The last of the Trinidad Espiritu Series is No. 3, paying tribute to Mexico and originally released to coincide with the Día de los Muertos holiday. It features Nicaraguan filler and binder, along with a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper. Like the others in the series, it was developed by Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez as a way to revitalize the legacy Trinidad brand, and is rolled at the AJF factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.
I was impressed by the dark, oily wrapper leaf on the Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 3. My first guess (without looking) was that it was Connecticut Broadleaf because of the texture and aroma from it…leather, anise, cocoa powder. When I found out it was Mexican San Andres, I could only think about how far Mexican wrapper leaf has come since the time I first tried…and hated…it. The foot had a rich mix of earth, coffee bean, dark chocolate, and cedar.
Light it up, I got floral and herbal notes up front, which was surprising…then earth and espresso bean, which was not. There was a moderate sweetness in the mix and a strong pepper spice that lingered on my lips for several minutes. I noted that it was very full-bodied right from the beginning, while also having a high amount of flavor and complexity. Overall a very good smoke that I would repeat again, although I think I have to give the slight nod to the Series 2 as my favorite.
