Tag Archives: Black Label Trading Company

News: Black Label Trading Co Announces Memento Mori

Still on vacation. This came through and I wanted to share. Posted from my phone as I’m traveling light. Looks like a cigar I’ll like! I imagine we’ll get them in Son’s!

 

Black Label Trading Company(BLTC) is releasing MEMENTO MORI in three vitolas to select retailers early next month. Memento Mori is is hand crafted at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.

 

MEMENTO MORI is symbolic of the inevitability of death and serves as a reminder tomorrow is not promised. Live life today.

 

“Memento Mori is exactly what you envision when you think of a Black Label Trading Co. cigar. From its appearance to its flavor profile, this cigar is all about the darkness. The Memento Mori started as a factory exclusive, and I loved it so much, I wanted to release it to the general public. The flavor profile is bold, rich, earthy, with notes of dried dark fruits and bitter cocoa. The retrohale brings the spice with white pepper, and cinnamon on the finish. Overall, this cigar is the perfect balance between strength and complexity,” says James Brown, creator of BLTC and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

 

MEMENTO MORI

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf

Binder: Ecuador Habano

Filler: Nicaraguan

Robusto – 5 x 50 (20 count) MSRP $11.00

Corona – 5.5 x 42 (20 count) MSRP $10.50

Lonsdale – 6.5 x 46 (20 count) MSRP $12.00

 

“Black Label Trading Company is redefining the standards for cigar making. With a less is more philosophy, Black Label Trading Co. creates handcrafted premium cigars of the utmost quality at their own factory in Nicaragua.”

 

For more information please visit OvejaNegraCigars.com. Consumers may search by zip code for retailers nearest them.

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Some ATL Cigars and a BLTC Event at Son’s Cigars

The title is out of order chronologically, but I felt compelled to put it in alphabetical order, regular readers will understand! Wednesday evening I went to Son’s Cigars to their Black Label Trading Company event where they were hosting James Brown, the owner of the company. You’ll notice that I’ve been frequenting Son’s as of late, it’s 8 miles from home, and while note the closest shop, certainly the nicest and has a great selection of cigars that I want to smoke. I’ve known Vince and Brian for a long time too, so I’m very comfortable there. I was surprised to find the lounge crowded, relatively. Considering it’s still only about 50% completed, there were about 25 or 30 people there, and several I talked to from out of town. I bought a few of the new Viaticum, and smoked the box pressed Lancero,  an absolutely delicious cigar with a high priming Ecuador Habano maduro wrapper. Burn and draw were exceptional and it was just perfect. I also bought the Toro and look forward to enjoying that as well. It’s bold and spicy and really quite a nice smoke. Last night I had a Royalty Robusto, one of their core line cigar that I had never had before. This has a Corojo wrapper that was very dark and oily. I smoked it late, after watching a movie, Papa Hemingway in Cuba, which I enjoyed. The cigar was bold, but not overly so. I was concerned that too strong a cigar late would cause me problems sleeping, but the cigar wasn’t an issue. It had rich flavors of dark fruits and cocoa. Delicious. Certainly a BLTC cigar I will revisit. I really haven’t come across an Oveja Negra cigar that I haven’t enjoyed, and the only reason I haven’t smoked a bunch of them has been a lack of steady supply, which has now changed. I’ll definitely be working my way through the portfolio. 

 

I recently received some cigars from the folks at ATL Cigars. While  doing some research on the brand, I come to find that ATL has something to do with Atlanta (and you really have to dig deep into Google to find anything ATL that doesn’t!), and the company is, indeed Atlanta based. I had a fortunate shortcut in my research in that the three owners of the brand were just on Cigar-Coop’s Primetime show, so I listened in my sleep and absorbed all the information through osmosis. I’m kidding, I didn’t do that. I’m only going to talk about the Libertad and Magic here, because I want to give the Good Trouble more attention.  The Libertad is made by Aganorsa, which, ironically, I had just smoked a couple of the Lunatics last week and enjoyed them. I was going to write an article about them, but I want to pick up a few more to enjoy first, because, as can happen, I got distracted while smoking the ones I had and didn’t take notes. I smoked this 5″ x 50 robusto before lunch yesterday. It has a Corojo wrapper and has a nice, woody, nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness. It’s a nice smoke and didn’t bother me early in the day. Strange things fascinate me. The menu line on their website, for instance. They have the cigars on the far right, instead of the left, as if they aren’t first thing that you’d be looking for on their site. I guess I’m weird, but when I’m parsing a site for info, I look left to right across the screen. Like I said, I’m weird and a bit of a nitpicker. Great cigar.

