Plasencia Year Of The Rabbit review

I tested the Plasencia Year Of The Rabbit. The box failed me completely and I am disappointed. For me personally, the price is not right and that is something I rarely criticise. But what about the flavour and quality of the cigar? My test report shows the details. There are 6000 boxes worldwide and 3000 of them for the USA.

Tasting notes from the Plasencia Year Of The Rabbit

The analysis with the Cigars.Zone testing tool. through. Explanations of the You can find ZiZo R+ smoking technology here.

External impression before lighting

Format: Toro (ring 54 / length 165 mm)

Price: Status February 2023 / CHF 52.00 / box of 10 CHF 520.00 / EUR as of 31.01.23 no details found yet

Recommended acclimatisation in the humidor Place the entire box / individual specimens in tubos or store „naked“ as an exception: 10 days

The colour and the cover sheet: Medium brown / Nicaragua

The construction and the cold draught: evenly rolled / sweetish, woody

Photo above: This is a marketing photo. The box looks immaculate and classy. In real life, my crate is very different. More about this in the conclusion.

General impression after lighting in the first 5 minutes

Lighting and draw resistance: Light and even / optimal

The burn, the strength and the flavour: first five minutes: even / 2/5 / pleasant

Impression during the smoke of the Plasencia Year Of The Rabbit

Aftertaste and aroma (scent of the smoke = room note)

First half: positive lasting impression / flavour: spicy

Second half: positive lasting impression / flavour: spicy

Flavour on the tongue

First half: slightly peppery / cocoa / wood / slightly acidic

Second half: slight increase in the flavour notes, good balance

Retronasal

First half: slightly peppery / coffee beans

Second half: slight increase in the flavour notes, good balance

ZiZo R+ Technology

First half: peppery / coffee beans

Second half: slight increase in the flavour notes, good balance

Course of enjoyment and conclusion

Pleasure course: First half linear / second half increase

Conclusion Quality of the box of the Plasencia Year Of The Rabbit:

I rarely criticise the price of a cigar. But this time I would like to do so. The box looks immaculate and classy in the marketing photos. In reality, it is not. It doesn't look classy to me at all. You can see two wooden pins hammered into the outside of each side (sorry, you can't see that in the photos).

You might be thinking: „So what, I'm not buying a whole box, what's all the moaning about?“ Yes, but you pay the price of the individual cigar proportionately with the box.

The sticker on the front is not printed properly (or the colour has flaked off afterwards) and the colour of the lid has flaked off or been damaged in a few small places. When you open the lid, the colour has also flaked off in one place on the inside. It looks as if the paint was still wet when the lid was closed. A wooden panel is glued to the inside of the lid. It is not painted properly and has frayed edges.

The crate has four feet and they are unequal in size. This means that the crate wobbles.

Inside is a parchment paper. I was shocked when I saw the photo, and after seeing it live, my impression was not mistaken: it looked like milk had been spilt. Photo below: Marketing photo. Note: The light-coloured round spots on the edge of the box are magnets and not wooden pegs. The wooden pegs I mentioned can be seen on the outside of the crate (not visible in the photo).

So, guys, am I just daft now? Or how does that make you feel? I'm really curious to see what you write in the comments.

Sorry, the overall picture is just not right for me. CHF 52.00 per cigar is too much for me for these reasons. The box failed me completely and I am disappointed. But what about the flavour and quality of the cigar?

Conclusion on the quality and flavour of the cigar

I am pleased that both the tobacco quality and the rolling quality are very good. The Plasencia Year Of The Rabbit smoulders long and evenly. The ash is stable.

In the first half, the cigar remains linear. In the second half, it gains some depth. Leather in particular is added and the wood becomes somewhat more intense. Occasionally there is also some sweetness.

I like the shape very much. A beautiful and imposing cigar. The anillas at the top of the cigar are beautiful, cleanly printed and neatly embossed.

The anilla at the foot of the cigar has got too much glue: If you remove it, you tear the wrapper. This happened to me with two of the cigars I tested, although I was very careful with the second one. See photo below:

In the second half, the wrapper burst open on both cigars. I sealed it with cigar glue. Acclimatisation is important: at least 10 days after purchase. This is not a fault of the cigar!

All in all, the flavour is as you would expect from Plasencia: A well-composed blend with a very good balance. Only the overall package of box quality and cigar price doesn't convince me this time.

Strength first half: 2/5

Strength second half: 3/5

A cigar test is subjective. The flavour of a cigar is influenced by personal taste preferences, taste memories, the mood of the day, what you have eaten or drunk beforehand. Even the lighting in the room influences the flavour experience. The flavour nuances described here therefore do not necessarily correspond to your own impressions.

Resources on the topic

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Helpful cigar tips: From „retronasal“, „R+ technique“ and „umami“ to the difference in cigar storage between Non Cuba and Cuba