The Alma Fuerte, by Plasencia Cigars, was mentioned in the previous issue of the “Cigar Guy” column. Given that the cigar has not had its own review, it makes sense to take this month to talk about Plasencia’s flagship cigar. The Plasencia factories and farms have been providing the industry with tobacco for decades. Popular cigar labels such as Rocky Patel, Gherka as well as Romeo and Julieta, all partner with Plasencia for some of their cigars. Most of Plasencia’s lifetime has existed behind the scenes, unknown to the average cigar enthusiast. It wasn’t until recently that Plasencia has been successfully releasing blends under their own name, with one of the most talked about being the Alma Fuerte. Released in 2016, the Alma Fuerte has ranked #9 in Cigar Aficionado’s top 100 cigars of 2017.
Plasencia has access to some of the most premium tobacco supplies in the world. Because the Alma Fuerte is Plasencia’s brand, the cigar takes advantage of the company’s prime tobacco selection. On their website, Plasencia writes that the Alma Fuerte is “a unique blend of our best-aged tobaccos, grown in our highest quality soil.” The cigar is a Nicaraguan puro that contains tobacco grown in Jalapa, Contega, Esteli and the volcanic island of Ometepe. Being a small secluded island, Ometepe tobacco is both limited and expensive to produce. General Cigar Co. uses it in their Bolivar and Partagas Limited Reserve Decadas brands. It is described as being sweet and strong.
The Alma Fuerte is a beautiful cigar. The one reviewed today is rolled in a boxed pressed Salomon shape. It is dark and toothy.
The dry draw of the Alma Fuerte tastes like raisins and toast. It has a tapered end for an easy light. This shape is interesting because it goes from the thinnest part of the cigar to the thickest part within a few puffs. This gives the smoker a unique experience as soon as they light up.
During the first third, the Alma Fuerte is both sweet and bitter. It has a slight vanilla and cocoa taste. There are also some mineral notes that are reminiscent of red pepper. The spiciness of black pepper is also present. The flavors are toasty and delicious. When retro haled, this cigar tingles with spice. Smoking towards the center, peach notes become present as well as dark chocolate and leather notes. The second third releases more of the cigar’s rich oils. It is sweet and strong. The flavors then remain consistent until the final third. Here its leatheriness and meatiness increase.
The Alma Fuerte begins sweet and spicy and becomes subtly more bitter towards the end. Given that the cigar burned for over two hours, this development is to be expected. The Alma Fuerte is not a cheap cigar. It is usually found to be over twenty dollars. If there is a cigar that is worth that price point, the Alma Fuerte is that cigar. Hopefully, every enthusiast gets an opportunity to enjoy Plasencia’s most prized cigar.
Available at The Smoking Dog
300 S. Lenola Rd
Maple Shade, NJ
(856) 231-0202
