Until recently, the Plasencia family was mostly known for producing cigars for others. That changed in 2016 with the Alma Fuerte, the company’s first cigar ultra premium cigar branded as their own product. The Alma de Campo is the followup.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The Alms de Campo was released at the 2017 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show. The cigar is a Nicaraguan puro blended tobaccos only coming out of the company’s own fields. The cigars are packed in boxes of 10 cigars, that also double as an ash tray. Alma del Campo has 5 sizes: Travesía (6 1/2 x 54), Sendero (6 x 56), Madroño (6 1/2 x 58), Guajiro (5 1/2 x 54), and Tribu (5 x 52) — $13.50.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto Length: 5″ Ring Gauge: 52 Country of Origin: Nicaragua Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A. Blender: Nester Plasencia Number of reviewers: 4– John I. (John I.) Diana (ArmyRN) Isaac M. (The Nothing) Jason H.(Jokey Smurf) Price: $13.50 Age: 5 Months Release Date: August 2017 Contributed by: Plasencia Cigars
Initial Impressions
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 93
“This is a nice looking robusto cigar. The wrapper is smooth and has a nice oily sheen to the medium brown wrapper. There is a golden hue to the brown and it is very attractive. The cap is placed well and the foot of the cigar reveals a fully packed filler.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Aroma: 90
“The aroma on this sample is fairly mild but has notes of spice and sweet wood. At the foot, the predominant aroma is aged compost.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
First Third
Blind Cigar Review: Plasencia | Alma del Campo Tribu
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Fires to life with some bright pepper and exotic spice notes. Somewhere around the Indian/Mid-Eastern zone of seasonings. Dark oak is evident on the finish. Nice blast of sharp burn in the back of the throat and roaring through the nasal passages. This gets in there and works it all around. ” –John I. (John I.)
“I was very surprised by this cigar at first. There were notes of lemon grass that I didn’t expect. It wasn’t bitter though because coffee and chocolate combined with it to provide a well balanced mix. The coffee really came forward on the finish and left nice lingering rich flavors.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Blind Cigar Review: Plasencia | Alma del Campo Tribu
“Much of the same in regard to flavors as I enter the second portion. There is an increase in the wood notes at the tail end of the flavor profile…In general the strength is just shy of full bodied and the pepper and wood are long lasting.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The second third remained creamy but was accompanied by espresso and cedar. Dried fruit sweetness and flavors remained long after each puff. The ash held from the very beginning through about the halfway point of this third. When the ash fell the cigar needed some attention from my torch.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Continuing roasty, woody flavors dominate. ” –John I. (John I.)
“The final third has the smoke heating up significantly, and likewise the flavors becoming more bitter and acrid. In general the flavors are still quite good, but each puff is leaving me with a sour note at the end that I don’t care for. ” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Impressions
Blind Cigar Review: Plasencia | Alma del Campo Tribu
Draw: 94
“With a v-cut, the draw was spot on and just about the way I like it” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Burn: 95
“This car required no touch ups and had a great and straight burn line. The ash was a nice white mixed with grey. It held nicely and only dropped once when I was talking and moving my hands around a bit more than usual.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Construction: 93
“The wrapper is well constructed and had no issues during the smoking experience. No cracks or lifts were noted and the wrapper remained intact throughout. ” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Nice medium-full experience. I preferred the early stage featuring some brightness and spice, but it was enjoyable through to the end. Not an incredible cigar, but it would make a very serviceable daily smoker. ” –John I. (John I.) “This was a very flavorful and rich smoke for me. I enjoyed the coffee and chocolate notes but the lemon grass flavors added a very nice twist to this cigar. I would definitely smoke this cigar again and it would pair nicely with some of the coffees that I drink.” –Diana (ArmyRN) “This car cigar is just plain delicious. It offers plenty of flavor transitions, creamy body, and the draw is great. While I feel let down by the way things just seemed to peter out in the last third, it wouldn’t hesitate to smoke another. The cigar smokes for such a long time, much longer than other cigars this size, it’s quite ok to give up the last third and stick with the part of the cigar that gives one of the best smoking experiences I’ve had in awhile.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing) “I wish this would have finished as well as it started. Possibly the wind played into the cigar heating up and becoming bitter but it’s impossible to say for certain. As it is, the overall experience was solid, and this is a cigar I’d be willing to give a few more shots!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: Plasencia | Alma del Campo Tribu
Overall Score – 93 – Great
Blind Cigar Review: Plasencia | Alma del Campo Tribu
Summary
"This car cigar is just plain delicious. It offers plenty of flavor transitions, creamy body, and the draw is great. While I feel let down by the way things just seemed to peter out in the last third, it wouldn't hesitate to smoke another. The cigar smokes for such a long time, much longer than other cigars this size, it's quite ok to give up the last third and stick with the part of the cigar that gives one of the best smoking experiences I've had in awhile." -Isaac M. (The Nothing)
