Wrapper: Nicaraguan Shade-Grown (Jalapa)
Binder: Nicaraguan (Jalapa, Condega, Estelí’, Ometepe)
Filler: Nicaraguan (Jalapa, Condega, Estelí’, Ometepe)
Size: 7 x 58 Salomon Box Pressed
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $25.70
Quantity Released: Regular Production since 2017

My cigars received 8 months of naked humidor time.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
I reviewed this cigar in the 6.25 x 60 Hexagon size in 2017. I rated it 81 but I never disclosed how much home humidor time I gave it because I’m a non-therapeutic asshole. It felt like time to revisit the blend. It was Cigar Aficionado’s #17 cigar of 2017. It is now 8 years later but only $3 more than its initial release. So there’s that.

HW gave it an 85 in 2017. I hate it when we think alike.

This is a Gordo Plus. This might be a long review…it’s up to the cigar.

The appearance. It is an imposing looking cigar and beautifully constructed. While the box press is not sharp, the edges cannot be ignored.

I love its smell. Sweet notes of fudge brownies, caramel, and candied walnuts. There is also a sweet fertilizer note that is surprisingly delicate and pleasant. Must be memories from the 1950’s when it was used to sterilize my Mothra toys.

Once the cap is clipped, I expect zero airflow because of every experience with the Salomon. While a gorgeous shape, it is rarely put together well. But not in this case. The draw has perfect resistance. My PerfecDraw is standing at the ready. I wave it off. I hear mumbling, and not the good kind. I have no idea what generation Dr. Rod is up to with this tool, but there is a serious aluminosity morale issue in play I wish he would address.

The cold draw is even more delicious than its aromas with notes of clove, dark chocolate, caramel, black and red pepper, honeydew melon, and roasted peanuts.

Normally, I listen to music when I write. This morning, I am watching ‘American Splendor.’ Somedays, I just need my Harvey Pekar.

The blend is not shy with strong notes of peanuts, cinnamon, and espresso. All very potent and undubitable. I dislike using the term leather but in this case, and maybe the first case, it is exactly what I taste. I grab a gun belt to confirm. Yep. Leather. Ptooey. How does it taste good in a cigar blend and taste like shit when you lick it.

We were all glued to our tv sets when JFK was assassinated. People gathered to wring their hands and provide their own theories. I was 13 and sitting in my bedroom watching the news. And then it happened in real time. Oswald was being transferred when Jack Ruby leaped from the crowd and shot the assassin. I ran into the living room where my parents were with friends. I yelled out, “Oswald has been shot! Oswald’s been shot!” Everyone’s expressions conveyed that I was a very confused young man. They tried to gently correct me. I continued to yell while pointing and telling them to turn the tv on. Over 60 years ago and I remember this with vivid detail. It was the first televised murder in U.S. history.

Know what this cigar blend reminds me of? Halfsies between the Dunbarton Umbagog Bronzeback and Dunbarton’s The Duque. The wrapper tastes like Connecticut Broadleaf. The Nic guts have a very sweet underpinning that finds me licking my chops after every puff.
Honey walnut shrimp without the shrimp, leather, dark chocolate, espresso, caramel, and an easy going black pepper.

Construction is outstanding. The char line is crisp. The draw is flawless. And it tastes great. Of course, I have three feet to go. This is going to be a long review.

No matter how much I cavort endlessly with the keyboard, the cigar remains lit. And look at this cigar. The oily décor is beautiful:

I’m guessing that the extended stay my cigars have had in home detention makes all the difference. My first Let’s See cigar was a flop. With more than half a year of aging, the blend shines like a brand-new SpaceX rocket…before it blows up.

Unami. Or is it unagi? I get Mexican dishes mixed up. A salty goodness.

I was not part of the cool crowd in high school. I was in drama club because of the chicks. I hung around musicians. And the elite pocket protector wearing smart nerds let me in because my best friend was a member in good standing. Our live-in housekeeper made Mexican food from scratch which along with a swimming pool made my company a near trifecta in high school. When winter hit and temps dropped to a frigid 65°, I was once again abandoned by the coolios. Anyone remember drinking milk shakes to gain weight? Me neither.

“I spent most of my time occupying various administration buildings… smoking a lot of Thai stick… breaking into the ROTC… and bowling. To tell you the truth Brandt, I don’t remember most of it.” …Jeffrey Lebowski

One hour and twenty minutes is the duration of the first half. If nothing else, Plasencia earns a gold star for duration.

Strength has been medium/full since its inception. Nicotine levels are low. I am able to feel all of my appendages. And then the second half kicks me in the ankles. My testicles jump out of the way…they see themselves as sentient beings.

