My Favorite Cigar
Ed Reed • Football Hall of Famer
Plasencia Alma Fuerte Robustus I
“You gotta hit hard,” Ed Reed would tell his teammates on the Ravens. “They don’t want to be hit.” He used his five-foot-11, 205-pound body as a weapon. He used his mouth, too. People listen when it comes from arguably the greatest safety ever.
They also listen when they hear what the chief of staff of the Miami Hurricanes smokes, namely the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Robustus I and the Padrón Serie 1926 (natural wrapper). Reed displays a huge Plasencia he refers to as a “SEE-gar.” He began smoking cigars as a player at the “U,” where he was twice an All-American. “But back then, it wasn’t the good stuff,” he adds.
Reed samples others, and his versatility as a smoker mirrors his versatility as a player, which earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s the only NFL player ever to score touchdowns on a punt return, a blocked punt, an interception and a fumble recovery. His three blocked punts returned for touchdowns and nine postseason interceptions both tie for best ever. He was the first safety in 20 years named NFL Defensive Player of the Year and his 107-yard interception return is the longest ever. Versatile indeed.
