Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa Review & Pairing

A light box-shaped toro cigar. It has a dark reddish rich looking wrapper with few prominent veins. The Azacualpa cigar smokes rich and creamy. Each puff delivers full flavours with a slow burn. Enjoy an abundance of flavours. Read more about the Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa Review & Pairing

A modern approach to Old World Cigar making methods

The Plasencia brand launched in 2017. But the Plascencia origins began more than 150 years earlier. In 1865 Don Eduardo Plasencia moved to Vuelta Abajo, Cuba, to work in the tobacco fields. After 33 years, Sixto Plasencia Juares opened the family's first tobacco farm in 1898. Sixto was Don Eduardo's nephew.

Fleeing Castro's regime, Don Sixto and his family relocated to Nicaragua. But, political turmoil disrupted them again. They finally settled in Honduras and continued growing Tobacco with great success. He became an outstanding producer for other cigar manufacturers. Growing Tobacco for 33 million cigars a year by 1990. By 2000, Thrity different cigar brands used Plasencia tobacco.

Plasencia became the world's largest tobacco grower. They produced more than 40 million cigars a year by 2015.

Millions of people worldwide enjoy Plasencia cigars.

The family decided it was finally time to start their own story. In 2017, Plasencia Cigars was born, bringing over a century of tobacco experience to a new era of cigars.

5 Generations started over more than five times

Growing top wrappers, binders and filler tobacco in three different countries.

A top-skilled five-generation tobacco family driven by persistence.

Top wrappers, binders and filler tobacco.

The story started in Cuba, moved to Nicaragua, over to Honduras and back to Nicaragua in 1865.

Nestor Andrés Plasencia Torres is one of the largest growers of Tobacco. The family runs a business with more than 6000 employees and eight plantations. They produce approximately 40 million cigars in 4 factories per year. The factories produce cigars in Nicaragua and Honduras. The Plasencia brands you can buy are Plasencia Cosecha 146 and Plasencia Reserva. Alma del Campo, Alma Fuerte and Alma del Fuego.

But, It wasn't always a successful and fertile story.

Plasencia History & Story

In 1865, Eduardo Plasencia moved from the Canary Islands across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1890, his nephew, Sixto Plasencia Juarez, joined him. They established themselves as good tobacco growers. Tobacco growth flourished until the first blow, the Cuban revolution of 1959.

When the Cuban revolution hit, Fidel Castro seized all the farms in 1963.

Sixto and his family left Cuba for Mexico two years later with nothing. At that time, Nestor Senior was 15 years young.

Mexico didn't feel right, and they left after two weeks for Honduras. Arriving in Honduras, Sixto Plasencia received two job offers at tobacco companies.

Again, they didn't settle in. After only three months, the family moved to Nicaragua. Arriving in Nicaragua, Sixto worked in Jalapa. Nestor started his studies at the agricultural university. Nestor Plasencia graduated in 1969 and started working on his father's farm.

With dedication and good sales, the family bought their Nicaraguan farm in 1979.

But then, revolution number two happened.

During the Nicaraguan revolution, the Sandinistas took over. It became dangerous for Cubans to be in the country. Being Cuban implied being against the revolution.

So again, Nestor Senior set off to Honduras to start over.

Today Nestor Plasencia junior says, "Persistence is in our family blood." The family endured many heartbreaks, and even more followed.

In 1981 blue mould destroyed one hundred per cent of the family's crops. It was a disaster. They introduced fungicides to the crops. It turned resistant, so the family accepted the blue mould crops. They still had to supply quality tobacco to customers with lower-yielding crops.

In 1986 the family sold land to survive. Nestor senior needed a plan. The plan.

Start producing cigars.

Despite all the disasters, the family kept working. Nestor started making cigars for Cigars by Santa Clara and Inter-American Cigars. It started small, expanding fast as brands heard about the cigar quality.

During the early nineties, the Plasencia family moved back to Nicaragua. In 1990 the Sandinistas lost power in the general election. The new president, Violeta Chamorro, gave the Plasencias land in Estelí. Approximately thirty per cent of what the family used to own in Jalapa.

During the Nicaraguan boom years, the Plasencia family produced cigars in Esteli. They bought farms in Estelí and Jalapa. They produced a lot of Tobacco and started selling it to other brands.

The Young Plasencia Generations

Nestor Andrés as a young boy started working at the family farms during the holidays. He learned everything from fermentation, drying and ageing techniques.

It was finally time to create the family line of cigars.

Nestor Andres approached his father almost straight out of school. He had an idea. He wanted to produce a complete organic cigar. His father supported him in going organic. He used traditional methods combined with modern knowledge.

The process includes using garlic to keep the bugs away. They don't like the smell. A fungus in the crops prevents root diseases. They grow velvet beans between the crops to extract nitrogen from the air to put it in the soil. Growing sustainable Tobacco will ensure more generations of cigar makers can follow.

Nestor Plasencia's senior passion motivated his family to work in the industry. Today almost the entire family work in some part of the tobacco business.

