Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I

In 2021, Plasencia Cigars launched an offshoot of its Alma Fuerte brand known as the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro. When Plasencia Cigar decided to bring its own brand to market, one of the first blends it introduced was the Plasencia Alma Fuerte. This cigar went on to become a very successful line. The Alma Fuerte was known for its dark Nicaraguan wrapper. As the name indicates, the Colorado Claro (Claro refers to light-colored wrappers) has a lighter shade with a slight reddish tint. The blend to the Alma Fuerte was tweaked, and thus the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro was born. Today we take a look at the second vitola released in the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro, the Eduardo I. The Eduardo I would introduce a Toro-sized offering into the Colorado Claro line.

Alma Fuerte was the first in the Alma cigar series. The name translates to “Strong Soul” – something that reflects the passion of the Plasencias in the cigar business. In terms of the name, Eduardo I, it pays homage to Eduardo Plasencia, a first-generation member of the Plasencia family. Eduardo Plasencia was the pioneer of the Plasencia tobacco family. He migrated from the Canary Islands to Cuba and started growing tobacco in 1865 and thus the Plasencia tobacco legacy was born.

And now, we turn our attention to the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Nicaraguan Colorado Claro wrapper of the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro comes from the Jalapa region of Nicaragua. The remainder of the tobaccos that make up the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro are all from Nicaragua. Production for the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro comes from the Plasencia factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

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

Vitolas Offered

There are three sizes to the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro line. Each is presented in ten-count boxes. The Sixto size was introduced in 2021, and it features Plasencia’s signature hexagon vitola. Eduardo I made its debut in 2022, and at press time the Robustus II is scheduled to be released this year.

Sixto I: 6 x 60
Eduardo I: 6 1/4 x 54
Robustus II: 5 1/8 x 55

Appearance

The Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro had a medium brown wrapper with (as mentioned earlier) a Colorado tint to it. There was a light coating of oil on the surface of the wrapper. There were some visible veins, and a few visible wrapper seams. The cigar itself has a soft Cuban-style box-press to it.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I. Once the cap was removed from the cigar, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered notes of earth, fruit, and some cedar. Overall this was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band of the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I and await what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo opened up with a combination of black pepper, natural tobacco, fruit, and earth notes. It didn’t take long for the earth notes to move to the forefront. The natural tobacco, fruit, and pepper notes settled into the background where they were joined by some cedar notes. Meanwhile, on the retro-hale, there was an additional layer of black pepper present.

In the second third of the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I saw the earth notes remain the primary notes. The natural tobacco, fruit, cedar, and pepper notes rounded things out from the background. The one change this stage of the smoking experience saw was a gradual increase in the pepper notes.

The final third saw the earth notes remain in the foreground. The natural tobacco, fruit, cedar, and pepper notes remained in the background. By this point, the pepper notes were the most prominent of the secondary notes. This is the way the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I came to a close. The cigar finished with a cool nub that was soft to the touch.

Burn

While the burn of the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I maintained a straight burn path and had a relatively straight burn line, the cigar did require touch-ups to do so, and the number of touch-ups needed was more than I prefer. The resulting ash was on the firm side. This was an ash that had a light gray color. The burn rate and burn temperature both maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I

Draw

The draw of the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I was a bit more open than I prefer. Normally I prefer a draw that has a touch of resistance to it. At the same time, there were no adverse effects as this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength, the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I was somewhat dialed back. This was a cigar that started out with mild to medium strength before progressing to medium strength in the final third. The flavors started out medium-bodied and by the last third had crept into the medium to full category.

In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained the edge through the smoking experience.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

Once upon a time, it was not easy being green in the world of premium cigars when it came to packaging and banding. The past few years have definitely seen a surge in green bands and green packaging. The Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro uses the same three-band scheme that the regular Alma Fuerte bands use – the difference is the background color is green and not black. The cigars are also housed in green-colored boxes.

Packaging of the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I (Photo Credit: Plasencia Cigars)

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

When the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro was released in the Sixto I (hexagon) shape, I simply did not enjoy smoking it, but I saw promise for the Colorado Claro blend. When I saw a more traditional size (the Eduardo I) was going to be offered I was excited. Best of all, the Eduardo I delivered. It wasn’t an overly complex cigar, but the flavors delivered were outstanding. In the end, there was enough going on with this cigar to enjoy it. This is certainly a cigar that I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar that I would buy and smoke. Coming in at 90 points, this is a cigar that earns a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Fruit, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Mild to Medium (1st 2/3), Medium (Final Third)
Body: Mild to Medium (1st 2/3), Medium (Final Third)
Finish: Very Good