 

Speaking of a great cigar, the ATL Magic, is…Magical. First it’s a 6″ x 54 toro, we know this is the perfect size, right? It’s made at Tabacalera Pichardo and blended by Luciano Merielles. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Luciano yet, and I’ve only smoked a couple of his cigars, but by all accounts he’s a very nice man, and seems to be doing OK in the cigar blending department. If he doesn’t know what he’s doing, he know the right people who do. The cigar has a San Andrés wrapper, Pueblo Nuevo binder and Pueblo Nuevo, Esteli and Jalapa fillers. This Pueblo Nuevo tobacco must be the secret sauce, because there’s a distinctive and unusual flavor in this cigar, a totally yummy flavor, to use technical terms, that sets this cigar apart from any other cigar. There’s the rich, earthy cocoa from the Mexican wrapper, and the Jalapa sweetness, but then there’s a unique, exotic spice that’s super interesting and really excites the palate. Once in a while a cigar comes along like this, I remember another one but I can’t remember what it was! This is a great smoke. These guys are doing a great job for a small cigar company.

 

There was something else I was thinking of, but I can’t remember what it was. I suppose I can edit this post, or write another post if and when I remember it!  Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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Araposa and Providencia Speakeasy Cigars and Some Random Thoughts

Friday I posted the press release from Black Label Trading Company about the exclusive cigar that they were doing for Fox Cigars in Arizona. What should appear at my door on Saturday but a surprise box from Fox with a bundle of these cigars! I’ll be honest, I was planning to order some from them as soon as they became available anyway! Of course, Fox Cigars is an advertising partner here, but I still buy cigars from them, they are on my preferred vender list, they do a great job. I usually let cigars rest, but these came in a sealed bag with a Boveda, and I checked one with my trusty Humidimeter and it was 62% at the foot, right where I like to see a cigar, so I figured what the heck, I’m itching to smoke one of these! This is a 5½” x 54 box pressed barber pole cigar, with San Andrés and Ecuador Corojo wrappers, Ecuador Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers. For a “right off the truck” experience, this cigar burned perfectly, like a cigar that had been in my humidor for years. What a great cigar! The press release mentions “flavors of black cherry, anise and bitter cocoa”, I’ll give you the dark chocolate, and maybe a dark fruit, but I missed the anise, I’ll keep an eye out for that the next time.  If you’re a fan of Black Label Trading Co., keep an eye on Fox Cigars and snag some of these. James Brown is going to be at Son’s Cigars in my neighborhood on October 6th, I plan to get up there that night. By the way, “raposa” is Spanish for fox, Araposa must be a dialectal variation or something? 

 

A few weeks ago I smoked through a sampler of Providencia cigars, and had an issue with the Speakeasy, so I ordered another one from Underground Cigars, which is their main ecommerce partner. I was ordering some of the Essential, which I took a liking to, and added one on. Knowing that the first experience I had was an anomaly, as I had never had a Providencia cigar that wasn’t perfect in every way in construction, I needed to give it a second shot. Stuff happens. Of course, this one was perfect. This cigar is a long corona, I didn’t measure it, nor is there any information listed on the website, but it’s 6″ x probably 44 ring? it’s a nice size cigar. Close to a lonsdale, really. Again, I don’t know what the makeup of the cigar is, but it has a dark, oily wrapper, I do know it’s made at the Flor de San Luis factory in Esteli. It’s a fairly full bodied cigar, with rech, espresso flavors.  I had a sense with the fist sample I smoked that it was a good tasting cigar, which is what made me spend the money to smoke it again, and I was right, it was well worth it. I dug it. I may fire up one of the Essentials later if I can rebound from the Flu and Shingles vaccines I had yesterday that have left me feeling like crap today. 