Many brands come to Plasencia for rich, earthy cultivated leaves. The family produces Tobacco very close to the taste and texture of Cuban Tobacco. The Plasencia's factories have produced award-winning cigars for years. Look up brands like Rocky Patel and Quesada.

Words from the family:

"It is an incredible process from seed to Cigar. A cigar takes about three years to make. Tobacco is a great plant. There are no other plants that can have three different flavours in them. The goal is to grow sustainable Tobacco. That will encourage cigar-making generations that follow.

The Plasencia family Goal

"We're in the business of giving pleasure to people, and the vehicle is the cigar."

The goal, light up a Plasencia with family and friends and forget about all your problems.

Today the Plasencia family own two factories in Nicaragua and two in Honduras. It is a proud, hard-working success story through many difficulties.

Persistence drives the family.

Production facts:

Cultivated area: 1,200 ha (3,000 acres): in Nicaragua (Jalapa, Estelí, Condega, Ometepe),

Honduras (Jamastran, Talanga, San Agustin), also small areas in Costa Rica and Panama.

Plasencia sells 50 per cent of its harvest as raw Tobacco.

The other fifty per cent goes into cigar manufacturing.

Main markets:

USA

Europe, especially Germany

South Africa

And Thailand.

In the Cigar, world numbers have a prominent position on cigar bands. Sometimes it represents the history, an anniversary, a founding date or a blend number.

The latest Plasencia winner has the number 149.

The Plasencia Cosehca 149 Azaluapa honours the Plasencia family's 149th crop of Tobacco harvested in 2014.

The cigar is a Honduran puro. The Cigar wrapper comes from Olancho, San Agustín. The binder is from the Jamastran Valley. And the filler is a tobacco mix from the Jamastran Valley, Olancho and Talanga.

Plasencia's Tabacos de Oriente factory in Honduras produces the cigars. The range began shipping to retailers in mid-November 2021.

Wines paired with the Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa cigar

Off The Record Chenin Blanc by The Wallace Brothers

Paul and Nicky Wallace purchased their 25-hectare farm in September 2003. They immediately set out to create a little piece of heaven. Paul is a viticultural consultant. He could finally practise what he advises in his vineyards.

Paul believes that the cool-climate region of Elgin is one of the most exciting wine regions in South Africa. An area best known for its apples and pears.

He replaced the Golden Delicious and Granny Smith orchards by planting:

Sauvignon Blanc,

Chardonnay,

Pinot Noir,

Malbec

and Cabernet Franc.

That changed the face of the farm. The area under vines is currently 12.5 hectares.

What to plant on the remaining four hectares of land is a debated chat at the dinner table.

It is a small family business. Paul oversees the vineyards, and Nicky holds the admin, sales and marketing together. Their youngest winemaker, son Bobby, has recently joined the team.

The farm offers three self-catering labourer's cottages accommodation. The existing farmworker's cottages have also received an extensive makeover. The fourth cottage is a charming tasting room open every Saturday from 10:30 am - 5 pm.

The family members host the tastings sharing stories of their wine journey and the quirky wine names.

If a Saturday doesn't suit you, visit the tasting room anytime during the week.

Sundays or Public Holidays, by prior arrangement.

Pairing bonus in the tasting room,

The wines pair with delicious Belgian chocolate.

The Wallovale Vineyards, the Home of Paul Wallace wines, is a piece of paradise.

An area surrounded by vineyards, natural dams, abundant bird life and unparalleled sunsets.

Winemaking

Wine of Origin Elgin

Bottled 8th January 2020

Analysis

Alcohol 13.61%

Residual Sugar 2.1 g/l

pH 3.25

Winemaking and Tasting Notes:

The Uncensored Version.

The wine is a heart project produced as a collaboration between brothers Mark and Bobby Wallace.

Currently on the third vintage, produced from a small block of Chenin blanc grapes sourced from the cool-climate district of Elgin.

Chenin Blanc is a rarity in Elgin. The Wallace brothers produce only 1542 bottles of Off the Record Chenin Blanc.

Wild fermented and barrel aged for 10 months in 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill barrels.

The wine has an attractive pale straw colour. The nose has appealing citrus notes, which unfold onto the palate with a rich, creamy mouthfeel.

The citrus, apples and blossom, with an underlying minerality and gentle wood age, contribute to the complexity of the Chenin Blanc.

Off The Record Chenin Blanc Wine Aroma

Fruity

Smokey

Off The Record Chenin BlancWine Taste

The Chenin Blanc has balanced light acidity with a smokey barrel woody character.

Middelvlei Cabernet Sauvignon 1991

Middelvlei History

In 1919 two brothers, Marthinus and Niels Momberg, bought Middelvlei and moved the farm.

Their two sons, Stiljan (quiet Jan) and his cousin Jan Bek inherited the farm in 1960. A year later, the brothers pressed the first wines. Mostly fortified wines.

Jan Bek's name originated from his outgoing personality.

In 1963 Stiljan bought his cousin's half-share in the farm to become sole proprietor. Jan Bek went on to buy the nearby Neethlingshof Estate.

