Plasencia Ehtëfal

Plasencia Cigars

• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
• Binder: Honduras
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $65 (Box of 10, $650)
• Release Date: Nov. 19, 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: 5,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (50,000 Total Cigars)
• Original Score: 91

Towards the end of 2022, Plasencia Cigars released its newest high-end cigar, the Ehtëfal, doing so in Doha, Qatar, the night before the 2022 FIFA World Cup began. While how it was released might suggest otherwise, the company was clear that it was neither a World Cup cigar nor was it an exclusive release for the Qatar market. Rather, the cigar was a celebration of people being able to come together and meet once again following the COVID-19 pandemic. Ehtëfal—which in Arabic is spelled احتفال, translates to celebration in that language.

To create this celebratory cigar, the company selected tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua that had been aged for over 10 years, pairing it with a sun-grown wrapper from Nicaragua’s Jalapa region that didn’t come with an age statement. The resulting profile was one that the halfwheel panel enjoyed, offering high praise for the cigar’s first third with words like divine, rich and fragrant, among other compliments, including several more for how great the construction was. If anything, the Plasencia Ehtëfal’s first third might have set too high of a bar, as several people were left wanting more from the second third, but that’s a good—if not great—problem to have.

While the price tag is certainly ultra-premium, the experience it offers—particularly in the stellar first third—makes a case for treating yourself and picking one up for a special occasion or just to enjoy a very impressive cigar. — Patrick Lagreid.