We were two of 55 designated sampling evenings across the UK celebrating Trinidad 55 on the evening of Friday 21st June. We held our events at our James J Fox Flagship 19 St James's Street and La Casa Del Habano James J Fox in Harrods. We had three pairings: two at St James's and one at our LCDH.

James J Fox - 19 St James's Street

On arrival we greeted guests with an aficionado favourite, Trinidad Reyes, and a specially curated cocktail for pairing. Taking the name Habanos World Days into account, we took products from different corners of the world to make our cocktail: Amazzoni Gin – Brazil, South America, Hayashi Honten Jidai Yamahai Junmai Ginjo Sake – Japan, Asia, Figs – Morocco, Africa, Fever Tree Indian Tonic – UK, Europe. The flavour of the cocktail provided a wonderful complement to the Trinidad Reyes. Amazzoni Gin is available at our friends - Drink With Sasha

Shop Trinidad Reyes here

The Reyes has a subtle spice profile reminiscent of nutmeg, and cacao. The cigar is intensely flavourful and as well as the spice, it also provides grassy, hay, dried flower notes –it refrains from turning noticeably earthy or floral, but it does hint these notes throughout. Because of the gin and some of the exclusively Brazilian botanicals used in distillation, the cocktail reflected the same sort of nutty and drying spice on the palate. The little measure of sake is a lively addition to the cocktail as it is quite rich and harbours plenty of flavour. From the somewhat grassy and “bouquet” flavour cooked apple to the sweetness of caramel and the spicy bitterness of dark chocolate, this Hayashi Honten sake added another dimension to the flavour. With the Gin and Sake being dry, it also enhanced the notable “mouth feel” of the Trinidad smoke which is often noted to be profuse and creamy. The 20-25 minutes smoke time of the Reyes allowed our guests to settle into the evening ahead of our second cigar pairing.

Guests proceeded to light up their Trinidad Esmeralda as we served our first cognac of the evening, the Tesseron X.O Passion. We have acknowledged the Esmeralda to be the current star of the regular Trinidad portfolio, so for that reason we opted for this pairing. In truth, all the Trinidad cigars have been exceptional in flavour and draw in recent times, especially the Media Luna, but the Trinidad Esmeralda has been the pick of the collection. The Esmeralda has really become a favourite of cigar enthusiasts, becoming the marque cigar of the Trinidad brand in recent times since the Fundadores has become all too scarce in availability. Launched in 2018, the first Vitola of its kind known as Dinoras (5 ¾’’ (145mm) x 53 RG), the cigar delivers the brand’s core flavour profile of nuts, cream, spice and hay, but also has the tendency to be a little more intense with the earth flavours compared to other Trinidads. Extremely flavourful and expertly blended for a well-balanced smoke.

Shop Trinidad Esmeralda here

The X.O Passion is one of two cognacs from Tesseron’s “The Signatures” collection we sampled on the evening. Using Ugni Blanc grapes grown on their vineyards upon the Petite and Grande Champagne and Fins Bois appellations, this cognac is a blend of around thirty eaux-de-vies. Once blended, the Passion spends 10 years in Limousin oak casks with the result being a light and quite floral cognac with subtle notes of spice. This is a great pairing for the introduction of the Esmeralda as the cigar gradually intensifies in flavour as it goes through its smoking evolution.

Once most guests reached the early stages of the middle third of the cigar, we moved onto the second cognac, Tesseron’s Extra Legende. Created from some of their finest reserves of Grande Champagne Ugni Blanc grapes, a selection of approximately fifty eaux-de-vie aged for at least 30 years are blended to construct this cognac. The age and quality of the spirits result in an even more flavourful cognac, with a stronger aroma on the nose and a longer finish on the palate. Paring with the Esmeralda at this point was the right time as the cigar starts to exhibit more earth which is balanced with flavours of warming spice. The cognac becomes a great compliment to the cigar through its contrast with the richness of the cognac and the cooked fruit notes. However, what should not be underappreciated is the mouth feel generated by both, as the velvety smoothness of the cognac and the creamy smoke from the Trinidad creates a great charm for the pairing.

Find out more about Tesseron Signature Cognacs here

La Casa del Habano James J Fox

La Casa del Habano James J Fox in Harrods hosted a sampling event a little earlier in the evening as we paired Tesseron’s Lot No.29 from their Classique collection with the LCDH exclusive Trinidad La Trova. We have featured recommended pairings for Tesseron’s Classique collection and we did recommend the Fundadores for the pairing – Trinidad just works excellently paired with the higher end Tesseron cognacs. The La Trova is slightly fuller bodied in my opinion than the rest of the Trinidad range, but its core profile is on brand, with perhaps grass and cedar notes being more noticeable. Now, my thoughts on Tesseron’s Lot No.29 have been pretty clear cut. Arguably the best Cognac at that price point, and better than many at twice the price. “An amazing cognac with complexities and profile which could easily compare to others which are three or four times its retail value. The layers of flavours at every stage of the tasting experience of this cognac are so exquisite only the finest hand-rolled cigars should be considered for the pairing. The Lot 29 is supremely rich in flavour, with mocha and cocoa notes on the palate, an ethereal aroma on the nose, and a floral, dried fruit finish. It is a cognac that is noticeably powerful, not in terms of being robust, but because of the sustained flavours starting at the nose to the substantially long finish. It is easy to understand the 100 points Rober Parker awarded to this cognac, it is outstanding.” My previous recommendation was to pair with a Fundadores, but seeing the La Trova has a bit more body to stand against the bold flavours of the Lot 29, this is arguably the most suited pairing.

The Trinidad La Trova is exclusive to La Casa del Habano shops. Contact info@lacasadelhabanolondon.co.uk for more information and availability. Tesseron Lot No. 29 is also available in Harrods at the Fine Wine and Spirits Department. Find out more here.

Across both events we were blessed to be in the presence of so many cigar aficionados who know the intricacies of Habanos cigars. So, while we were able to discuss the cigars, we were delighted to be joined by Arnaud Dean, Tesseron Sales Director for Europe & Africa, Yann Lucas, Account Manager for Berkmann Wine Cellars and Campbell Rankine, Prestige Manager for Spirit Cartel to present the Cognacs at 19 St James’s Street and at Harrods.