On planet Earth, no one grows more tobacco than the Plasencias. They’ve got plantations in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, and produce 40 million cigars a year. They’re on their fifth generation of growers, with over 150 annual harvests completed. But if you look at their cigar line, you’ll notice something funny:
All the Plasencia cigars are new. Most were introduced after 2017.
What gives?
Well, the Plasencias built their reputation as growers, not cigar makers or blenders. Plasencia tobacco shows up in cigars made by an estimated 70% of premium cigar makers, which include some of the world's most famous brands, like 5 Vegas, Gurkha, Padilla, and Rocky Patel. The launch of in-house cigar blends such as the Alma series, Reserva Original, and Cosecha 146, however, is a decidedly modern venture.
It’s the latest move from the father-and-son team of Nestor Plasencia, Sr. and Nestor Andrés Plasencia, Jr. There’s good reason to think Plasencia cigars will be a success – and it’s not just that the Alma Fuerte cigar was named the #9 Cigar of 2017 by Cigar Aficionado (with a 93 rating) – the Plasencias have inherited a legacy that goes back to 1865.
It was in that year that Don Eduardo Plasencia left the Canary Islands, landing in Vuelta Abajo, Cuba to begin growing tobacco. Tobacco farming went well for the family, and they kept it up through the generations until Sixto Plasencia lost his farms to the Castro regime during the Cuban Revolution in the 1960s. The family fled to Mexico and then settled in Nicaragua to plant the best seeds they had saved from their Cuban plantings. Revolution again saw their business nearly destroyed in 1978, which sent the Plasencias to Honduras.
There, they got back to work, putting seed to soil.
What else is there to do?
The family restarted operations in Nicaragua in the 90s, and finally could enjoy growth and success uninterrupted. Now, over 30 different brands trust Plasencia to produce their cigars, and operations are truly massive. Of course, at the Plasencia table, there’s always room for one more, and so we welcome the relatively new Plasencia cigar brand into the fold.
Please browse our selection of Plasencia cigars at your leisure, and enjoy a tobacco legacy that’s as old as they come.
