Trinidad Reyes TLU FEB 20 (JBWP5RW)*

[TobaccoRoad]

I was looking for something mild to start out my Sunday morning and selected this Trini Reyes. Pinched the pigtail off and tested the draw. A little restricted but adequate so I put fire to it. The opening puffs were amazing. Plenty of a sweet and woody smoke with a bright red pepper note on the retrohale. The combination was reminiscent of a Thai Sweet Chili sauce, one of my favorite garnishes. The puffs transitioned to a more muddled sweet flavor as I progressed to the middle third with the pepper disappearing on the retro. Not spectacular but pleasant. Just past the halfway point the restricted draw resulted in some bitter resin on the tip so I clipped it more open and progressed with no more issues. The final third changed to a very enjoyable hazelnut with a few surprising hints of caramel. The retrohale produced some notes of cinnamon that complemented nicely. I was really enjoying the blend so I pulled out my nubbing tool and enjoyed it down to the nub.  

The construction was just OK. Touch-ups were required on occasion especially in the middle third and I felt a little rushed sometimes to keep puffing to maintain the smoke volume. The resin I'll write off to not opening the cap enough at the beginning. This box only has a little over two months rest in my humidor which may have had an effect on the burn as well. 

Overall the first and last thirds were very good. The middle third was not up to the same standard but was not bad by any means. It just paled in comparison to the beginning and end. I'd give it an 89 with optimism about future experiences with more time to rest.