Tag Archives: Black Works Studio

by Craig Vanderslice | August 20, 2023 · 9:15 am

La Unica, Partagas and Black Works Studios Cigars

I’ve had a handful of these enormous La Unica No. 100 cigars in the humidor for a few months and have only had a few occasions to smoke them come up. This is an 8½” x 52 double corona made at Tabacalera Fuente for J.C. Newman. Back in the ’90s La Unica was the first premium cigar that was sold in a bundle, it’s since been moved to boxes, more befitting the quality of the cigars. I generally lean toward heavier cigars, but this Connecticut shade wrapped cigar is really quite good. It’s smooth and creamy, and actually burns a little bit faster than one might think, sadly, I clocked in around two and a quarter hours with it, which worked fine for my schedule. It was creamy and nutty, and I enjoyed it. These are also available in a Connecticut Broadleaf, which are also very good, and something I want to revisit, it’s been years!

I was surprised with a package of samples from STG this week and felt compelled to smoke one of the Partagas Valle Verde Toros right out of the box. Of course, this can be a risky proposition, but that’s what the Cigarmedics Humidimeter is for! This Partagas is a bit of an odd duck, it has a green band, a San Andrés wrapper, some San Andrés in the filler along with Nicaraguan, and a Cameroon binder. It’s also made in the HATSA factory, which is in Honduras, which seems to be another oddity for a Partagas, which is normally made in the DR. I’ve long been a fan of the Partagas line, they have been second only to Fuente in their mastery of Cameroon, and their Broadleaf Partagas Black ain’t bad either. This Valle Verde was really quite good in my estimation. It hit all my preferred flavor receptors. I got the earthy black coffee from the Mexican, the sweet nuts from the Cameroon and some sweet spice from the Esteli Ligero. I’ll be shocked and amazed of this isn’t my favorite out of the batch of samples, I hope I’m not disappointed! More on those in future posts. I would urge sampling the Partagas Valle Verde if you enjoy the same kinds of cigars I enjoy!

Remember last week (I think, maybe the week before) when I said that I really like Black Label Trading Company‘s cigars, but I find that they all kind of hit me the same? I clearly haven’t smoked enough of them, because I smoked the new Black Works Studio Poison Dart Corona Gorda yesterday and it was clearly on another level. Now, I get that the Studio does some different stuff than the regular line. The Poison Dart just came out at the July trade show, and Famous Smoke Shop had them when I was there recently so I grabbed one. This is a 5½” x 46 corona gorda with a pointy cap, a Brazilian Matafina wrapper, Ecuador Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers. This cigar had a rich, mouth-coating kinda thing going on, almost licoricy, or maybe meaty, or some weird combo of the two. It was delicious and was good for ninety minutes or so of afternoon enjoyment. Lots of cocoa, coffee and spice, not unlike a lot of the BLTC cigars, but more intense. I liked it a lot.

That’s about it for today. I am smoking a Buffalo Ten Connecticut while writing, a perfectly acceptable cigar with coffee, actually quite good. I keep saying I don’t lean toward shade cigars, but I really quite enjoy them when I smoke them. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Black Label Trading Company, Black Works Studio, cigar, cigars, J.C.Newman, La Unica, No. 100, Partagas, Poison Dart, Valle Verde

by Craig Vanderslice | June 8, 2022 · 9:18 am

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 year’s PCA Tradeshow for more information.

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Tagged as Black Label Trading Company, Black Works Studio, cigar, cigars, Killer Bee, Shaolin

by Craig Vanderslice | May 3, 2022 · 12:30 pm

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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Tagged as Black Label Trading Company, Black Works Studio, cigar, cigars, HYENA

by Craig Vanderslice | April 17, 2022 · 9:42 am

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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Tagged as A.J. Fernandez, Añejo, Black Label Trading Company, Black Works Studio, CAO, cigar, Cigar Rights of America, cigars, CRA, H.Upmann, Lawless, Oveja Negra, Pilon

by Craig Vanderslice | March 13, 2022 · 10:55 am

Memento Mori and CHC Serie E Cigars and a Short Rant

Friday evening I got back to working at Son’s after a two week hiatus, and the new Memento Mori from Black Works Studio had just come in. Of course, I had to sample one, so I selected the Lonsdale. This cigar has a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper, Ecuador Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers and starts out smacking you on the face with a load of pepper. This is a fairly heavy cigar, it’s rich, decadent, and loaded with flavor. I think it’s quintessentially Black Label, if that makes sense. I really like this cigar. I’ll certainly be picking up some more of these, they hit my palate just right, although I wouldn’t recommend smoking one on an empty stomach! One of my goals working at Son’s is to smoke more BLTC cigars, since they have a large selection and a great relationship with the company.

I had a whole Op-Ed piece written on the “responsible marketing” stuff that’s been in the cigar news lately, actually it was fairly short. I’ll summarize it here. I think , probably cynically, that the government doesn’t really care about cigars, they just want to see tobacco eradicated. To the brand owners who insist on “having fun” with their marketing by using names and images that could maybe in some way appeal to a child, think about all the people that will be displaced when the government shuts down the industry for a minute. When manufacturers family legacies are destroyed, and their employees families are starving, you can think of all the fun you had selling childishly branded cigars. That will be a pretty cool feeling, I imagine. Not really. By the way, I think “Self Regulation” means be responsible adults and do the right thing, not that there’s going to be a cigar industry rulemaking committee with Jorge Pardón, Carlito Fuente and Pepin Garcia sitting around telling everyone what to do. Let’s resist the urge to draw attention to ourselves, maintain the traditions of this 500 year old art form and not say f*ck the FDA every chance we get, or they are going to f*ck the cigar industry.

Another cigar I picked up was the Crowned Heads CHC Serie E Hermoso No. 2. While I have not typically been enamoured with Crowned heads cigars, or marketing (tho not irresponsible), I have been impressed with cigars made by Tabacalera Pichardo, so I thought I’d give this one a try. This is the cigar with the Eddie Van Halen theme on the band and box, the E in the name stands for Eruption, one of Van Halen’s famous guitar solos. I’m a musician, I’ve never made the connection between cigar flavors and music, but good for Jon Huber for conceptualizing cigars in that manner. Some people smoke in color too. This cigar has an Ecuador Habano oscuro wrapper, a binder from Jalapa, and fillers from Jalapa, ometepe and Pueblo Nuevo. They say where the tobacco is grown, but not the varietal. Pichardo likes using the Pueblo Nuevo tobacco, perhaps that’s a common denominator in cigars I like from that factory. I found this cigar to be thoroughly enjoyable, even delicious. There’s a sweetness, like warm breakfast rolls of some sort, along with some leather and spice. Despite not liking a lot of what Crowned Heads does (even though I like Miguel Schoedel!), I really liked this one.