At the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, Plasencia launched the second installment of its Alma series known as Alma del Campo. The 2017 Trade Show was also the official launch of the brands of Plasencia Cigars. The Plasencias are world-renowned for over 150 years experience in the tobacco business. Up until last year, most of that experience involved growing and curing tobacco as well as producing cigars for many others. Now with the launch of Plasencia Cigars, the Plasencias would bring their very own brand to market. Today, we take a closer look at the Plasencia Alma del Campo in the Tribu (Robusto size).

Alma is a series of five releases planned by Plasencia Cigars. A few months prior to the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show the first Alma cigar was released – the Plasencia Alma Fuerte. Priced in the $20.00 range, the Alma Fuerte line is an ultra-premium line that showcases some of the best tobaccos the Plasencias have put away over the years. It also features some unique vitolas – including a box-pressed Salomon and hexagon-shaped vitola. With Alma del Campo, it’s a more traditional line in terms of the sizes, and comes in slightly lower at a $14.00 to $18.00 point.

The name Alma means soul. The first release “Alma Fuerte” translates to “Strong Soul” and while it is said to be the strongest cigar of the series, it also pays homage to the strength of the Plasencia family. Alma del Campo translates to “soul of the countryside” and pays homage to the tobacco fields the family has been associated with.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Plasencia Alma del Campo Tribu and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Plasencia Alma del Campo is a Nicaraguan puro featuring tobaccos grown on the Plasencia farms. Production is handled out of the Plasencia factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Plasencia S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Plasencia Alma del Campo is available in five sizes. Each is presented in ten-count boxes. Like the Plasencia Alma Fuerte, the box of the Alma del Campo doubles as an ashtray.

Tribu: 5 x 52
Guajiro: 5 1/2 x 52
Sendero: 6 x 56
Travesía: 6 1/2 x 56
Madroño: 6 1/2 x 58

Appearance

The Nicaraguan wrapper of the Plasencia Alma del Campo Tribu had a cinnamon color to it. Upon closer examination, there was some subtle mottling on the surface of the wrapper. This wrapper had a decent amount of oil on it. The wrapper itself was on the smooth side. There were some thin visible veins and any visible wrapper seams were on the minimal side.

There are three bands on the Plasencia Alma del Campo. The primary band is gray in color with white trim and white font. At the top is the Plasencia “P” logo. Just under it is the text “PLASENCIA” in large white font, and toward the lower part of the band is the text “ALMA DEL CAMPO”.

One of the secondary bands for the Plasencia Alma del Camp is actually 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 white with gray pinstripe trim across the top and bottom. The text “ALMA DEL CAMPO” is gray font and prominently featured on the footer band.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

After removing the footer band from the Plasencia Alma del Campo Tribu, a straight cut was placed into the cigar to remove the cap. From that point, it was time to commence the pre-light draw. The dry draw delivered a mix of baker’s spice, bread, and natural tobacco. Overall I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to light up the Plasencia Alma del Campo Tribu and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Plasencia Alma del Campo Tribu kicked off with a mix of cedar, natural tobacco, mixed fruit, and white pepper. Very early on the cedar and fruit notes became primary while the natural tobacco and white pepper notes settled in the background. Meanwhile, the retro-hale produced a layer of red pepper.

During the second third, the cedar remained primary. There were some notes of baker’s spice, floral, and brown sugar that joined the natural tobacco in the background. These notes occasionally popped into the forefront. During this phase, the fruit notes diminished into the background and there was an increase in the spice notes.

The last third didn’t see many changes. The white pepper came close to the forefront and combined with the cedar it gave the overall profile more in the way of a spicy profile. This is the way the cigar experience of the Plasencia Alma del Campo Tribu came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn of the Plasencia Alma del Campo Tribu had no problem maintaining a straight burn path. There was a slight bit of jaggedness on the burn line, but this didn’t prove to have any adverse effects. The resulting ash was firm with a salt and pepper color scheme. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

The draw to the Plasencia Alma del Campo Tribu also performed nicely. There was a nice balance of openness and residence. There also was a decent amount of smoke production.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength, the Plasencia Alma del Campo Tribu fell into the medium range. For the most part, there wasn’t much variation in the intensity levels of the cigar. Meanwhile, the flavors of the Alma del Campo Tribu started out medium-bodied. With this cigar, the body did increase in intensity and by the second half, the cigar was in medium to full territory.

In terms of strength versus body, I found the body maintained an edge throughout the smoking experience.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

One thing that stood out with the Plasencia Alma del Campu Tribu is that it’s a cigar that has a complex flavor profile that delivers a lot in the way of flavor nuances. The flavors for the Plasencia Alma del Campu Tribu were good, but along the way, I was waiting for the flavors to go to the next level, but that did not happen. Still, there was enough going on with this cigar where I would recommend it. It’s a cigar that both the experienced and novice can enjoy. As for myself, its one that I would smoke again and buy one from time to time to smoke.

Summary

Key Flavors: Cedar, Natural Tobacco, Fruit, Brown Sugar, Floral, Bakers’s Spice, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium to High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Excellent

Rating

Value: Buy One
Score: 89

References

News: Plasencia Launches Alma del Campo at 2017 IPCPR Trade Show
Price: $15.00
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Plasencia

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted