Trinidad: The Full Story/History

[JohnS]

On 4/3/2021 at 2:52 AM, The Duke said:

John this was a great story to follow and here I am hoping to find some more answers as google brought me to actually sign up and get more into this.

Thank you kindly!

On 4/3/2021 at 2:52 AM, The Duke said:

I have inherited a few boxes of cigars from an older fellow who quit smoking.. Mostly bought around 2003... All easy to find information and enjoy. my favorite so far are the Allones 898 and the Series A

But I happen to have a box of Trinidad now as well.. looking like the usual aged Cubans.. the 24 Box and the old original Band A... BUT the boxing code is from March 1995 made in FR.

Do you have any idea how this can happen?.. everything is appreciated to learn more about this history.

Thnx

Yes. This was a frantic period in the history of the Trinidad brand as behind the scenes there were a lot of changes going on which were largely dependent on the outcome of the lawsuit over the Trinidad trademark which took a long time to resolve. There was a marketing push to release the Trinidad brand to the public and in this time the packaging and blend of the flagship Trinidad Fundadores changed, as well as the vitola dimensions.

So what does this mean in relation to your box? Well, in my view, It would mean that your box isn't necessarily suspect as the template for the public release of Trinidad was still on-going at this point. You may very well have something incredibly valuable on your hands (on the other hand, you may not). It may be best to start a new topic with images so other experienced members  can weigh in on the question.

[RichG]

Excellent read, thank you for posting John. I really enjoyed this.

[ROBT.]

John: When  did TRINIDAD start production of Trinidad Fundadores Cigar box of 12 and when did they stop. If this is known.   Thanks for this excellent post.

[JohnS]

17 minutes ago, ROBT. said:

John: When  did TRINIDAD start production of Trinidad Fundadores Cigar box of 12 and when did they stop. If this is known.   Thanks for this excellent post.

The Trinidad Fundadores was announced for public consumption in 1997 but it became available in February 1998. 12-count boxes were discontinued in 2012.

[JohnnyO]

On 1/3/2021 at 3:28 PM, Puros Y Vino said:

@JohnS Excellent post.  I've posted this before but it seems far more relevant here. I have this envelope post marked May 1960 from a Trinidad y Hno, S.A.  As far as I can deduce.  It is located in Ranchuelo Cuba.  Which is a small town.  And I assume "Ave. Ramon Trinidad y Coronel Acebo" is an address vs names?

Anyone have any insight here?

The address vs names are a reference point to a intersection, with the two streets as named. The building probably took up the whole block so no need for a building #. The names of the streets are pre-revolutionary characters and most likely the names were later changed. The building is probably still there with broken windows and ready to fall down. In Trinidad there are neighborhoods/streets named Casilda, La Trova. If you will notice the sender has a Apartado No 49, and the receiver of the letter Apartado 2009. Those are what we call PO Boxes in the US. The only other acronyms/abbreviations in the letter are Cia-short for compania or company. SA-Sociadad Anonima-or anonymous society what we call in the US a Corporation. y Hno is short for and y hermanos "and brothers". If you wanted to communicate with them it would have to be through telegraph (telegrafo) through the Trinidad office as they have no phone number listed. A neat piece of history. Though I would mention that the success of Trinidad was due partly to the exit of Zino Davidoff in the 90's over quality control issues. John

[oneizzzz]

Thank so much, @JohnS and all those who contributed.  Trinidad has emerged as one of my favorite marcas and I really enjoyed learning all this history.

[Ken Gargett]

great post, john. really is. 

my one comment would be that i am in the camp with our friend who sees trinidads as having been one of the flagships since inception. that said, i suspect that the quality is superior today to what it was at that time. 

[JohnS]

13 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

great post, john. really is. 

my one comment would be that i am in the camp with our friend who sees trinidads as having been one of the flagships since inception. that said, i suspect that the quality is superior today to what it was at that time. 

I think that is definitely the case. There seems to have been a concerted effort by Habanos S.A to re-align the premium status of Trinidad as a brand in line with Cohiba, and more so since the 50th anniversary releases  were announced for 2019.