Trinidad 40 Aniversario Cañonazo

In 2010, Habanos S.A., the worldwide distributer for Cuban cigars, announced a special humidor to be released to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Trinidad brand. The release was limited to 400 humidors, each containing 40 cigars and topped with the Trinidad logo. The vitola chosen for the 40 Aniversario was the 5 7/8 x 52 Cañonazo, the only use of the vitola to-date for the Trinidad brand.

The Trinidad brand has a long and tumulus history, its Wikipedia entry goes as follows:

According to Adriano Martínez, a former executive of Habanos SA, in Min Ron Nee’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars, the Trinidad brand was first produced in 1969 at the El Laguito factory in Havana.
In the early 90′s, the cigar received much attention in Cigar Aficionado after an interview with Avelino Lara (formerly the manager of El Laguito, and a producer of cigars for the Graycliff Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas until his death on October 27, 2009). In the 1992 interview, Lara claimed that Trinidad was an ultra-exclusive brand that only Fidel Castro was authorized to hand out as diplomatic gifts. Lara also claimed Trinidads were of a higher quality than the much-lauded Cohibas that had formerly been diplomatic exclusives before their mass-market release in 1982.
Two sources have contradicted Lara’s claims: President Fidel Castro himself and the afore-mentioned Mr. Martínez. In an interview with Cigar Aficionado, when asked about Trinidads, Castro stated that he only gave Cohibas away as diplomatic gifts, and in his autobiography; my life, he claims to know very little of the Trinidad brand. In the Illustrated Encyclopedia, Martínez stated that Trinidads were actually a lower-level diplomatic gift than Cohiba cigars, made with a tobacco blend similar to that used in the Cohiba vitolas, but without the third barrel fermentation that Cohibas receive.
In 1995, Cigar Aficionado hosted the Dinner of the Century in Paris, France, where, among other rarities, the guests became the first outside of diplomatic circles to taste Trinidad cigars.
In February 1998, the Trinidad brand was released for public consumption at an opening ceremony in the Habana Libre Hotel in Havana. The initial release was only in one size: the Fundador. Though Martínez and others maintain that the blend did not change in the transition from a diplomatic gift to a mass-marketed cigar, the size did. The diplomatic Trinidads only came in one size, that of a Laguito No. 1 (the same as the Cohiba Lancero). The Fundador instead comes in a new size with a factory name of Laguito Especial, the same length as a Laguito No. 1 but with a ring gauge of 40 instead of 38.

A press release from Habanos S.A. had the details on the Trinidad 40 Aniversario Cañonazo release :

Habanos S.A. is proud to present the Trinidad Humidor specially conceived to mark the 40th anniversary of the brand. Made of cedar wood and reproducing the brand logo on the top, this case is a masterpiece that has resulted from the expert hands and great skill of Cuban craftsmen.
Trinidad is named after the beautiful 16th Century city of La Santísima Trinidad (The Holy Trinity), listed by UNESCO as a historical monument, which is situated on Cuba’s south coast.
Trinidad, as a Habano, dates back to 1969 but for many years, like Cohiba, it was made only for gifts to foreign diplomats. Not until 1998 was it released for general sale. 
All Trinidad sizes are totally hand made, long filler and they are manufactured with the best leaves that comes from the best crops of the Vuelta Abajo region.
Trinidad is characterized by its exclusivity and somehow became a brand chosen by those who wish to differentiate themselves from the rest. Having chosen a successful format as the Cañonazo and a production limited to only 400 humidor cases, results in a very exclusive item for the devotees of the brand and its aromatic taste.

Here is what the Trinidad 40 Aniversario humidor looks like:

(Via Habanos S.A.) 

• Cigar Reviewed: Trinidad 40 Aniversario Cañonazo
• Country of Origin: Cuba
• Factory: El Laguito
• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Size: 5 7/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Cañonazo
• Est. Price: $107.00 (Humidors of 40, $4280.00)
• Date Released: 2011*
• Number of Cigars Released: 400 Humidors of 40 Cigars (16,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 2

The Trinidad 40 Aniversario Cañonazo is a gorgeous-looking cigar, covered in a light brown wrapper that is silky smooth to the touch. There are quite a few bumps up and down the length, but no veins are overly prominent. It is a bit spongy when squeezed, but not enough that I think it will be a problem. The aroma coming off the wrapper is a combination of very sweet cedar, leather, creamy nuts and earth.

From the first puff, the Trinidad 40 Aniversario Cañonazo brings a wonderful creamy nuttiness to the forefront, along with strong flavors of light coffee, cream and sweet floral notes. There is a wonderful honey sweetness that is quite strong through the first third, and combines extremely well with a light white pepper that comes through on the retrohale. The draw is a bit open, but the burn is excellent and the smoke production is surprisingly dense. Overall strength starts out mild and ends the first third at a very mild-medium.

In the second third of the Trinidad 40 Aniversario Cañonazo, the sweetness takes a major shift from honey to more of a vanilla note, still quite distinct. The flavors from the first third are still present, albeit in different amounts, with the floral note becoming dominant and the coffee, cream and milk chocolate flavors sliding to the background. There is still a noticeable touch of white pepper on the retrohale, but it continues to decrease in strength as the cigar reaches the end of the second third. Construction-wise, the draw is still a bit open for my liking, but the burn is still razor sharp and the smoke continues to billow off of the foot.

The final third of the Trinidad 40 Aniversario Cañonazo sees the sweetness flavor shift yet again, this time from vanilla to a caramel note. Other flavors of cedar, coffee, milk chocolate, nuts and graham cracker flow in and out, while the floral note from the first two thirds has actually gained in strength a bit. By the halfway point of the final third, the white pepper is almost totally gone. The burn remains on its straight and narrow course, while the draw remains a bit too open for me, and the smoke production remains impressive. Strength-wise, the Trinidad 40 Aniversario ends about where I thought it would, halfway between the mild and medium points.

Final Notes:

• The Trinidad brand was not officially launched until 1969, which means that the actual 40th anniversary was in 2009, two years before these cigars were actually released for sale.
• If you did not know, the size and vitola name of the Trinidad 40 Aniversario Cañonazo is the same as the Cohiba Siglo VI.
• There is a great video of humidor being opened here, where you can get an idea of the scale of the box and the cigars together.
• Speaking of the humidor, the cedar and majagua wood it is made out of has a natural green cast to it, copying the colors used on the Trinidad brand’s bands.
• The finish is really nutty and slightly sweet.
• So far, every cigar in the Trinidad lineup—regular release, special release and edición regional—has a pigtail cap.
• Despite the significance of the release, the 40 Aniversario Cañonazo uses the standard Trinidad band. Other than the unique size, there is no indication that it is anything other than a normal Trinidad cigar.
• The Trinidad brand was named after the city of Villa De la Santísima Trinidad (The Holy Trinity) in Cuba, which was founded on December 23, 1514 by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar.
• After the Robusto T and the Robusto Extra were recently discontinued, there are now only three regular production vitolas available in the Trinidad lineup: Fundadores, Coloniales and Reyes.
• The final smoking time was one hour and 35 minutes.