 

I wanted to talk about something I read about yesterday that touched a nerve. Ministry of Cigars, which was a news/blog site based in Singapore was shut down. The site focused more on the International cigar scene, didn’t sell cigars, was a blog site like my own, or Halfwheel or Cigar-Coop, or a bunch of other sites. Apparently the owner actually had the Singapore authorities actually at his door, taking him in to whatever official offices deal with such things, and he could face fines for advertising cigars. He had to take down his site, of course. Naturally, in the US of A we say, “oh, that can’t happen to us, freedom of the press and all”, but watch it…we let things like this new oppressive tax go through, and this same sort of thing might be next. It may well be illegal for us to have ads on our sites, our content may be considered advertising, plain packaging, etc. Call your representatives, tell them you vote and you oppose this and it will put people out of business. At the very least go HERE and send an email. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig 

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News: Black Label Trading Company Announces ARAPOSA as a Fox Cigar Bar Exclusive

Here’s some Friday news from Black Label Trading Co.. I hope I’ll be able to get some of these from my friends at Fox Cigars, who I enjoy ordering from occasionally. They are one of a handful of companies I order from, and there aren’t a lot any more. I’ve found their service and selectition to be outstanding. This looks like a tasty cigar.

 

Black Label Trading Company (BLTC) is pleased to announce the release of ARAPOSA as a Fox Cigar Bar exclusive; hand crafted at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.”Araposa is dark, rich and extremely well balanced. This cigar has bold flavors and just the right amount of spice on the retrohale. The flavors of black cherry, anise and bitter cocoa let you know this is a Black Label cigar. The Nicaraguan fillers are topped with an Ecuadorian Habano binder and wrapped in both Mexican San Andrés and Ecuador Corojo,” says James Brown, creator of BLTC and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra. ARAPOSA will be available at Fox Cigar Bar in Arizona.

 

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: San Andrés and Ecuador Corojo

Binder: Ecuador Habano

Filler: Nicaraguan

Robusto – 5.5 x 54 Box Press (10 count pack)

 

 

About BLTC

Black Label Trading Company is redefining the standards for cigar making. With a less is more philosophy, Black Label Trading Co. creates handcrafted premium cigars of the utmost quality at their own factory in Nicaragua.” For more information, please contact the shop directly at foxcigarbar.com.

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News: Black Label Trading Company Releases Viaticum

Here’s another news item, this one from Black Label Trading.  This is one I haven’t smoked from them, which, honestly, isn’t saying a lot as there is a great deal of the BLTC stuff I haven’t sampled. I love what I do smoke, I just haven’t dug deep into the catalog for whatever reason. Not much excuse as a couple shops within 10 miles in a couple directions have a good selection. It’s something to work on…

 

Black Label Trading Company (BLTC) is releasing VIATICUM in three vitolas to select retailers this month.  Viaticum is hand crafted at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.

 

VIATICUM is a small batch release that was originally released in one vitola in 2019 to retailers who attended the PCA trade show.  This is the second and full release made available to all BLTC retailers.

 

“Viaticum is an evolution of the Last Rites blend and a testament to what Black Label Trading Co is all about.  It uses most of the same tobaccos but in different proportions and primings. It’s the perfect balance between strength and complexity.  This cigar is bold but also very refined.  It’s all about balance.  The dark fruit and earth flavors are wrapped in soft floral notes and elevated with a multitude of spice on the finish,” says James Brown, creator of BLTC and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

 

Viaticum

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Ecuador Maduro

Binder: Honduras Habano

Filler: Nicaraguan / Honduran

                 Robusto – 5 x 54 Box Press (20 count) MSRP $15.00

                 Toro – 6 x 48 Box Press (20 count) MSRP $15.25

                 Lancero – 6.75 x 40 Box Press (20 count) MSRP $15.50

 

“Black Label Trading Company is redefining the standards for cigar making. With a less is more philosophy, Black Label Trading Co. creates handcrafted premium cigars of the utmost quality at their own factory in Nicaragua.” 

 

For more information please visit OvejaNegraCigars.com.  Consumers may search by zip code for retailers nearest them.

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