The Alma Fuerte By Plasencia

BRAND / CO:  Plasencia
CIGAR:  Alma Fuerte [Sixto I]
VITOLA:  Hexagono (Box Press) - 6" x 60
STRENGTH:  Medium
WRAPPER:  Nicaraguan Jalapa, Natural
BINDER:  Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí, Jalapa, Ometepe)
FILLER:  Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí, Jalapa, Ometepe)
ORIGIN:  Nicaragua, Plasencia Cigars S.A.

APPEARANCE & CONSTRUCTION:   Good
An absolutely gorgeous dark chocolate, espresso brown that shines with oil and is heavily mottled.  There's some light tooth so I'm hoping to see oil crystals in the ash. There's a lot of veins but they're thin, light and pressed in.  The cigar feels a little denser and the wrapper has a soft, greasy feel from the oil.  Seams are tight and while the cap isn't perfect, it's good enough.

DRAW & BURN:   Good / Good
The draw has a little extra resistance but no issues with it.  The burn starts wavy and a bit uneven.  The ash is a nearly white, light gray that browns as it cools.   It has a number of tight and dark striations accenting it.  There are some super tiny oil crystals but they're nearly impossible to see with the naked eye.  By the midway point, the waviness is reduced but one side is still lagging on the burn by almost a half inch.  It does improve by the final third, but never reaches dead even.

FLAVOR PROFILE:   Good
Musty barnyard and damp earth to start.  Then I get raisiny sweet, espresso and some pepper.  Following that is malty cocoa, but this a very musty profile, like damp leaves.  By the end of the first inch, I'm getting a lot of chocolate, must, baking spice and dark fruit sweet.  It's almost like chocolate sauce as there's a slight mineral (not salty) and black licorice quality to it.   It's all very smooth with a light creaminess.

By the end of the first third the pepper is gone and the baking spice is pulled back.  Still very heavy on the musty earth qualities with more dark chocolate sweetness and espresso bitterness.  There's a light almond nuttiness to it and I'm actually thinking about opera cake.  If you're familiar with how they take almond sponge cake, soak it in coffee syrup, then layer coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache on top, it's what I'm reminded of.  Assuming it was served on a bed of damp leaves because musty earth is still the driving base. 

With the second third some of the baking spice and cinnamon come back, but not much else changes in the profile.  The bitterness of the dark chocolate and coffee increases at the midpoint and into the start of the final third, with increasing black licorice anise.  This blend is bringing all the subtlety and nuance of aged tobacco, but also the trappings of mild to medium flavors without the complexity and strength. I'm enjoying it, but it's not blowing my mind and this one clearly isn't for everybody.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:   Good
I'm really surprised how different the experiences are between the two Alma Fuertes.  This is damp musty earth while the Colorado Claro was bready and dry.  Where this cigar shines is the flavor profile stands apart from many of your other Nicaraguan puros, but because of that, it's also going to elicit strong reactions.  People who want a flavor or spice bomb will hate it, fanboys will defend it, people who love smooth and refined aged tobacco that is subtle and enjoy these particular flavors will adore it.  I struggle to justify it at this price point because you expect more of a ride.  It would be amazing at $10, defendable at $15, but at $25 it's more of a pass for me because it lacks the robustness and dynamics that I want for my money. 

Purchase Singles or by the Box HERE

Reviewed by Sean McCloskey of The Collective