Over the next thirty years, Stiljan established one of the district's model wine farms.

Middelvlei Today

Today, brothers Ben and Tinnie Momberg apply the knowledge passed down through three generations.

As a family vineyard, the Mombergs respect tradition. But they accommodate modern trends and new techniques.

The beautiful 52-hectare farm is famous for its red wines. Tinnie has showcased his talents with his speciality, the Free-run Pinotage. It is a unique wine made through natural, un-pressed processes, which sets it apart from its peers.

Middelvlei Winemaking

The Cellar boasts a combination of old and new techniques. Techniques refined through over 100 years of family winemaking.

The de-stemmer/crusher gently removes the stems of the grapes and crushes the berries to minimize hard tannins in the wine.

Another modern addition is a new must-have cooler. The cooler cools down the crushed berries before fermentation. It helps to preserve the fruit flavours better.

Keeping with the methods, the grapes ferment in traditional open cement tanks. Our Cellar uses a gravity-fed system to move the wine rather than machine pumps.

The Cellar also hosts a maturation facility for 300 oak barrels (225 litres each).

A collection of French oak, with a small selection of American oak, provides variation. The combination helps to develop a unique wood ageing structure for certain wines.

The wines are then bottled on the farm using a mobile bottling service.

Middelvlei Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 Wine Aroma

Raisins

Woody and spicey

Baked creamy cheesecake

Jammy red berries and mulberries

Middelvlei Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 Wine Taste

Jammy

Fruit jam

Light sweetness

Light spice tastes

The red wine has balanced and drinks exceptionally smooth for a 32-year-aged South African Cabernet Sauvignon.

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa Cigar

Cigar: Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa

Country of Origin: Honduras

Factory: Tabacos de Oriente

Wrapper: Honduras (Olancho San Agustín)

Binder: Honduras (Jamastran Valley)

Filler: Honduras (Jamastran Valley, Olancho San Agustín & Talanga)

Length: 6 Inches

Ring Gauge: 52

Vitola: Toro

Release Date: November 2021

Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production

Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa Appearance

The wrapper has an impressive dark brown and reddish colour. It has a drier texture and is not an oily wrapper.

The leave's veins aren't too prominent. But you can see a few veins on the Toro-sized cigars.

Even with the box press, the Cigar is firm, with brilliant construction.

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa Dry Aroma

Chocolate

Baking spice

Full Richness

Biscuit and Chocolate blend

Wet mossy forest and soil moisture

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa Dry Draw

Cashew nuts

Berry sweetness

Creamy dark Cocoa richness

The dry draw has some berry-like sweetness followed by light black pepper spice.

The Cigar has earthy, spicy tastes with a lingering soft chocolate note.

The cold draw is smooth and easy, with a bit of spice coming through after a few draws. You might sneeze from the pepper spice. There is also a bit of berry sweetness on the draw.

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa First Puff

The Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa's first flavours are mild and creamy. It has distinctive chocolate flavours.

But the Cigar offers loads of flavour with every puff.

Thick, earthy and creamy cocoa coffee flavours evolve with the slow burn.

The burn line is even with loads of cocoa flavours and aromas. It is not a quick smoke. You can settle in with your favourite drink, the cigar burns and smokes slow.

Savour the richness.

The Cigar stimulates the palate, driven by cocoa, earth, black pepper and espresso beans, with hints of berry sweetness to enhance the Cigar's complexity.

The aroma makes me think of a glass of hot chocolate mixed with espresso.

The Cigar flavour is medium to full, and the body is medium with medium to full strength.

The creaminess is enjoyable, with hints of melted chocolate in every puff.

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa Final

My palate picks up a creamy cocoa blend that expresses the region's signature flavours. The region's Tobacco delivers a great balance of earthy and spicy flavours. Then evolves into notes of cocoa, espresso and black pepper in the finish.

Flavour-wise, there is some earth and pepper. But the flavour also evolves into a rich maltiness blending the cocoa and lighter creaminess.

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa Conclusion

The final smoking time was long. Each person smoking time is different, but you can take your time to savour every puff with the Azacualpa.

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa paired with the Off The Record Chenin Blanc.

Malty aged tastes with smokey fruity flavours from the Chenin Blanc. Milky chocolate blended with flame-grilled fruit dessert sweetness.

A mix of cocoa tastes from the Cigar and Vanilla pods from the wine.

Raisin sweetness and richness

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa paired with the 1911 Middelvlei Cabernet Sauvignon wine.

Berry-coated sweetness with melted dark chocolate.

Most aged red wines are exceptional wines to pair with a cigar. The aged red is smooth and velvety. The bold tannins subside, leaving a smooth, complex-flavoured wine to enjoy.

The Cigar and aged red wine pairing is a blend of delicious melted dark chocolate with sweet berry jam on a fluffy, creamy piece of chocolate cake.

If you enjoy a slow smoke with loads of flavour,

Click the link below to order your Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa cigar.

Plasencia Cosecha 149 Azacualpa cigar