Today we review the Trinidad Espiritu Miami Edition. This is a limited-edition cigar from Altadis U.S.A.’s Trinidad brand that debuted in 2025. Trinidad is a brand that traces its roots back to Cuba in 1969. Altadis U.S.A. is the non-Cuban version of the Trinidad brand. For many years, the Trinidad brand simply didn’t take off in the Altadis U.S.A. portfolio and, for all practical purposes, was dormant. That all changed in 2019 with the launch of the Trinidad Espiritu No 1. For Espiritu No 1, Altadis turned to AJ Fernandez to develop a Nicaraguan puro. The Espiritu was given a tropical/Latin-American theme, and new life was injected into Trinidad.
Now, seven years later, Espiritu is a full-fledged sub-brand under Trinidad. There have been five Espiritu releases to date. Each has a different theme. All of these pay homage to a different region of Latin culture, with the exception being the Trinidad Tommy Bahama release. While not branded as “Espiritu”, it’s packaged like an Espiritu.
There is one difference with the Espiritu Miami Edition compared to the others: it was positioned as a limited-edition cigar.
Without further ado, it’s time to break down the Espiritu Miami Edition and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
The Espiritu Miami Edition features 100% Nicaraguan tobaccos. As with all of the Trinidad Espiritu cigars, production comes from AJ Fernandez. Specific details of the varietals of the Nicaraguan tobaccos have not been disclosed.
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
Vitolas Offered
The Espiritu Miami Edition comes in one size – a 6 1/8 x 52 box-pressed Belicoso. A total of 4,000 20-count boxes were produced.
Appearance (*)
The Espiritu Miami Edition had a medium brown color with a slight rosado tint. There was a light sheen of oils on the wrapper. Upon closer examination, some mottling was visible. There were some visible veins, and the wrapper seams were noticeable. The box-press of the Espiritu Miami Edition had a slight Cuban-press (slightly rounded on the edges). There was a short moderate taper at the head of the cigar.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
I used a straight cut to remove about two-thirds of the tip from the belicoso of the Espiritu Miami Edition. Because the taper was short, I needed to cut off a bit more than I usually would for a belicoso tip in order to create enough surface area for a good draw. Once the tip was removed, I performed the pre-light draw. The cold draw revealed notes of wood and sweet citrus. Normally, this combination wouldn’t be a favorite of mine for a pre-light draw, but the citrus sweetness made it enjoyable. At this point, I removed the footer band from the Espiritu Miami Edition and prepared to start smoking.
Tasting Notes
The Espiritu Miami Edition opened up with more notes of wood and citrus. There were also notes of hay, natural tobacco, and baker’s spice. Early on, the natural tobacco notes became primary with the wood notes. The natural tobacco had a caramel-like sweetness blended into it. Meanwhile, the hay, baker’s spice, and citrus settled in the background. On the retrohale, there was an additional layer of wood.
As the Espiritu Miami Edition moved into the second third, the natural tobacco took over as the primary note. Some of the bitters of the natural tobacco started to balance the caramel sweetness. Meanwhile, the wood settled in the back with the citrus, hay, and baker’s spice. Some black pepper emerged on the tongue in the background just past the midway point. The black pepper also eclipsed the wood on the retro-hale.
The final third saw the natural tobacco remain primary. The baker’s spice and pepper increased and closed in on the forefront. There still were notes of wood, hay, and citrus in the background. This is the way the Espiritu Miami Edition came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
The Espiritu Miami Edition required multiple touchups to maintain a straight burn line and path. While the touchups did the trick, this cigar required more touchups than I preferred. Meanwhile, the resulting ash had a salt-and-pepper complexion. While the ash was firm early on (as per the picture), the ash seemed to get slightly loose as the cigar burned. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.
Draw
The draw to the Espiritu Miami Edition had a touch of resistance, which is something that I like. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from
Strength and Body
In terms of the Espiritu Series, I found the Miami Edition to be the most dialed back for most of the cigar experience. This is a cigar that started out mild in strength. There was a spike in intensity in the second half as it went from mild to medium. By the final third, the strength crossed into medium territory.
As for the body, the flavors started out mild to medium-bodied before progressing to medium-bodied in the second half. In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained a slight edge.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
When I evaluated the Trinidad Espiritu No. 3, I mentioned that the Mexican colors and design were my favorites in the series—until I encountered the Espiritu Miami Edition. The combination of purple and pink truly captures the Miami vibe, which pleasantly surprised me, especially considering I didn’t expect a cigar’s packaging to impress me this much..
The Espiritu Miami Edition shares the blue and gold Trinidad band. The second band is blue and gold accented with the Miami Edition colors. There is also a tertiary footer band, and it has the name Miami in an art deco font.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
The Trinidad Miami Edition was a tale of two cigars. The first half really shined, delivering a complex and balanced flavor profile. The second half was a different story as the strength and body ramped up. I found that while the cigar remained complex, the flavors seemed muddled, and I really couldn’t figure out what this cigar wanted to do. As for the flavors, while the citrus sweetness reminded me of tropical Miami, the baker’s spice made me think of a blend one would have after Christmas dinner. In the end, the first half of the Trinidad Miami Edition racked up enough points to earn a respectable 89; however, given the second half, I’d still recommend trying a sample and seeing what you think.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Caramel, Wood, Hay, Citrus, Baker’s Spice Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium Plus
- Strength: Mild (1st Half), Mild to Medium (2nd Half), Medium (Final Third)
- Body: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 89
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
