Dissident Plasmatic

For its headlining release at the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show in March, Dissident Cigars created a new limited edition cigar called Plasmatic that pays tribute to punk rock legend Wendy O. Williams.

It’s a 5 1/2 x 52 robusto with a barber pole design made from two wrappers: one a Sumatra-seed and the other Connecticut-seed, though the company has not disclosed where those leaves come from. The binder is from Ecuador, while the filler hails from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, though with no specifics about varietals or growing regions. When Dissident announced Plasmatic, the company described the profile as being creamy with floral, earth, spice and nutty notes. The cigar is produced at Fábrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua, the factory best known as the home to Black Label Trading Co. While it is a limited edition, the company is not disclosing how many cigars are being released.

Pricing is set at $12.50 per cigar, and Plasmatic is packed in 20-count boxes with artwork featuring Coburn and containing a Williams lyric that reminds the consumer that each person is responsible for the life they choose to live.

“Wendy O. Williams is an icon of punk rock decadence & attitude who is known for going against social norms, her over-the-top on-stage antics, and for questioning authority,” said Cynn Coburn, owner and blender of Dissident Cigars, in a press release. “If that’s not living the life of a Dissident, we don’t know what is! The Plasmatic is a tribute to her rebellious lifestyle and legacy!”

Musically, Williams is likely best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock band Plasmatics, which was active from 1977-1983 before reuniting around 1987 and touring in 1988. Often seen with a mohawk haircut, she gained a reputation for her on-stage performances, which included performing partially nude and using explosions, chainsawing guitars, and even firing a shotgun.

In her solo career, she earned a 1985 Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Prior to her music career, she performed in the adult entertainment industry. After her music career, she entered the world of theater, TV and movies, appearing in a handful of films and plays.

Williams passed away in April 1998 at the age of 48, due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was known to have battled severe depression throughout her life.

• Cigar Reviewed: Dissident Plasmatic
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica Oveja Negra
• Wrapper: Undisclosed (Sumatra and Connecticut)
• Binder: Ecuador
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 5 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $12.50 (Box of 20, $250)
• Release Date: April 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Undisclosed
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The Dissident Plasmatic features an eye-catching barber pole design, though with a thin ribbon of lighter-colored tobacco curving around the cigar as opposed to the two wrappers having a balanced amount of visual real estate. The barber pole design is well-executed, as are all three cigars on the whole, with no visual concerns. The three cigars are generally firm with a bit of consistent give from top to bottom. Across the three, I can find small spots that are a bit harder and softer than average, but no significant deviations. The other visual note is the contrast of the band and the wrappers; while some cigars seem to be designed to use complementary colors, this does not appear to be one of them. The black and brown clashes much the same way that black shoes clash with a brown suit. The Dissident Plasmatic’s prelight aroma first reminds me of some kind of bread, possibly really dry bruschetta slices, but then I get cardboard, then dry mixed nuts, and then cereal dust. I’m not saying that the aroma undergoes all these changes, but rather my mind lands on each of those sensations as it jumps around looking for the best match, and yet I’m still not sure any of them is particularly accurate. One cigar has a bunch of creaminess that softens the aroma and imparts a slightly different aroma than the other two. The cold draw is either very good or skews just a touch firm with airflow, while the flavor is a bit more straightforward than the aroma. It draws from the same part of the flavor wheel, as I get oyster crackers at first taste, then a bit of a softer bread flavor, backed by some dairy creaminess.

For a cigar named in honor of a punk rock singer, the Dissident Plasmatic starts off fairly tamely, with creaminess, some peanut butter filling, woodiness accenting the sides of my tongue and just a touch of black pepper rounding things out. There’s definitely some flavor and sensory stimulation, but it’s by no means a kick-down-the-door beginning. Retrohales seem to help jump-start my senses as they have a decently bright pepper that flies above the creaminess and leaves a pleasant tingle in my nostrils. Moving back to the flavor, there’s a bit of creaminess leading the profile, while those prelight and aromas and flavors appear in the background with a bit of black pepper. In the case of those prelight sensations now appearing, there are hints at pretty much everything offered, though if I had to pick one, oyster crackers is the one I identify with most and thus latch onto. Once the first clump of ash falls, the pepper becomes more lively and makes its way to the taste buds with more liveliness. I’m sort of torn between which experience is better, as to this point, the retrohale is where the Dissident Plasmatic shines in terms of pepper and bright flavors in the first third, with a tight, crisp black pepper hitting my nostrils. Yet, at the same time, there are some fairly complex flavors to be found when the cigar seems dialed in. The flavor and body both hover around medium, while strength is mild but building. Construction is outstanding, with dense clumps of tightly packed ash holding on very well, complemented by a smooth draw, even burn line, and a better-than-average amount of smoke.

The second third of the Dissident Plasmatic picks up in both body and flavor, largely by way of more black pepper, a bit more creaminess, some almond and wood, along with a shedding of the grain-based flavors from the pre-light experience and the first third. The cigar has a heavier base note than it did in the first third, and the smoke sits on my taste buds with a bit more gravitas, though the finish lightens up a bit as it now lingers for a while longer on my taste buds. Some very subtle sweetness begins to appear in the resting aroma of the cigar; I can’t say I notice it when smoking the cigar, but during the third one, I stepped out of my office for a moment and found that the resting aroma had developed the new smell, reminding me a bit of cedar and a bit of orange-flavored simple syrup. The second third seems to burn more quickly than the first, as a few solid puffs have the burn line quickly moving up the cigar and me eyeing when I’ll need to take the band off, as all three cigars continue to smoke very well with no issues and plenty of smoke. The flavor ticks up to a solid medium-plus, body is a bit fuller as well as it sits around medium-plus, and a bit of nicotine strength is emerging, enough that I’m calling it medium-minus. 

The Dissident Plasmatic kicks off its final third with a bit more energy in the flavor, shifting the wood and pepper to the leading spots while moving the creaminess back in the profile, contributing less to the flavor but still providing a creamy-textured smoke. Retrohales continue to shine and light up my nostrils, though again, not with the fervor of a punk rock legend in their prime. The creaminess returns for a few puffs, just without the lushness it had earlier. Meanwhile, the pepper begins to start taking control of the profile, almost like a guitarist breaking into an extended riff. This really gives the cigar a new character, not necessarily aggressive, but not as relatively tame as it was in the first third. With more pepper, my taste buds get more of a workout, though the flavor never gets harsh, charred or bitter, just more pepper-forward as things come to a close. Flavor finishes medium-full, body is medium, and strength is medium-minus.

Final Notes

• I’m not sure what exactly it is, but it seems like the prettier or more decorative a cigar is, the lower the quality of the tobacco. In other words, too much sizzle, not enough steak.
• That’s not the case here, but if I were a manufacturer, I’m not sure I’d make barber pole cigars or other overly decorative cigars.
• Between when Williams was active in music and when I was growing up—not to mention that I wasn’t particularly into punk music—I didn’t know much about her career or music, so this cigar gave me a crash course.
• If you’re not familiar wth Williams’ music, I’ll steer you to this YouTube playlist and this Spotify channel.
• None of the three cigars hit me with too much nicotine strength. There is definitely a ramp up, and the taste buds get a workout from the pepper, but the sensation never migrates into my system.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The company lists these as a 5 1/2 x 52 robusto. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• Final smoking time was two hours on average.