At the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, Plasencia Cigars introduced the latest installment in the Alma series, Alma del Cielo. Alma del Cielo translates to “Soul of the Sky.” It features tobacco grown at elevations over 3,500 feet above sea level. Therefore, Plasencia is calling this the first-ever high-elevation cigar.
The tobacco originates from Finca San Julian in Condega. Melalina Torres, the wife of Don Nestor Plasencia, spent much of her childhood on a family-owned farm that is now known as Finca San Julian, which served as a mountain vacation home. Eventually, Melalina’s father sold the land.
During the Nicaraguan revolution of the 1980s, the Plasencias relocated their farms and operations to Honduras. When they were able to return to Nicaragua in the 1990s, Don Nestor discovered that the farm where his now-wife Melalina had spent her vacations was available for purchase. He acquired the land and gifted it to her.
Finca San Julian is named in honor of Melalina’s father, and tobacco is now grown there. According to Plasencia, the tobacco grown in this field benefits from higher sunlight exposure and cooler climates. In addition, the soil is enriched by an untouched stream that runs through the farm.
As for the Alma del Cielo cigar, it features all Nicaraguan tobacco grown by the Plasencias. The Finca San Julian tobacco makes up one part of the filler. Alma del Cielo comes in three sizes, each in a ten-count box. Plasencia’s six-sided pressed Hexagono, a popular size in the Plasencia Alma Fuerte line, is one of those sizes.
“This cigar is more than a product,” said Don Nestor’s son, Nestor Andres Plasencia, in a press release prior to PCA 2025. “It is a living memory, a symbol of our family, a reflection of our sustainable farming practices, and of nature at its most generous.”
At a glance, here is a look at the Alma de Cielo:
Blend and Origin
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A.
Vitolas Offered
- Celeste (Robusto): 4 7/8 x 52 (SRP $25.00/cigar)
- Boreal (Toro): 6 1/8 x 54 (SRP $27.50/cigar)
- Amancer (Hexágano): 6 x 60 (SRP $29.50/cigar)
Photo Credits: John McTavish of Developing Palates
