The Alma Fuerte Natural is drawn exclusively from Nicaraguan tobaccos aged for a minimum of ten years, with the lighter colorado claro wrapper grown in Jalapa and aged for 10 years before being made into cigars. This medium-bodied cigar delivers tasting notes of leather, cocoa, earth, almond, and pepper that mingle with sweet hints of cedar and a touch of citrus throughout a complex smoke rated 91 points by Cigar Aficionado. The Alma Fuerte Natural is less intense than the original Plasencia 1865 Alma Fuerte, offering a more approachable smoking experience while maintaining the family's commitment to premium aged tobaccos. This small-batch cigar is blended and handcrafted in Estelí, Nicaragua, by the Plasencia family, who have been growing tobacco and producing cigars for many of the biggest brands in the industry for decades. The Plasencias emphasize that their Alma Fuerte cigars are drawn from the oldest tobaccos in their vast reserves, with the family operating as one of the largest growers of tobacco in both Nicaragua and Honduras. A team of five blenders, including Plasencia Sr. and Jr., worked to create the cigar from 100% Nicaraguan tobaccos, with the blend focusing around the family's Criollo '98 seed using tobaccos from each of the major growing regions of Nicaragua including Condega, Estelí, Jalapa, and Ometepe. The smoking experience unfolds with notes of nuts and spices with a hint of raisin around the edges. The medium to full-bodied smoke unveils a cascade of flavors from creamy vanilla and toasted almonds to a backdrop of earthy undertones. Each cigar comes ten to a box, with a traditional dress-box resting inside a thick, black, wooden display box that doubles as a fully-functioning ashtray.