Plasencia’s El Año de la Cabra: The Year of the Goat Cigar Is the Zodiac Series’ First Made in Honduras
The Lunar New Year is still more than three months away, but Plasencia has already shown us its next zodiac cigar. El Año de la Cabra (Year of the Goat) is the company’s 2027 Chinese Zodiac release. It’s a 6¼ x 60 perfecto with a new twist for the series: it’s the first one made in Honduras.
Here’s what Plasencia announced, what the trade press confirmed, and where this cigar fits in a series that collectors now look for every year.
The Cigar: Specs at a Glance
According to Plasencia’s press release, as published by Cigar Dojo, El Año de la Cabra is the seventh annual release in Plasencia’s Chinese Zodiac series. Both halfwheel and Cigar Coop report the same numbers.
- Size: 6¼ x 60 Perfecto Figurado (one size only)
- Wrapper: Honduran, grown in the Azacualpa region of Olancho
- Binder: Honduran, from the Jamastrán Valley
- Filler: Honduran (Jamastrán Valley) and organically grown Nicaraguan tobacco from Estelí
- Factory: Plasencia’s factory in Danlí, Honduras
- Production: 6,000 individually numbered boxes of 10, or 60,000 cigars worldwide
- MSRP: $60 per cigar, $600 per box
- Expected shipping: early December 2026, per halfwheel
Plasencia describes the flavor as moving from toasted oak and espresso into dark chocolate, raisins and earthy notes, then finishing with walnut, cinnamon, clove and a lingering toasted sweetness. The release doesn’t give a strength rating, so we won’t guess at one. We’ll tell you how it smokes once we’ve actually had one.
Why Honduras Matters This Year
The biggest change is where the cigar is made. halfwheel points out that every earlier Plasencia Lunar New Year cigar was rolled at the company’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Goat moves production to Danlí, Honduras, and builds the blend mostly on Honduran leaf, with organic Nicaraguan filler mixed in. Plasencia says it’s the only premium cigar house growing certified organic tobacco.
Danlí and the Jamastrán Valley have been getting a lot of attention lately. They’re on the itinerary for Honduras’ first cigar festival, which we covered in our post on La Gran Cata 2027. A zodiac cigar from that region fits right in.
“With El Año de la Cabra, we wanted to create a cigar that honors that philosophy, bringing together the character of our Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos in an expression that is both distinctive and deeply rooted in the land,” said Néstor Andrés Plasencia, fifth generation of the family.
The Shape: A Big Perfecto
A perfecto is a figurado, so it has a tapered head, a swollen body and usually a narrower foot. At a 60 ring gauge at its widest point, this is a hefty one. Shapes like this take a lot of skill to roll, and the taper changes how the smoke builds as the cigar burns. If you want a refresher on tapered shapes, our guide to figurados walks through the main ones.
The Box: Red, Gold and Made for Gifting
As with past editions, the presentation is half the story. The cigars come in a red lacquered wooden box with gold detailing and patterns inspired by the curves of a goat’s horns. The design takes its cue from the hóngbāo, the traditional Chinese red envelope. Inside, each cigar has its own small gift box, a nod to the Lunar New Year tradition of sharing good fortune. halfwheel describes these as cardboard sleeves for gifting cigars one at a time.
“Our Chinese Zodiac collection has become an opportunity to express Plasencia’s creativity and innovation while celebrating traditions that resonate with cigar enthusiasts around the world,” said Plasencia CEO Ed Bello.
A Look Back at Plasencia’s Zodiac Series
Plasencia started the series with the Year of the Ox in 2021 and has released one every year since. Here’s the history, based on halfwheel’s release list:
- Year of the Ox (7 x 58), February 2021: 2,500 boxes of 8
- Year of the Tiger (6¼ x 54), January 2022: 6,250 boxes of 8
- Year of the Rabbit (6½ x 54), January 2023: 6,000 boxes of 10
- Year of the Dragon (6½ x 54), February 2024: 3,000 boxes of 10
- El Año de la Culebra (Year of the Snake), December 2024: 6,000 boxes, each with eight 7 x 40 lanceros and two culebras
- El Año del Caballo (Year of the Horse, 7 x 58), October 2025: 6,000 boxes of 10
- El Año de la Cabra (Year of the Goat, 6¼ x 60), expected December 2026: 6,000 boxes of 10
We covered the Year of the Dragon release back in 2024, and it’s fun to see how the series has changed since. Recent editions have moved to Spanish names and bolder shapes, from the Snake’s lanceros and culebras to this year’s perfecto.
What Collectors Should Know
- Same production as last year. At 6,000 boxes of 10, or 60,000 cigars, the Goat matches the totals for the Rabbit, the Snake and the Horse, which ties it for the largest run in the series so far.
- A small price step. Cigar Dojo notes that the Year of the Horse was $59 per cigar and $590 per box, so the Goat is a dollar more per cigar.
- Numbered boxes. Every box is individually numbered, which collectors of the series tend to care about.
- Timing. halfwheel expects shipping in early December. Chinese New Year 2027 falls on February 6, which starts the Year of the Goat. The press release doesn’t say how the cigars will be distributed, so availability will likely vary from shop to shop.
- A new direction. As the first Honduran-made cigar in the series, this one is a real change of pace, so it’s worth noting if you’ve followed the earlier Nicaraguan editions.
For The Cigar Guys, the zodiac series is one of the more fun traditions in the industry. It mixes cultural celebration, eye-catching packaging and a cigar that changes every year. A Honduran perfecto is a bold choice for edition number seven, and we’re curious how those Azacualpa and Jamastrán tobaccos show up in the final blend.
Sources: Cigar Dojo: Plasencia Unveils El Año de la Cabra · halfwheel: Plasencia El Año de la Cabra Slated for December · Cigar Coop: Plasencia El Año de la Cabra (Year of the Goat) Set to Debut
