At the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, Plasencia Cigars unveiled the Plasencia Cosecha 146. For over 150 years, the Plasencia family has been synonymous with growing tobacco and handling the production of cigars. Over the past year, the Plasencias have launched their own brand, Plasencia Cigars. The name Cosecha translates to “harvest” and for the Cosecha 146, it refers to the 146th harvest by the Plasencia family. This is a crop that the Plasencias have considered to be exceptional from their farms. The tobaccos were harvested back in 2011-12 and have been aging since then. Today we take a look at the Plasencia Cosecha 146 in the San Agustin (Torpedo) size.

The idea of a “Cosecha” (single harvest year) cigar is not a new one. We’ve seen several releases into the market over the past year. Cosecha projects are interesting because variations in the profile of tobacco can vary from year to year. As a result, while the blend components can remain the same, using a different harvest year can bring out different subtleties in the blend. Given the Plasencia family’s long history in growing, they are an ideal brand to bring a project such as the Plasencia Cosecha 146 to life.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Plasencias grow tobacco in many countries including Honduras in Nicaragua. The Cosecha 146 uses tobaccos harvested from its farms in both of those countries.

Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Plasencia Cigars SA)

Vitolas Available

The Cosecha 146 is available in five sizes. Each size is packaged in 20-count boxes.  The name San Agustin refers to a region in the Western part of Honduras.

La Musica: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
La Vega: 5 1/4 x 52 (Robusto Gordo)
San Luis: 5 3/4 x 54 (Toro)
San Agustin: 6 1/4 x 52 (Torpedo)
Monte Carlo: 6 x 58 (Gordo)

 

Appearance

The Honduran wrapper of the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin has a beautiful Colorado red color to it. This was a wrapper that didn’t have much oil on it, but it had more of a silky complexion. This was a smooth wrapper where there were some visible veins. Any visible wrapper seams were on the thin side. There was some steepness on the tapered head of the San Agustin Torpedo.

There are three bands on the Plasencia Cosecha 146. The primary band is highlighted by a thick gray stripe on the upper portion of the band and a thick white stripe on the lower end. The band also has a chrome stripe across the top and bottom. On the gray stripe is the text “PLASENCIA” in large white font. On the white stripe is the text “146 COSECHA” in large chrome font.

One of the secondary bands for the Plasencia Cosecha 146 is above the Plasencia Cigars band. The upper band is gray with the Plasencia “P” logo in white arranged in a repeating pattern. The other secondary band is on the footer.  This band is gray with white pinstripe trim across the top and bottom. The text “COSECHA PRIVADA” is white and prominently featured on the footer band.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

To kick off my experience with the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin, I went with a straight cut that removed both the cap and pig-tail. I opted to use my Credo Special T cutter using the 36 ring gauge hole to get an ideal cut for this figurado. I then moved on to the pre-light draw experience. The dry draw delivered a mix of dusty earth, cedar, and citrus. Overall, I considered the pre-light experience of this cigar to be satisfactory. At this point, I removed the footer band of the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin, lit up the cigar and moved into the smoking phase.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin delivered a mix of earth, herb, cocoa, and cedar notes. Throughout the smoking experience, there was an underlying creamy texture. The earth and herbal notes settle into the background early on. As the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin moved through the first third, there were times the cocoa crept into the forefront. The cedar notes were prominent on the after-draw and on the retro-hale.

The second third of the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin saw the cedar notes moved toward the forefront joining the earth notes. Both of these notes varied in intensity. Meanwhile, the herbal notes moved into the background joining the cocoa notes in the background.

The last third saw the cedar notes become the main flavor. If you look at cedar as a combination of sweetness and spice, I found the sweetness had the slight edge here. Meanwhile the herbal, cocoa, and earth notes remained secondary notes – balancing the cedar in the forefront nicely. This is the way the Plasencia Coscheca 146 San Agustin came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin is a well-constructed cigar and this reflected nicely on the burn and draw. There was a slight amount of jaggedness from time to time on the burn line, but overall I found the San Agustin maintained a relatively straight burn path. This was a cigar that didn’t require any excessive touch-ups. The resulting ash had a light gray to it. This was an ash that wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose or flaky either. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin struck a nice balance of resistance and openness.  Overall this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin started out in the mild to medium range. By the second third, both attributes progressed into medium territory. The increase in intensity of strength and body leveled off in the second third and remained more constant for the duration of the smoking experience.

Looking at strength versus body, I found both attributes balanced each other very nicely with the San Agustin vitola with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

Final Thoughts

The Plasencias have certainly been making great cigars for a long time, and they aren’t missing a beat with their own blend. While the Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin isn’t going to be a cigar that has a radically unique flavor profile, the flavors that are delivered are solid. This isn’t going to be a cigar that hits you with spice and nicotine. Instead, with every puff the flavors simply shine.  The Plasencia Cosecha 146 San Agustin is a cigar that I could recommend to the novice or experienced cigar enthusiast any time of the day. As for myself, this is a cigar that I would easily smoke again – and it’s worthy of having multiples in the humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Cedar, Cocoa, Herbal Notes
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Mild to Medium (1st Third), Medium (Remainder)
Body: Mild to Medium (1st Third), Medium (Remainder)
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Buy Multiples
Score: 91

References

News: Cigar News: Plasencia Cosecha 146 Released into U.S. Market
Price: $13.50
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Plasencia

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop