Trinidad Vigia

Description

I was on a bit of sand that hadn’t yet been taken over by tourists, some littleblank place along the south coast where, rather than coming in, the tide sighs. The sun was sinking slowly, orange into the Caribbean and I just had this burden, dessert-heavy cloying bittersweet weight inside my chest. You know that feeling? Like, you’re in the perfect place where you should be, and yet at the sametime, you can’t stay. My old man always said the best shit in life is the stuff you can’t hold on to,fucking feeling every bit of that as I dug through the side pocket in my travel humidor.
I thought I was out. I’d been on the road for three weeks, zigzagging from one dusty country town to the next, and between here and there Ismoked my last decent cigar two days back in a smoky tavern down in Santiago. But my fingers there grasped something thickand short>… and capped off with that unmistakeable pigtailKellogg>I hit on it! An old one, walled off behind a cedar panel I hadn’t realized I still had it. It was a Trinidad Vigia.
I sat there with the breeze on me and Gazed at this petite beauty. It was like receiving a present from himself in the past. I had no great gimcrack torch, only a saved cedar spill, a well-battered boxof matches. I took my time. When you have an experience like thisat this point in your life, you don’t rush it. You let the world wait.
That smoke? The Trinidad Vigia was exactly what the doctor ordered.

The Specs

But before I got down deep in the weeds of how this thing burned, let’s talk about what we have to work with. This is not your classic long-and-lean smoke. It’s going to be widein the shoulders.

CHAPTER I: WALKING IN THE COUNTRY!*

As with any baby, the earliest sucklings are the closest to true. With the Vigia, it’s not trying to beat you down. It’s polite. The breadiness I received on the cold draw waswhat really set that retrohale profile. It’s the sweet note of a toasted almond that sits in the middle of your tongue.
I did notice a tiny bit of earthiness, but it wasn’t“dirt” earth; it was sun-warmed dirt. It even had a certain lightness in its step, despite the thick ring gauge. From the girth, you’d expect it to be a little bit of a heavy hitter– but ohhow she keeps on cruising that light-to-medium lane. I slouched over a log, the mist hanging in the damp air. It smoked good, big, thick and creamyplumes of fermenting tobacco and old times.

The Middle Third When the Salt Strikes the Water

I’d got it half-way, stuck and suddenly there was a movement of some kind. Because, you see – this iswhere the Vigia excels. That sourdough note I mentioned? It intensified. But then something interesting happened: A weird saltiness started to seep in.
Now, that might have been the sea breeze on my lips, but I don’t think so. I have smoked them in my home study and the result is the same. It has that savory, mineral note, it’s perfect where their against this developing coffee bean flavor. (And it isn’t a “dark roast” bitterness; rather, think of a smoooooth, medium-roast espresso with an oaky finish.

Strength bumped to justa tick up that solid medium range. I even started to taste a little blackpepper on the retrohale. It burned but itwasn’t a burn — just about as much of a tickle to remind you you’re smoking something with real Cuban bones. It lit easily though, all the way around and burned pretty nice and almost straight (I only had to touch it up once when we got wind off the surf (every shooter hates that causelet’s face itshooting at all is difficult).

Act Three: The Bitter and the Sweet

By the time I worked my way down to that final inch and a half, there was no sun left; all there was on the horizon now was a purple bruise. TheVigia was heating up, but in only the right way. The flavors tightened. The nutty edge softened and what remained was a darker, cocoa powder thing.
The finish is remarkably broad and hits with burst of citrus. It was not like squeezing a lemon, more grating the skin of an orange.” It cut through the heavier oak and minerality notes, giving a nice clean finish to the cigar. I smoked it to the nub, burning my fingertips. I didn’t want to let it go. Seemed like the perfectexclamation point for a day that had leaned on the heart strings quite a lot.

Pairing: What to Drink

When you’re on a beach, that’s the environment you want to be like. I just happened to have brought a flask of aged rum, nothing fancy, but one that had enough caramel notes for the Vigia’soak.

What do you have for breakfast when you’re at home?If I were at home, either a flat white or a very clean Highland scotch. Both of these elements combine with the slight breadiness and almond notes in this cigar, so you won’t want to go anything too peaty or smoky; it will overpower what makes this cigar, well, this cigar. It’s a “refined” smoke, so give it a refined companion. A regular seltzer with lime would also be really good to keep that pallette fresh for thosecitrus notes at the end as well.

The Verdict

Look, the TrinidadVigia is not cross-continental flying. It’s a short, intense journey. It was introduced to replace the Robusto Extra and the Robusto T from the series, onceHabanos S.A. discontinued them and I must say it does a good job filling that spot. It’s a modern vitola forthe modern smoker—someone who wants the complexity of larger cigars, but doesn’t have two hours to cull.
So, is it the world’s classiest cigar? Maybe not. But it’s also surprisingly consistent and carries on that El Laguito DNA with each puff. Thisis a short smoke for “thinking men.
For me on the beacht hat night that meant quotes in more than tobacco. It was a little reminder that, even when things are rather bittersweet, there’s always room for a bit of luxury. It’s a sturdy, reliable friend that doesn’t ask for too much yet gives the world in character.
Who is this for?
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys a fulher, breadier profile and, just as importantly if not more so, even prefers that ol’ chunk in the hand means potentially millions on laying down scratch for this stick. It’s perfect for one of those midafternoon breaks, orif you’relike me.One of those moments in which the world feels a little too big.

Final Thought:
Cuban is a more and more expensive purchase and Trinidad is today being marketed as a “super-premium” brand. Is the extrascratch worth it? If you value that taste profile from El Laguito —combination of almond, sourdough and salt— than yes it is. Would make a great cab if they come in 12-count boxes. If you save it for aworthy occasion, that is.
I cast the nub into the black froth, and it disappeared before me. The bittersweet loomed, but the Vigia had made it much more bearable… to sit with. Solid. Truly solid.

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