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Padron is an easy choice for me. I've tried several different Plasencia offerings, including the Alma Fuerte, Cosecha 146 and the Reserva. The first two are at higher and equivalent price points to the Padron Anniversary cigars. The Reserva is similar in price to the Padron X000 series.

Although the Plasencias are pretty good cigars, I'd take a Padron Anniversary or X000 over any of the Plasencias. The thing with Padrons is that they are good "fresh" and become better with a few years. So far, the Plasencias I have don't seem to be getting better.


The best test, though is to try them yourself. Start with a fiver of each...smoke one after a couple weeks acclimation, another after several months and then another after a year. Jot down a few notes of your impressions and compare... Your palate may differ from mine and you may find different results...

Comparing Plasencias to Padrons?

Maybe I need to revisit some Plasencias, but the few I had years ago never made me want to run out and get more.

Am I missing something?

Alright, I'm going to be a contrarian. I have pent-up thoughts on this. If you gave me the option of which to smoke, a free Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro, or a Padrón anything, I would take the Plascencia.

I think Padróns are relatively linear, unremarkably flavored but well constructed, standard Nicaraguan cigars. Really just not that noteworthy other than that they do have good quality control, and that's valuable.

One of the big reasons Padróns have the mystic they have is because they engage in what I think is price fixing. They call it MAP. Minimum Advertised Pricing. They do this to keep the price artificially high because if the free market were to determine their value, the price would fall to something much more in line with what they are - a relatively linear, standard Nicaraguan cigar that is well made. They're good $15 cigars, and if the market were determining their value, that's about what they would sell for. They create an image and brand that makes them seem better than they are. But think about it - why do they need MAP if their cigars are really worth the $30 or whatever they ask for them? The market would just produce that result. But they know it won't. From what I gather, before MAP, their cigars didn't sell for what they sell for now.

Take the bands off, and the Plasencia is richer and fuller in flavor to me. But there are lots of people on here who have smoked way more cigars than I have who disagree, so I could be wrong. I could change my mind one day and say "wow, now I get it." But for now, I don't get it.

On MAP, for the life of me I don't see how that isn't price fixing. I know people on here say it isn't, but from what I have read, the issue is not as well-settled as all that. Especially on an auction site. What advertising support, etc. are they providing Cbid? Again, I don't get it. Saying you can't "advertise" our cigars for less than $X on an auction site is saying "you can't sell it for less than $X." That sure seems like price-fixing to me. It sure is not a free market determining the value.

After that spiel, I should say that I went in a B&M yesterday, and felt I should buy something, so I bought a Padrón 6000. It was $15, which is more than I think that cigar is really worth (it's a $10 cigar), but I will smoke it and enjoy it.

Similar to Al, I’ve had the Reserva, Cosecha 146 as well as the 149 but not the Alma Fuerte.

All were good, solid cigars but not box worthy, especially if they’re juxtaposed against Padrons.

Like Al said, try fivers first and see if they tickle your fancy.

^Z

You should try the other sizes. They have robusto sizes (but the ones I have are still 6 sided). I like the toros. They're 54rg, which is bigger than I like, and about as much girth as I an handle. But they're box-pressed, so that makes it little easier.