Staff Review: Plasencia Alma Del Fuego Flama
Introduction:
With today’s staff review, we will be taking a look at Plasencia Alma Del Fuego Flama. With blends like Alma Del Fuego, Plasencia has quickly solidified themselves as one of the most luxurious and highest quality brands in cigars.
Feel free to skim the quick hits for an overview or jump into any section below to find the full details of Plasencia Alma Del Fuego. And we’re off!
The Quick Hits:
- Released at IPCPR in 2019
- Main Tasting notes of cedar, black pepper, and earth
- Recommended for: fans of Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaraguan, Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch, Aging Room Quattro Nicaraguan
- At around $17.50 per cigar, Alma Del Fuego is priced towards the high end of regular production cigars
The Build:
Alma Del Fuego is a Nicaraguan puro through and through – the blend starts with a rich brown, sungrown wrapper from Jalapa, which is followed by a double binder from Ometepe and another undisclosed region and finished with a rich blend of fillers from primarily Ometepe. One important thing to note is that all the tobacco from Ometepe that is used in Alma Del Fuego is aged for seven years, which does wonders for this robust blend of tobaccos.
The Look:
I have always found it interesting that Plasencia uses three different bands on their blends – it almost feels a bit repetitive to me. Everything that is on the secondary band and foot band, is also present on the primary band, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t do anything to hurt the look or feel of the cigars.
Alma Del Fuego’s primary band has the Plasencia logo and name front and center as it should be, while “ALMA DEL FUEGO” seems like more of an afterthought considering its pretty small size on the band. I love the color of Alma Del Fuego, which is a reddish, coral that I don’t think I’ve seen used in cigars before, and which really stands out against the dark wrapper.
The secondary band that, interestingly enough, sits above the primary band, features nothing but the Plasencia logo – simple and tasteful.
The cigar’s foot band highlights “ALMA DEL FUEGO”, and with its transition to a white background, my eyes were immediately drawn to it before the other two bands when I looked at the cigar for the first time. I have to believe that this was done intentionally to highlight the blends name, but I’m no expert.
I have always applauded Plasencia’s ability to make a cigar look so elegant with such a simplistic design, and Alma Del Fuego certainly fits this mold.
The Experience:
As is the case with all Plasencia’s other offerings, the tobacco is what sets their blends apart, and in this case, is really where Alma Del Fuego shines.
The first third of Alma Del Fuego started out with a hearty amount of cedar and earth that was followed by a slight sweetness that reminded of black licorice - this small amount of sweetness was a shining complement to the darker earthy tones that characterized the blend.
Although notes of black pepper were present in the first third, as I made my way into the second third, these became much more noticeable and blended nicely with the cedar, earth, and slight sweetness of Alma Del Fuego. Notes of bitter, dark chocolate made their way into the mix and as I got towards the end of the second third, Alma Del Fuego’s strength made its way to the full mark.
The final third of Alma Del Fuego was almost a carbon copy of the first third with notes of cedar, earth, black pepper, and a perfect amount of sweetness at the forefront. Alma Del Fuego was consistent and elegant at its core, and the effect of well-aged tobacco was evident in how luxuriously smooth the experience was.
I feel like I shouldn’t have to mention this because it seems like a given with Plasencia, but the construction of Alma Del Fuego was flawless, and the draw was top-notch.
The Value:
There’s no way around it, but Alma Del Fuego, or any of Plasencia’s Alma lines for that matter, are expensive cigars. With that said, you might not be able to find more value in a $17.00 cigar than you will with Alma Del Fuego. It features some of the best tobacco you will ever smoke, and really is a masterclass in the benefits of aged tobacco. If you are looking for a special cigar for a special occasion, or you can afford a $17.00 everyday blend (good on you if you can), then look no further than Alma Del Fuego
Final Thoughts:
Alma Del Fuego is everything that a top-shelf cigar should be – it looks luxurious, it tastes luxurious, and it carries the price tag of a luxurious cigar. Plasencia has quickly put themselves in the highest echelon of cigar brands and at this point can now be held in the same esteem as the Davidoff’s and Padron’s of the world.
If you are a fan of Nicaraguan tobacco in any way, shape, or form, then I would encourage you to smoke anything that Plasencia makes. And if you are already a fan of Plasencia, then I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with Alma Del Fuego.
Be sure to let me know what your first impression of Alma Del Fuego was in the comments!
