Today, we review the Trinidad x Tommy Bahama Island Collection in the Breeze (Toro) size. About a year ago, Altadis U.S.A. announced it was entering into a collaboration with the Tommy Bahama lifestyle brand. For Tommy Bahama, it’s not the brand’s first foray into the cigar industry. A few years ago, the brand collaborated with Island Lifestyle Importers for a series of accessories. At one time, Island Lifestyle Importers offered a line of cigars, but these cigars did not carry the Tommy Bahama name. Nevertheless, the accessories and cigars were still marketed together as part of a lifestyle brand. Altadis has also worked with Island Lifestyle Importers for the new line of accessories to support the new release.
Trinidad is a brand that can be traced to Cuba and has been in the Altadis portfolio for many years. In 2019, the brand underwent a major rebranding as the Trinidad Espiritu series was introduced. At the time, it coincided with the 50th anniversary of Trinidad. The Espiritu series has a tropical vibe and was noted by its colorful packaging highlighted by a blue and gold insignia. While it’s technically not part of the Espiritu series, the Tommy Bahama Island Collection shares the same style of packaging and insignia. In addition, like the Espiritu, the Trinidad Tommy Bahama is made by AJ Fernandez.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Island Collection Breeze and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
The Trinidad Tommy Bahama Island Collection is a Nicaraguan puro. The specific seed varietals for this blend have not been disclosed. As mentioned, AJ Fernandez handles production for the cigar in Estelí, Nicaragua.
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
Vitolas Offered
The Island Collection comes in three sizes. Each is available in 20-count boxes. The Harbor size is also offered in four-count packs.
- Harbor: 6 x 52
- Breeze: 6 x 54
- Marlin: 6 x 60
Appearance (*)
The Nicaraguan wrapper of the Island Collection Breeze had a medium-brown, almost caramel color. The surface of this wrapper had a slight amount of oil. There were some prominent visible veins on the surface. Any visible wrapper seams were on the minimal side.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting up the Island Collection Breeze, a straight cut was used to remove the cap of the cigar. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a nice mix of wood, cream, fruit, and natural tobacco notes. Overall, this was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band of the Island Collection Breeze, toast up the footer, and see what the smoking phase would have in store.
Tasting Notes
The Island Collection Breeze opened up with more notes of wood, cream, fruit, and natural tobacco. In addition, a black pepper note surfaced very early. Early on, there was no dominant note, but before the midway point of the first third, the wood and pepper notes moved to the forefront. The natural tobacco, pepper, and cream notes settled in the background. Meanwhile, there were additional layers of wood and pepper on the retrohale.
At the start of the second third of the Island Collection Breeze, the wood and fruit notes remained primary. The black pepper, cream, and natural tobacco remained in the background. As the cigar progressed through the second third, there was a slight increase in the black pepper. By the second half, the wood took over as the sole primary note, with the fruit joining the natural tobacco, pepper, and some residual cream notes.
By the final third, the wood remained the primary note. The pepper was the most prominent of the secondary notes. Meanwhile, the natural tobacco and fruit notes still provided some sweetness. This is how the Island Collection Breeze came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and slightly lukewarm at the end.
Burn
Overall, the Island Collection Breeze had a jagged burn line. The good news is the burn didn’t wander too much. There were points where touchups were still required along the way. In terms of the ash, this cigar had a salt-and-pepper-colored ash that leaned toward the darker side. This wasn’t a very firm ash. As for the burn rate, it maintained an ideal level. The burn temperature was ideal, but toward the end of the cigar, it got a little hot.
Draw
The draw of the Island Collection Breeze performed exceptionally well. This draw offered a bit of resistance, which is my preferred characteristic, as you may have noted in my assessments. Additionally, this cigar is low-maintenance, allowing for enjoyable flavor without much effort.
Strength and Body
This was a much bolder cigar than I was expecting. The cigar started with medium strength and medium-to-full-bodied flavors. The strength and body built with intensity linearly from start to finish. By the second half, this cigar was medium to full strength and full-bodied. Throughout the smoking experience, the body maintained an edge over the strength. In terms of intensity, the packaging has this cigar as 3 out of 5. In my book, it’s closer to 3.5 to 5.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
While it’s not an Espiritu, I can understand Altadis using the Espiritu-like packaging on this. First, I think the blue and gold band is fantastic – and it really goes with the whole Tommy Bahama island vibe. This goes for the box and the band. While Altadis has not announced any future Trinidad Tommy Bahama projects, the banding seemed designed to accommodate expansion – namely putting the name “Island Collection” on the footer. Finally, I don’t make a big deal about hinges, but the brass hinges really look good on this packaging.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
As I said above, I wasn’t expecting a Tommy Bahama cigar to be on the bolder side. This isn’t a negative, but usually with lifestyle collaborations, I tend to see the cigar go medium or even more dialed back. The first two-thirds performed quite well. The cigar did lose some of its sweetness in the final third, and that threw the balance of the overall flavor profile off. While I’m definitely inclined to smoke this again, I did find the $17.50 price point to be a little high. In the end, that is enough reason for me to say try a sample first and see what you think. I’m curious about smoking this blend in the other two sizes.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Wood, Fruit, Natural Tobacco, Cream, Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
- Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 88
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted.
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