Extreme dark chocolate pushes other flavors aside. Caramel inches turning the blend into a Mars bar. Savory has its influence with notes of smoked brisket, leather, earthiness, aged oak, peanuts, and roasted coffee beans. A perfect Savory v. Sweet balance.

Often, a big cigar can be harsh. Especially when it is a Nic puro. This blend has become exceedingly smooth and refined. I can find no fault with this luscious cigar. I’m now guessing that both my review and HW’s critique were assessments which did not allow the blend to rest properly. Cigar Aficionado is never wrong.

I know it’s frustrating when you must wait for months before a purchase is truly ready to smoke; especially when it is an expensive cigar. The lure of the sirens is hard to ignore but I cannot stress enough that this is an imperative.

The second half provides a beautiful sweet spot. An intense flavor profile drenched in prolific richness. Spiciness never becomes overwhelming and adds a great contrast.

While I am not fond of a review taking 3 hours to finish, it was worth it. I was able to mow the carpet, skin a raccoon, delete tracks of my bestiality fetish, smoke a few cigarettes, cook up some blood pudding, pick grandma up from her strip club gig, and clean all the ferret litter boxes.

You can purchase the Plasencia Alma Fuerte in 5 sizes from Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.

RATING: 96 A Must Have

And now for something completely different: Use an Accordion. Go to Jail

I was 9. It was 1959. My mother saw me always banging on things to make music. 7pm on a school night, and there was a knock at the door. A strange man carrying a large suitcase had a big smile on his face. My mother look excited. My dad looked like every skeptical dad in the universe. I was ushered into the living room. Out of the suitcase came a beautiful 120 bass key accordion. It was strapped around me and it felt wonderful and at the same time, it felt like the lever was about to be thrown for the electric chair.

The salesman spent an hour showing me how to play simple tunes. Apparently, I picked it up quickly. A chimp could have gotten in sync as the whole point was to snare a deal. I remember looking up at some point and seeing my mom and dad standing in the doorway of the living room…my mother had a big smile. My father was still clutching his wallet.

A week later, I found myself immersed in a group lesson at a music studio. There were more than a dozen kids all looking bewildered. The teacher stood behind the largest accordion I had ever seen. It was on a large stand because no living hominid could possibly shoulder the weight. It was an electric accordion with a long cable attached to a Fender Bassman amp. Music books were placed on the stands in front of us.

A couple of roving teaching assistants wandered through the feeding frenzy of young kids engorged with the desire to play music…even if it was an accordion. I was having trouble pulling and pushing the bellows so that they moved in and out like well, an accordion. Near the end of the lesson, an aide pointed out that I had failed to remove the snap device that kept the thing locked in place. Du-oh.

I was struggling. And then the big kahuna burger looked over and asked me, ‘Are you left-handed, young man?’ I shook my head no. The instructor motioned for the aide to turn my accordion right side up so that the keyboard was on the right and not the left. Double Du-oh. But then, really…shouldn’t this info have been better dealt with before the lesson began? All right, I admit it, I’m a defensive idiot.

Once I understood the mechanics of the accordion, things went swimmingly. I took a private lesson once a week from this giant Polish woman who had signed photos of Myron Floren…and a couple from Lawrence Welk. She was always chewing her cud and it annoyed the hell out of me. She had tins of Sen Sen strewn everywhere. I was given countless music books and most of them were polkas. I began to dread lessons. Composing my own music was the natural next step. I’d play songs for my parents but immediately forgot what I played when I was done. I used my new skill of being able to read music into practice. I began charting my tunes.

I remember this…my father forked over $350 to purchase an Italian accordion in 1959. It was an astounding amount of money at the time…almost $4,000 in 2025 USD. My dad stepped up.

Every friend that came over to play Hopalong Cassidy vs. the bad guys was repelled as I always insisted on playing for them. I learned toot suite that regurgitating polkas caused running and screaming into that good night. I interspersed with my songs. Same effect. Eventually, friends refused to come over. On the last day of school before the Christmas vacation, I was put in the cat bird seat to play holiday tunes for my classmates as the teacher would lead them in song. One year, I broke the right index finger on my right hand the day before the concert. With a huge splint, I played anyway because the show must go on. I switched to 5 string banjo a few years later during the folk music craze of the 1950’s/early 60’s. A month before I left for London in 1974, I swapped out my accordion for an ounce of weed. It was a fair fight.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar reviews, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, katman, phil kohn, Plasencia Alma Fuerte Generación V | Cigar Reviews by the Katman, plasencia cigars