I previously reviewed the Cosecha 149 and the Cosecha 151 is continuing the same theme of naming the cigar after the crop harvest number. The 151 is a Honduran puro as well. I enjoyed the 149 but felt it was lacking in flavor in the first half of the cigar. I like the idea of keeping the Cosecha line a Honduran puro with the only change being the crop which the cigar is made from. Eventually, we will see previous releases phase out like the Cosecha 146. I am thrilled to get the opportunity to compare each harvest and experience Honduran tobacco that I don’t often smoke in the puro form.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA:Â Â La Musica
SIZE:Â Â 5″ x 50
ORIGIN:Â Â Nicaragua
FACTORY:Â Â Plasencia Cigars S.A.
WRAPPER:Â Â Honduras
BINDER:Â Â Honduras
FILLER:Â Â Honduras
STRENGTH:Â Â Mild to Medium
SOURCE:Â Â Â
Company
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:Â Â
Outside
WHEN:Â Â
[May 31, 2024 @ 8 PM
DRINKS:Â Â
Water
WEATHER:Â Â
Overcast and warm
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:Â Â
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Â Regular Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE Â November 2023
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size:Â Â Â Boxes of 10
Production Totals:Â UNK
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o  La Musica (5″ x 50)
o San Diego (5-3/4″ x 46)
o La Tradicion (5-7/8″ x 54)
BAND DESIGN
The band is familiar and identical to the past iterations of the Cosecha line. The only difference being the number on the band and also the color of the foil. The 151 is more of a yellow gold as opposed to the 149’s rose gold. Those accents are found throughout the main band and the two other secondary bands. Plasencia always does a nice job with having a modern look that provides a clean and classic design style. The consistency of using San serifed fonts throughout the band is a nice touch as well.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The Cosecha 151 has some minor variations in color throughout the body. The veins are a little bit darker than the rest of the cigar where a milk chocolate dominates the and dark chocolate thrown in with the veins. The cigar has a slight give when squeezed but it’s pretty firm. There are a few spots that feel softer. The head of the cigar has a neatly applied double cap.
AROMA
The first thing I notice about the aroma of the cigar is a light sweetness. It reminds me of a sugarcane note that is mixed with a pungent barnyard and little bit of hay. On the foot, you get a little more black pepper, hay, and a little less sweetness.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw is a little bit on the tight side, but I don’t foresee any issues occurring. There is a mix of hay, sweet tobacco, and red pepper on the cold draw. The back of my throat itches a little bit from the spice. There’s also a touch of prune in there.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut:Â Straight
Fire:Â TorchÂ
No issues with the draw right after light up. I was surprised about how bold the flavors were in the first few draws of the cigar when compared to the subtle aromas. There is a deep earth and chocolate note that are on the forefront of the palate. Following the chocolate, there is a hint of honey. The retro seems tame at first with a nice sweet cream, but shortly after it morphs into something that is just a bit spicy. It’s nothing crazy, but it definitely builds into almost a cayenne pepper. On the finish, you get a nice bitter chocolate with some sweet nuts and cream.
SMOKE
Every draw I take ends with a big plume of smoke afterwards. It is chewy smoke that lingers until the next draw.
FIRST THIRD
>> Light Roast Coffee, Cream, Cayenne
I had to step away from the cigar for five minutes, but it still stayed lit. The burn is semi wavy and the ash is strong. This is a medium to full bodied cigar. The flavors remind me of a complex light roast coffee. The sweetness subsides getting into the first third. Cream moves to the front followed by a dry earth and coffee. The retro does not start off subtle and smacks you in the face with a bang of cayenne pepper. The finish is a little on the spicy side with notes of black pepper, earth, and a faint bitter chocolate in the background. There is also a sweet char note on the backend that reminds me of the outside of a burnt marshmallow. With all this being said, I do like how smooth the transitions are between a lot of these notes. Unfortunately, I think that five minutes away from the cigar caused a little bit of burn issues, but it looks like it’s starting to clear up and even out.
SECOND THIRD
>> Dark Roast Coffee, Chocolate, Sugar Cane
The burn remains a little wavy, but I still have not had to touch up the cigar. The draw and smoke are perfect. In the second third, there is a dominant note of bitter black coffee. There is some cream in the mix but that’s slowly moves out as you burn through the cigar. Even the earthiness from before is dominated by the black coffee note. It definitely reminds me more of a dark roast coffee now. The retro is kicked down a notch, and leaves some earthy chocolate notes. The finish reels you right back in to the bitter black coffee but it’s not as dry as before, and actually leaves my mouth watering a little bit. I was surprised by the absence of spice in the second third because the first third had such bold spicy notes on both the retro and finish. Throughout the second third, the flavors continue to change. The cream eventually makes a reappearance along with some sugar cane and butter. The changing of flavors really make you pay attention, there’s a lot going on and flavors continue to shift in and out.Â
FINAL THIRD
>> Heavy Cream, Dark Chocolate, Toasted Graham Cracker
I think I’ve said this in another Plasencia review, but I do feel like three bands on a cigar is a bit excessive. The main band is huge and burning through this cigar, especially a smaller Robusto, does not give enough time for the glue to warm up to actually tear off the band cleanly. While the burn remains a bit wavy, I still have no need to touch up the cigar. The ash holds on beyond an inch and still has a perfect draw with very nice smoke output and thick plumes of smoke.Â
The last third starts off with a deep toasted white bread flavor. It’s not quite burnt toast, but it’s almost there. On the backend of that, there is an earthiness followed by a heavy cream note. On the retro, black pepper with cream makes an appearance again. The finish is really interesting and starts off with that familiar earthiness and a touch of coffee that it leaves a slick oily feeling on the palate. In the middle of this last third, you get a hints of graham cracker. I did expect sweetness to come back into the picture at some point, but I did not think it would be in the form of a toasty graham cracker. There’s also a deep dark chocolate note on the backend as well.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
There were some really nice transitions to the cigar and as I said before, you have to pay attention when smoking the Cosecha 151. There is a lot going on, and there are a lot of flavors shifting in and out with every passing draw. As one of Plasencia’s cheaper offerings (~$13.50) I get the most excited about what the Cosecha line to offer in the way of flavor, but I did not expect the amount of transition that I experienced in this cigar because of my experience with the Cosecha 149 which was very one dimensional in the first half.
BURN EXPERIENCE
While this particular sample some burn issues, they were not bad enough to reach for a lighter and and do any touch-ups. My other two samples were actually flawless in the burn and performed similarly in the draw and smoke realms. Even with me walking away for a little bit during the first third, I would usually have to relight the cigar and that always brings about some unpleasant flavors, but I did not have to do that. These cigars are constructed extremely well.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.71Â / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.33Â / 0.50 …Â Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Lighting Process
7.22Â / 7.70 …Â Smoking Experience
0.47Â / 0.50 …Â Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Lots of transitions
- Nice flavors
- Wavy burn in one sample
- Excessive bands
Excellent Transitions.
While I complain about the excessive banding of Plasencia, Cigars, I do appreciate the last band which is just the “P” logo. It signifies that it might be a good stopping point, which is helpful for some smokers. This was much better than the Cosecha 149 and I have no problem recommending this to any cigar aficionado. From the honey, sugarcane, and graham cracker sweetness to the deep earthy notes, bitter black coffee, and the dark chocolate, the cigar offered a lot of sophistication and flavors that meshed well together. The 151 is a great way to end the day because it is mild to medium strength and it provides you with just enough boldness to keep things interesting.
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