trinidad fundadore

[Ken Gargett]

been a while since i actually got off my bum and did a cigar review - despite rob's nagging - so thought it about time.

had a single of these sitting in the humidor since a trip to havana back in 2005. i've never been a great fan but one hears so many good things.

so sat down to watch tomic win his third round match with an appleton 12 year old rum. sadly the cigar could not match either, despite all my wishing it were not so.

burn and draw were both fine. construction exemplary. it was intense and powerful throughout. i've seen suggestions that the fundadores of the last decade or so are much more elegant than the older examples. if so, they must have been serious bombs.

in the midst of this intensity and power, plenty of earthy notes. hint of caramel/choc but pretty minor. some old teak notes. but right from the start, some bitterness on the finish. i suspect good examples of this smoke could go for several decades. sadly, this one was not particularly good.

that bitterness never left it and actually increased over the length of the smoke. by the end, it was just plain unpleasant. i reckon about 78 all it deserved.

i know that i (others?) bag the cuaba range but for me, in many ways, trinidads are much more depressing. at least the cuaba's down come with expectations.

trinnies are expensive and so very rarely live up to the exalted reputation. shame.

anyone out there having any better luck with these?

[Dbone]

Yuck, doesn't a bad cigar just ruin it for you? Thanks for the honesty and calling it as you see it, Ken.

I know the '98's and '08's are said to be outstanding. I do have a box of '08's in Robs locker, if there are ANY missing!!!

[SigloIII]

Thanks for the review Ken. The Fundadore is a cigar I've had on my wishlist for several years. Reconsidering as I type this.

[docbp87]

Never had a Fundadore, but the Trinis I have had have all been wonderful, especially the Reyes. I know you don't like the size Ken, so a good Reyes probably still wouldn't do it for you, but the flavor profile I get from them is awesome... earthy, little bit of citrus, white chocolate...

[Yoruba Hacker]

Sorry to hear this. Full disclosure: the vast majority of Fundadores I have had were the '98's, of which I bought and still have a large truckload between 2000 and 2002. That said, to me they are and will remain the standard for all Cuban cigars.

I will say that I have had some newer versions (2003-6ish, never had an '08) that were not to that standard, but nothing is. They weren't '98's, but they weren't terrible, in my opinion. But tastes are subjective, of course, and it may just be that you don't like this particular flavor profile <shrug>. That said, I can't say I've heard as bad a review as this before, so it may be the old "smoke more" thing. How many Monte 2's do we have to go through to get that one that supports what all the hubub is about? And then we chase it, don't we?

In that case I'd be interested in your relative ranking of a great Fundadore. The best '98s are CGR-esque, in my experience.

[Hohenthal]

Never tried a fundadores yet, I thought the 07 Ingenios (Lonsdale) was something special although overpriced (to put it nicely).

I had good experiences in terms of flavour/rolling concistency with Reyes -

however, a late 06 box of Coloniales nearly drove me nuts:

some cigars out of this box were in my top ten list whilst others have been nothing short of desasterous. Rankings from high 90's to low 70's (or under) in one and the same box, in one word, frustrating.

As Mr. Gargett pointed out, for the price one should expect more.

[kmagurk]

I've had a few and they have been ok , nothing great . Like you , maybe my expectations are to high

[Michel1968]

Never had a major let down with Fundadores... With Robusto T however...

[khomeinist]

Excellent cigar prior to the factory transition. I actually like recent Fundys but construction and aroma are quite variable.

My experiences are similar to the those from our man in virtual Nigeria. The 98 was one of my palate-defining cigars. Far superior to the CGR IMO.

I concur that the Trinidad profile might not be your cuppa. One man's S. Blanc is another woman's Riesling.

[CaptainQuintero]

Yeah Trinidads have never ever blown me away sadly. The Reyes has been the most pleasant but even that still has been bitter in the second half of the cigar. I'd rather go for an Upmann than a Trinidad, make that I'd rather buy two Upmanns than one Trinidad.

[CanuckSARTech]

I want to get my hands on some '98 sticks to try. But the '05 and '08 and '09 stuff I've had have been quite nice. I really enjoy the Fundadores and the Robusto T's. I have some Reyes and some of the Ingenios EL's as well, but those are different beasts from the main blends.

I like me my Trini's.

[Puros Y Vino]

Had my first ever Fundadores at the Montreal Herf this past weekend. While I enjoyed it I cannot really say what I liked about it. All that smoke may have deadened my taste buds. There was some hints of gingerbread that I normally find in Trini's. Some sweetness, light pepper. Overall it was smooth and enjoyable. Perhaps a second go around in Spring will give me a better impression of what it has to offer.

[cloganplatt]

I've got some 09s that are fresh, but good. Sweet and light spice. Good early afternoon smoke.