Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 1 Lancero 7 1/2″ * 40

The Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 1 is the non-Cuban Trinidad, an Altadis U.S.A. brand whose Cuban namesake began as a rare diplomatic gift cigar in the late 1960s. For the Espiritu, Altadis blender Rafael Nodal teamed with AJ Fernandez to build an all-Nicaraguan puro at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Estelí, using a natural Nicaraguan Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler, much of it grown on the Fernandez family farms.

This is the 7 1/2 by 40 lancero, the hardest size in the line to find. Altadis released it as an event only cigar rather than regular production, so it turns up in shops and then it does not.

A lancero changes the blend rather than just the format. Forty ring means far more wrapper against far less filler, so the Habano leaf leads instead of supporting: sharper, more focused, and noticeably brighter than the same tobacco in a 54 or a 60.

Pairs well with coffee, bourbon, or an amber ale.