Tag Archives: Black Label Trading Company

News: Black Works Studio Showing Killer Bee Shaolin at 2022 PCA Show

 

Check out this news from BLTC. Some people may not know that I like bees, my wife has a couple thousand of them out in the yard. I get to help tend them once in a while. Luckily none are of the killer variety, although one stung me near the ear once and messed with my equilibrium for a few days! Anyway, I’ll try to find one of these when they come out, I’ll need a new source.

 

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) will be showcasing a new release at this year’s PCA in Las Vegas; KILLER BEE SHAOLIN.

 

SHAOLIN is a small batch release offered on a first-come, first-served basis to BLTCBLK WKS retailers attending PCA 2022. Shipping will commence later this summer.

 

“The Killer Bee line is in a constant state of evolution. It lends itself to a lot of different variations and the next one in line is the Shaolin. The Shaolin is a slightly tweaked version of the Killer Bee blend wrapped in a mix of Mexican San Andres, Connecticut, and Candela. The result is a bold but elegant cigar that has layers of complexity,” says James Brown, creator of BLTC/BLK WKS and partner at Fabrica OvejaNegra.

KILLER BEE SHAOLIN
 
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
 
Wrapper(s): Mexican San Andrés, Connecticut, Candela
 
Binder: Honduras Habano
 
Filler: Nicaraguan
 
Size: 5.5×46 Belicoso (24 count box) MSRP $13.50

These cigars are an expression of art showcasing the talent, technique and tobacco of our
boutique cigar factory; Fabrica Oveja Negra.  BLK WKS cigars are available for purchase through OvejaNegra Brands.  For more information visit OvejaNegraCigars.com.
 
Visit BLTC Booth #627 at this years PCA Tradeshow for more information.
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News: Black Works Studio Announces Hyena 2022 Release

News from the folks at Oveja Negra today. This sounds really good. I have had the Hyena before, I’ll have to get ahold of this one. Great sizes too!

 

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) ispleased to announce the 2nd release of Hyena: Hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica OvejaNegra.

 

HYENA is a Limited Edition that will be shipping toselect BLK WKS retailers this month.  It will also be available in Belgium and Germany.

 

“Hyena received a lot of hype in 2021 and this year’s release will be no different.  The 2022 Hyena is bold, spicy, very well balance and a touch more intense than last year’s release. A truly unique cigar that is focused on showcasing a perfect balance between Nicaraguan fillers and the Cameroon wrapper.  The profile is spice forward with white pepper & semi-sweet baking spices blended with herbal notes & cedar.

 

 

The finish is a blend of bitter cocoa, cream & malt.Hyena is an extremely complex and balanced cigarand is a tribute to my wife’s and my many years of living in Africa,” said James Brown, creator of BLTC & BLK WKS and owner at Fabrica Oveja Negra. 

 

HYENA

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Africa Cameroon​

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

 

Corona Gorda – 5 x 46 (20 count) MSRP $12.50

Lonsdale – 6.5×42 (20 count) MSRP $12.50

 

These cigars are an expression of art showcasing the talent, technique and tobacco of our boutique cigar factory; Fabrica Oveja Negra. BLK WKS cigars are available for purchase through Oveja Negra Brands. For more information visit OvejaNegraCigars.com 

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Upmann, CAO and Black Label Trading Co. Cigars and a Rant

 

There seem to be few cigars in Altadis portfolio that fit my preferences. I probably say this every time I post about an Altadis cigar, and it probably doesn’t endear me to the marketing folks there! I do have some friends there that are aware of my feelings. I keep trying though. There are exceptions, and I can pretty much count on enjoying anything Altadis produces in conjunction with A.J. Fernandez. I smoked the z Nicaragua Heritage by A.J. Fernandez in the Toro size this week and was pretty surprised.  This is a 6″ x 54 toro with a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper. The binder and fillers are all Nicaraguan tobaccos grown by A.J. Fernandez. I found this to be a powerhouse cigar, much stronger than I expected. I likened to to the Gispert Intenso. I personally liked it a lot, but I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who enjoys the original H. Upmann by A.J. (which I also enjoy!). It’s a totally different cigar, the difference between a Latte and an espresso, I would imagine.

