the shadow of Cohiba

Trinidad is a brand that was only created after the revolution. It is something like the little, well-known but less famous and much less sought-after sister of the Cohiba brand and has always stood and still stands in its shadow. It has never been able to break away from it, but it has its fans.

A curse and/or a blessing? The Trinidad still stands in the shadow of its „big sister“ today, but is also known worldwide and delights its lovers.

A brand called Trinidad before the revolution

There was already a brand called Trinidad before the revolution in Cuba, which was produced by the company „Trinidad y Hermanos“, but it has nothing to do with the current brand. This Trinidad story does not concern this earlier brand. Named after a person, only cigarettes were produced under the name; production ended in 1958.

City name instead of person: La Santísima Trinidad

The now world-famous Trinidad brand is named after a town: La Santísima Trinidad (The Holy Trinity), which was built in the 16th century. It is located on the south coast of Cuba. With its red tiled roofs, cobbled streets, squares and stairways, the city of Trinidad is one of Cuba's greatest historical treasures.

In the 18th century, the city experienced its golden age thanks to the sugar boom. The name of the brand refers directly to the city in this Trinidad story. When the sugar cane business moved to Havana, the city quickly lost its importance. It is also thanks to this decline that Trinidad's colonial architecture was not replaced by newer buildings and has been preserved in this way: in 1988, UNESCO declared the city of Trinidad a cultural monument worthy of protection.

With its red-tiled roofs, cobbled streets, squares and stairways, the city of Trinidad is one of Cuba's greatest historical treasures.

Nationalisation in 1959 and the „children of the revolution“

After the revolution in Cuba in 1959, all companies, including the cigar factories, were nationalised. Many entrepreneurial families left the country. Under state management, production of the existing cigar brands continued almost uninterrupted. Often the workers in the factory simply continued to work as before.

But Fidel Castro wanted his own cigar and brands that would be a „child of the revolution“, so to speak. They became two „children“: the Cohiba brand has officially existed since 1966 and the Trinidad brand since 1969.

Long and slim formats have gone a little out of fashion, but the Trinidad and Cohiba brands originally stood for them. This also applies to the first Trinidad with a length of 192 mm and a 38 ring gauge.

The first Trinidad: one format, one claim

Only one cigar was produced for the Trinidad brand, which, with a ring gauge of 38 and a length of 192 mm, had the same format as the Cohiba Lanceros, a Laguito No.1. A very long, very slim cigar.

The brand's original logo also consisted of the three „T “s, but two of them were upside down. This logo was used until around 2003, when new formats and a design relaunch were introduced.

Blend and fermentation

It is also claimed that the same blend was used for both cigars. The only difference was that the tobaccos for the Cohiba were fermented three times, while those for the Trinidad were only fermented twice.

Diplomats, politicians and a cigar that wasn't talked about

However, Cohiba and Trinidad brand cigars were only available in limited quantities. They were not freely available. Both brands were used by the government exclusively as gifts for foreign diplomats and politicians. This made these cigars particularly valuable. Anyone who enjoyed a box of these cigars had something to boast about.

Only one person never used Trinidad brand cigars as a gift: Fidel Castro, whose favour was exclusively for Cohiba. He explained this in an interview with Marvin Shanken for the magazine „Cigar Aficionado“ in the 1990s. Perhaps this is why the Trinidad brand never acquired the reputation of the Cohiba brand, although it certainly had and has the potential to do so. Because Fidel Castro only smoked Cohiba, this myth arose, which Trinidad never achieved because hardly anyone talked about it.

The current logo of the Trinidad brand: „TTT“, also known as Triple-T

El Laguito: the first home

The Trinidad story begins in the «El Laguito» manufactory. Just like the Cohiba, the first cigars of the Trinidad brand were produced in the famous and probably most beautiful manufactory in Havana, the „El Laguito“ manufactory. The „El Laguito“ factory, the former villa of a sugar baron, is located in Havana's Cubanacán district, just outside, to the west of Miramar. In the past, and perhaps again today, only those who could afford it lived here.

The Trinidad story begins in the famous El Laguito factory.

