PCA 2023: Plasencia Cigars

The Plasencia Cigars booth is one I always look forward to visiting: Nestor Andrés Plasencia—the ceo of Plasencia Cigars—is one of the most humble and down-to-earth people in the cigar industry, and the fact that there is a bar in the middle of the booth that serves coffee in the morning before switching over to draft beer in the afternoon does not hurt in the least.

Speaking of the booth, in 2022, Plasencia Cigars—the distribution company founded by the Plasencia family in 2016—added not only a significant amount of space compared to previous years but also new walls around the exterior, new signs, new displays and a number of new sitting areas. There was nothing new about the booth this year that I could see, but its combination of large size, striking color scheme and the obvious hustle and bustle of people moving in and out in a constant stream always makes it one of the more interesting places to visit on the trade show floor.

This year, Plasencia had two new releases to show off: one was a new vitola in a line that debuted in 2020, while the other was the third addition to a line made up of cigars commemorating a very different kind of occasion than what is typically seen in the tobacco industry.

Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Robustus II

This is the third vitola in the Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro line which uses a lighter wrapper compared to the original Alma Fuerte blend. Unlike the 6 x 60 Gordo and the Eduardo I cigars—which feature a hexagonal press and a regular box press, respectively—the Robustus II is the first round vitola in the line. Plasencia says the wrapper has been aged for 10 years.

• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Robustus II (5 1/8 x 55) — $21.50 (Box of 10, $215)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2023

Plasencia Cosecha 151

The word Cosecha translates to harvest in Spanish, so it is no surprise that the Plasencia Cosecha 151 cigar was created to commemorate the Plasencia family’s 151st crop of tobacco, which was harvested in 2016. All of the tobaccos used in the Cosecha 151 come from that harvest that was grown on the family’s farms in Honduras. Nestor Andrés told me that the wrapper used on the Cosecha 151 was the same as the one used on last year’s Cosecha 149—which was the first Honduran puro released under its company’s name—albeit a lower priming.

• Wrapper: Honduras
• Binder: Honduras
• Filler: Honduras

• Plasencia Cosecha 151 La Musica (5  x 50) — $13.50 (Box of 10, $135)
• Plasencia Cosecha 151 La Tradicion (5 7/8 x 54) — $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Plasencia Cosecha 151 San Diego (5  3/4 x 46) — $13.30 (Box of 10, $133)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2023

Update (July 18, 2023) — An earlier version of this story indicated that there were four releases in the Cosecha line instead of three releases. It also stated that the Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Robustus II was sold in bundles instead of boxes. We regret the error and apologize for any confusion.

Update (Nov. 9, 2023) — This post originally listed the price for the San Diego vitola as $16.30 per cigar, it is $13.30.