 

I’ve had the occasion to smoke a couple of the new CAO Pilón Ańejo cigars over the past couple weeks, and the one I smoked yesterday was fairly impressive. The first one I smoked maybe wasn’t rested sufficiently from it’s travels. This 5½” x 54 robusto has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper. The blend is rich and savory, consisting of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers,  a Honduran Habano binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. Curiously, this is a different blend than the original Pilón, which has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan binder. That kind of blows my plan of doing a back to back comparison between the two! I like Sumatra wrapped cigars, so this one works for me. It was a good, smooth cigar without any problems. I found it to be enjoyable, pleasing woody flavors without much sweetness. A good cigar. I may still pull out a Pilón from the original release and see how it stack up against this one, just for kicks. 

 

OK, here’s my rant of the week. I know it’s Easter Sunday, and happy Easter and passover for those of you who celebrate. Earlier this week the CRA posted this meme, and the subsequent apology, on their Facebook page, and it caused a bit of a kerfuffle.

There were those who defended it, thought it was funny, etc. While it might be funny in a Facebook group that is predominantly a men’s social group, it’s not the kind of thing I believe the folks at Cigar Rights of America should be devoting their resources to. Let’s set aside the misogynistic nature of the meme, make no mistake, the divisiveness of the message was no small part of the backlash that this caused. I take issue with the fact that I’m paying the CRA to advocate on behalf of the cigar industry, and I have been since 2009. It’ not a lot of money, but the point is that our money isn’t to pay for an entertaining Facebook group. Whoever is running things there, and I don’t think that’s clear since Glynn Loope left, should be posting legislative updates up the page, not funnies. The CRA complains about membership and wants to be taken seriously and fails to set a good example of why they should be in a public forum. I hold them to a higher standard. I think their apology missed this point. Anyway, that got my hackles up this week!

 

Last night I went over to Son’s Cigars where James and Angela Brown (and Levi) from Black Label Trading Co. were there holding an event. This was possibly the biggest event at the shop since they opened last summer. Angela Brown is rarely at events, and I had only met her at an IPCPR show several years ago, so it was nice to see her again. there was a contingent there from Mane Street Cigars in Woodbridge, NJ for the event, and I’ve known Alex, who manages the shop, for many years (here’s the story of when I met Alex). I selected and smoked a Lawless Churchill, 7″ x 48 (close enough), with an Ecuador Habano Rosado wrapper and Nicaraguan Binder and fillers. This was a delicious cigar, it’s really right in my wheelhouse. It has rich, dark fruit and cocoa flavors. I must grab a handful next week when I’m back at the shop. It might be one of my favorites in the line. Lovely cigar, lovely people, good times. 

 

That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

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Smoking Some Black Label Trading Co. Gordos

Friday evening I picked up a selection of Black Label Trading Company cigars in the 6″ x 60 size. I actually don’t mind the 6″ x 60 format, it’s not my go-to, but I don’t shy away from it. I think if it’s done right, buy the right maker, it works, and if it fits into the time I have, it’s perfect. This five-pack of cigars had been sitting in a display of samplers on the counter at Son’s for quite a while, and it intrigued me, so I sprung for it. I smoked four out of the five, the Lawless will have to wait for another time. I started with the Emilio Cavatina on a fresh palate. I never smoked the original Cavatina, although I smoked a lot of the other original Emilios, and still have a couple AF1 and 2, Grimalkin, etc. in the humidor that are going on ten years old. This Cavatina was a delicious cigar. It has an Ecuador Maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan fillers. It had some nice cocoa and sweetness with a little spice. Thoroughly enjoyable. I’m certainly going to try other sizes.