1982 and 1997: two market launches, two points in time

For a long time, there were hardly any cigars from the Cohiba and Trinidad brands. But then came the big moment: the Cohiba brand was launched on the international market in 1982 - a sensation!

The continuation of the Trinidad story took more time. Aficionados had to wait another 15 years, until 1997, for the Trinidad brand cigars. Even then there was only one cigar, the Trinidad Fundadores with a ring gauge of 40 and a length of 192 mm, the format name was Laguito Especial. However, a completely new blend was used for this cigar, a completely different blend to that used for the first, the original Trinidad. The length was the same, only the ring gauge was slightly larger.

Until 2003, there was only one Trinidad format, the Fundadores. Although it is similar in length and appearance to the Cohiba Lanceros, it is unique due to its ring gauge, which is larger than that of the Lanceros.

The Cohiba manufactory El Laguito specialises in the production of long, slim formats, then as now, including the first Trinidad cigar, which has been produced since 1969.

New Trinidad formats from 2004: Reyes, Coloniales, Robusto Extra - and later Vigia

In 2004, Habanos introduced three new formats to the Trinidad brand: the Reyes (ring gauge 40, length 110mm), the Coloniales (ring gauge 44, length 132mm) and the Robusto Extra (ring gauge 50, length 155mm). This gave the Trinidad brand a real boost. The Vigia was added in 2014.

Other formats of the Trinidad brand are available exclusively in «La Casa del Habano» or as Edición Limitada or are presented for special occasions, matured and/or in exclusive humidors.

There have always been special cigars from the Trinidad brand for special occasions, here an anniversary humidor for the brand's 55th birthday in 2024.

Today in Pinar del Rio: Francisco Donatien

Today, Trinidad brand cigars are made in the „Francisco Donatien“ factory in Pinar del Rio. Unlike many others, the cigars are not rolled in Havana. It is the same factory where the Vegueros brand cigars are made.

Today's Trinidad factory in Pinar del Rio, in the heart of the tobacco plantations.

Built in 1868, the building was initially a hospital and later a prison. Before it was used as a cigar factory, it probably also housed an art school. Cigars have been made in this building since 1961.

The Trinidad story concludes with today's production in Pinar del Rio, in the immediate vicinity of the tobacco plantations. Initially only made as gifts, cigars were later also produced for special occasions.

It does not necessarily have to be a new format of the Trinidad brand, but for example the degree of maturation: Vintage Trinidad cigars for the 55th anniversary.

Here you will find the Trinidad Manufaktur

If the live folder does not work, please click here for the Trinidad Manufactory.

Picture credits

• Claudia Puszkar
• Vasilij Ratej
• Min Ron Nee:
• “AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF POST-REVOLUTION HAVANA CIGARS” / Hong Kong 2003, ISBN: 978-3980930826

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External website: Experience the Habanos Club in Germany

At Origin Of Cigar: THE PLEASURE LETTER by Origin Of Cigar: A curated email celebrating the fine pleasures of Cuban cigar culture.

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References

• Min Ron Nee:
  • “AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF POST-REVOLUTION HAVANA CIGARS” / Hong Kong 2003, ISBN: 978-3980930826

• Orlando Quiroga: “El Habano al rojo vivo”, Havana 2002

• Instituto de Investigaciones del Tabaco Cuba:
  • „The world of Habanos“ / Havana 2013, ISBN: 978-959-7212-08-9

• Adriano Martínez Rius:
  • “Habano the King” / Barcelona 1998, ISBN: 84-930387-1-7

• Adriano Martinez Rius:
  • “The Great Habano Factories” / Barcelona 2005, ISBN: 84-609-4024-1

• Orlando Quiroga:
  • “El Habano al rojo vivo” / Havana 2002

• Enzo A. Infante:
  • “Havana Cigars 1817-1960” / Neptune City 1997

• Eumelio Espino:
  • “El Habano - De la semilla al puro en 539 pasos” / Madrid 2019, ISBN: 978-84-09-07091-6

• Alexander Groom:
  • “El Habano Moderno” / Helios House Press 2022, ISBN: 978-911683-05-6

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