ThePlasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Robustus Corto takes the extraordinary tobacco pedigree of Alma Fuerte and compresses it into a format designed to get straight to the point. Measuring only4" x 52, this isn't intended to be a diminished version of a larger Alma Fuerte. It's a deliberately compact expression of the blend, built for the aficionado who may have less time but isn't willing to compromise on the quality of the leaf. Like the rest of Colorado Claro, it is handcrafted in Nicaragua entirely from Nicaraguan tobacco grown and selected by the Plasencia family.
Its defining component is the10-year-aged Colorado Claro wrapper, which brings a more tempered and aromatic personality to Alma Fuerte's formidable Nicaraguan core. In the short 4 x 52 format, wrapper and filler come together quickly: cocoa, almond and cedar arrive early, followed by nutmeg, earth and restrained natural sweetness. There's little waiting for the cigar to find its footing—the concentration of the Corto brings the tobacco into focus almost from the first few draws while maintaining the composure expected of the Alma Fuerte name.
For experienced smokers, the appeal of the Robustus Corto is obvious. Short cigars expose weaknesses quickly; there's less length for a blend to settle down or correct itself. Here, the quality of Plasencia's aged tobacco does the work. Compact, concentrated and unmistakably Nicaraguan, the Robustus Corto delivers the pedigree of one of Plasencia's flagship blends when forty minutes with exceptional tobacco sounds considerably better than an hour with something ordinary.