 

Later in the evening I lit up the Last Rites. I’m not sure if I’ve smoked this line in the past or not, I know I’ve smoked the Viaticum, but that’s different, and this was the first time I’ve smoked anything from BLTC in 6 ring gauge. The Last Rites seems to have a similar wrapper to the Emilio, Ecuador Maduro, with a Honduran binder and a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. As this was my second cigar of the evening, and I was doing some other things, it was hard to put too fine a point on tasting notes, but I never do anyway. It was a great cigar. Very full flavored and earthy, along with the coffee/cocoa flavors I like. Right up my alley. I could have squeezed three gordos into my 6 hour shift, but I really didn’t want to. I like to rest a little in between cigars. 

 

Saturday afternoon I went with the Royalty. This one has an Ecuador Corojo wrapper, Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers. Now, this cigar has a lighter wrapper than the others, not as light as a shade grown wrapper. The Royalty has a brighter flavor than the other cigars represented here. It still has the full flavors of coffee and spice,  but maybe with a little cream and sugar to take the edge off. I really enjoyed smoking this cigar on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. This is another cigar I’ll try in a toro or robusto. 

 

Last night I went back to the darker wrappers, and smoked the Salvation.  This 6″ x 60 has what they call an Ecuadoran Sungrown wrapper, Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers. Ecuadoran Sungrown confuses me a little, because I thought the whole appeal of growing in Ecuador was the frequent cloud cover that replicates growing under cheesecloth, or shade, reducing the labor costs. This was another cigar that suits my palate well, it’s dark, rich and heavy on the espresso and spice. I may smoke the Lawless today, or I may put it away for another day, probably the latter, but I have some general observations about this little experiment of mine. First, like I said, I don’t have a problem with 6″ x 60s, and these didn’t seem to compromise any thing for flavor or construction. All burned perfectly and had a good draw. My go-to remains a Toro. I find a general consistency in a lot of the BLTC cigars, probably because my palate lacks the sophistication to pick up subtle differences, but I think a lot of their dark cigars taste very much the same to me. that being said, I really like that taste, so I’m very happy with everything I smoke with a BLTC or Black Works band, I just don’t have to worry too much about what I grab! Makes life a little easier for me I guess. Gives me something to work on, and since I have a broad range available to me I’ll work my way through. Great cigars, nice people, I like.

 

That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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News: Black Works Studio Announces Tiger Series Cigars

Here’s some news from the folks at Black Works Studio/Black Label Trading Co.  I’m going to have to scrounge through the humidor to find something from BLTC to smoke tonight. I look forward to getting ahold of some of these cigars, I know there’s a BLTC event coming to Son’s in the next couple months, and I’m a sucker for fancy cigars.  

 

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is pleased to announce the release of its Tiger Series; NEON TIGER, TIGER LILY and KHAN: Hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

 

 

These will be available at select BLK WKS retailer events beginning this month. 

 

“Given it’s the Year of the Tiger we wanted to release our Tiger Series in the US. These have previously only been available in Europe and as Factory Exclusives since 2017. These cigars will be released as event only boxes in very limited quantities. I wanted to offer something special for our retailers who support us with events,” said James Brown, creator of BLTC & BLK WKS and owner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

 

NEON TIGER

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Candela, Connecticut and Ecuador Maduro 

Binder: Ecuador Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

Robusto – 5 x 48 (13 count) MSRP $18.00

 

KHAN

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Ecuador Maduro, Candela and Connecticut

Binger: Ecuador Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

Robusto – 5 x 50 (13 count) MSRP $18.00

 

TIGER LILY

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Connecticut, Candela and Ecuador Maduro

Binger: Ecuador Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

Toro – 6 x 48 (13 count) MSRP $18.00

 

These cigars are an expression of art showcasing the talent, technique and tobacco behind our boutique cigar factory; Fabrica Oveja Negra. BLK WKS cigars are available for purchase through Oveja Negra Brands. For more information visit OvejaNegraCigars.com.

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