Back in the early days of summer, I lit up my very first Plasencia cigar and reviewed it. The Cosecha 151 La Musica was a complex, memorable Honduran puro featuring a ton of nice transitions and excellent construction. I couldn’t have scripted a better personal introduction to the Plasencia brand. Skip ahead a few months, summer is now over (well, I live in Central Texas so it will remain hot as balls and totally fucking miserable until Thanksgiving), and a decorative box containing two sizes of Placencia’s latest offering showed up on the TNCC desk.
It’s a Nicaraguan puro this time around, utilizing tobacco grown at 3500 feet above sea level, and it’s called the Alma del Cielo. Join me while I burn this cigar into nothingness, won’t you?
THE CIGAR – ALMA DEL CIELO CELESTE by PLASENCIA
Size: 4 7/8 x 53 (robusto$
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Condega)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $27.50 (while these samples were submitted for review, you can head on over to Famous Smoke Shop and purchase the Alma del Cielo of other premium cigars and receive $20 off $100 using promo code TNCC20)
There’s a distinct leathery aroma pouring off the Alma del Cielo once the cellophane sleeve is removed. When sniffing the foot of the cigar directly, a floral aroma is detected along with a slight sweetness. The Alma del Cielo is firmly rolled and some minor surface oils are detected along the smooth wrapper.
After a quick punch to the cap, I experience a very earthy cold draw that also features dried flowers and mint. Warm, inviting, mild spice surfaces immediately through the nose upon ignition. It’s a unique wasabi-like spice, still tingling the nostrils but it isn’t “peppery” in the slightest. The Alma del Cielo’s draw is primarily comprised of lightly roasted coffee, freshly cut lumber, and a minimal graphite presence on the backend. This cigar is producing a ton of beautiful white smoke.
The Alma del Cielo’s burn line started out slightly uneven but it has now self-corrected quite nicely. The graphite note has suddenly jumped upstairs and is now backing up the retrohale’s spice. Downstairs, a creaminess has begun developing alongside the coffee note. Construction overall is great, the Alma del Cielo is drawing like a dream and the resulting ash is strong.
As we approach the fifty yard line, a cream cheese icing flavor begins to creep its way into the draw’s profile. If you’re curious how that icing note works with the draw’s existing light coffee and cream… seriously? Yeah, duh, it works fantastic. In fact, I decide to take a short break from blowing smoke out of my nose to savour the draw exclusively. I typically retro constantly when smoking a cigar, so this is an unusual move for me but sometimes you gotta go with the hot hand.
As the Alma del Cielo’s burn approaches the top (secondary) band, I resume retrohaling and I’m pleasantly surprised to find that the cream cheese icing sensation is now appearing through the nose as well. And, as a bonus, there’s a subdued floral note now detected along with it. The retro’s wasabi-like spice and graphite are regulated to secondary players at best here in the final third. I much prefer this profile as it gels much better with the draw’s steady coffee, cream, and icing flavors. The cigar has been consistently medium bodied with strength on the mild side.
Sometimes I fail to mention the finish of a cigar, unless a cigar comes along with a finish that refuses to be ignored. The Alma del Cielo is such a cigar. Once you’ve exhaled and set the cigar down for a moment, just relish in the flavors and texture that linger on your palate long after your last puff was taken. Everything is working in the Alma del Cielo’s favor here in the closing moments. The cream factor intensifies right before the nub, just as the spice makes an admirable comeback from out of nowhere. I’m fully aware that all good things must come to an end, but that doesn’t mean that I have to be happy about it.
THE NUB
TNCC Final Score = 92
It takes a lot of confidence and some big balls to name your cigar “Soul of Heaven”… but if Saint Peter hands me a Alma del Cielo when I arrive at the pearly gates, I won’t be disappointed. It’s a slow burning, complex cigar featuring interesting, enjoyable transitions and nearly flawless construction. Does that 75 minute smoking experience sound like it’s worth $27.50 to you? Only you and your financial advisor can answer that one. And in today’s economic environment, hardcore cigar smokers are going to have to enlist some money experts onto their team quickly if they wish to keep enjoying some really great, but really expensive, sticks.
With these rising costs, a fresh perspective recently dawned on me and I put this new mindset to the test while smoking the Alma del Cielo. If I were to go to an Italian restaurant on a Friday night, I wouldn’t think twice about ordering a $45 bottle of red wine to pair with my meal. And I’d likely drop that same amount twice, happily, if my wife was kind enough to join me at the table. In fact, this exact scenario happens quite often.
photo courtesy of the official TNCC Archives
All cigars are made from rolled tobacco leaves, all wine is made from smashed grapes. Yet, I’m fairly positive that everyone can agree that all cigars are far from equal as is also certainly the case with wines. The processes put in place by manufacturers (from soil to shelf) in both industries result in better products, products that you’d much prefer over their less expensive competitors. And these processes, necessary to do things the right way, all cost money. So why am I perfectly fine with dropping $45 for a bottle of wine that will be empty in an hour (if it’s lucky) versus the teeth-grinding frustration I feel whenever I’m asked to spend the same amount on a cigar that will possibly last me 75 minutes or more? And I fully realize that ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant comes with a crazy-high price markup, yet I STILL don’t flinch when the check comes… Perhaps it’s simply due to the environment. Try sitting at home, alone, smoking a $35 cigar watching “Family Guy” reruns compared to going to a top notch cigar lounge, ordering a delicious cocktail, and settling in to a comfy leather chair amongst the company of friends. All of a sudden, selecting a $35 premium cigar from the shop’s humidor to add to your overall enjoyment of the night doesn’t seem like such a teeth-grinding proposition.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go smoke a $8 cigar with a $11 bottle of wine because that’s what this particular Wednesday morning calls for…. did I say morning? I meant evening, late night. It’s very late and the moon is full as I type this. I swear!
