Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf USA
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan, Pennsylvania
Size: 5.5 x 50 Corona Gorda Box Pressed
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $12.50
This cigar has had two months of naked humidor time.
I’m trusting my luck that this should be plenty of time to taste blender’s intent. It’s now or never. (Elvis has left the building).
The 10th anniversary cigar has no info on the BLTC website other than leaf stats and sizes. If this cigar had some nicely aged tobacco, something would have been said in the press release. This is a roll of the dice. Either the price is extraordinarily fair, or this is just an average cigar. I did try a couple early on and they were hound dogs.
BACKGROUND:
900 boxes each of four sizes released.
Price per cigar ranges from $11.00-$13.00
“La Madonna Negra is a culmination of things I’ve learned over the last decade of cigar making. It’s a cigar that not only represents Black Label but also represents who I am today as a cigar maker. It’s bold, as a BLTC cigar should be but, it’s also very refined and elegant. It has layers of complexity and a very unique profile. A mixture of different spice elements combines with aromatic floral notes to create something unexpected. I’m very proud of the result,” said James Brown, creator of Black Label Trading Co. and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.”
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Aromas are crazy…blackberry preserves, muy dark chocolate, an array of spices, very light BBQ sauce, cedar, vanilla, and Mallomars.
I get no air. Call Lloyd Bridges. I grab my PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool and begin slitting the cigar’s throat. After a couple insertions, the pathway is clear, and I can proceed.
The cigar dangles and the flavor of dark chocolate and blackberry jelly gives me a case of snizzles.
First up are creamy chocolate notes with black pepper. The aromas were better.
Apparently, the cigar healed itself as the draw closes. I use my PerfecDraw a couple more times and it delivers huge chunks of detritus from the stick and things are better.
Complexity is minimal. I knew it. Aged tobacco was not used. At this early juncture, the cigar tastes like it was rolled, allowed to rest for 6 weeks, cellophane adorned, and put in boxes for sale. Pretty much standard operating procedure.
I’d think for a big anniversary cigar that BLTC should have found some incredible tobacco that had years on it. Instead, the cigar has unexciting leaf stats, so the heavy lifting is placed on the shoulders of the smoker to allow the cigar to lay comatose for 6-7 months. The price reflects this. I’m not a big Broadleaf fan. And Habano is not my favorite spice. I think BLTC foisted their preferences on us instead of being inventive.
The cigar is OK. I expected more.
Construction is fine…now. The burn is hanging in.
I should have seen a kapow to the kisser to head me in the right direction of assessing this stick. Instead, this cigar is not ready to smoke with 2 months of humi time. Either that, or you need a Marvel Comics superhero palate.
Killing time now waiting for something to happen. Yes, an old man story…I read in the latest AARP magazine a story about Jeff Bridges. He is the same age as me and suffered from cancer and Covid at the same time. He thought he was going to die.
He also bemoaned the loss of so many friends his age, not to Covid, but to illnesses. The same thing I mention too frequently.
I met Bridges in 1960. I was on a DC3 from San Francisco to Long Beach. There couldn’t have been 5 people on the plane…but Jeff’s dad was one of the passengers…Lloyd Bridges. Mr. “Sea Hunt.” I got up the nerve to grab an airplane photo postcard and ask Mr. Bridges for his autograph. He asked my name and began to write. He was very gracious.
I got back to my seat, and it said, “Hi Bill…Nice to be on the same plane with you. Lloyd Bridges.”
I was devastated. DC3’s are prop planes and sound like a roaring train inside. He didn’t hear me correctly through the din. I didn’t have the nerve to go back. We landed and his family was waiting. Bridges introduced my dad and I to his whole family. 10-year-olds Jeff and Phil shook hands, and then we all went on our way. And oh yes, none of my friends believed my story and thought the autograph was something I found.
The blend improved while it sat sulking during my tome about Jeff Bridges. A nice sweetness shows up. Some richness appears from behind the curtain. There ain’t nothing about this cigar that says flavor bomb.
Strength is medium/full.
As a reviewer, you have two choices…review the cigar while its limited-edition exposure allows for smokers to still have the chance to snag some, or not. Or to wait until the cigars are long gone from the shelves and the reviewer is merely writing a eulogy. It’s a 50/50 conundrum.
An inch in and the sun rises over Tokyo. I begin to observe a hint of blender’s intent. It is a hopeful sign. But a finger swagger says I should have waited and written the eulogy.
BLTC had 10 years to prepare for this cigar. Youda’ thunk they would have prepared for this blend. There is nothing about it that screams “Look at me! I’m special.” It could be confused with any number of their blends…and some are not very special.
I do think that if you allow this cigar to sit naked in the corner of your humidor for 6+ months, the cigar has an excellent chance of becoming a very good cigar.
I lucked out and there are no burn issues with this box pressed candy bar. The ash is sturdier than a steel beam and hangs in suspension…waiting for the opportunity to dislodge with a direct line to my nuts.
Jimi. “All Along the Watchtower.” Always puts me in a better mood.
Watched the 1978 concert film, “The Last Waltz” again yesterday. In every interview of the band members, they were so stoned…Martin Scorsese never suggested some Visine for the shots. Still, a classic concert.
The cigar is packed to the hilt. A slow roll. So, it has that going for it.
Creaminess, dark chocolate, blackberries, malt, black pepper, A-1 Sauce, and just a scoche of baking spices.
I have had to re-light the cigar several times. But my nuts are safe.
This summer’s humidity has made it very difficult to dry box my cigars.
Sips of water have no influence.
Should have waited. I’m sure that future reviews will love this cigar.
The blend feels abandoned by its Dr. Frankenstein creator. This is why I never trust Black Label to score a goal with every cigar release. They are just one of those brands that are highly inconsistent. You never know what you’re going to get. A box of chocolates would be nice.
As there are no sudden jerks towards stardom, I shall take a break and suffer this one out till I have something nice to say.
The blend is linear. (I know I promised to say something nice).
Unfortunately, two months was not a good time to smoke this cigar. Not a bad cigar. It showed promise. I’m disappointed that BLTC didn’t pick better leaves. I am going to project that with elongated humidor time, the cigar will come across much better than it did in this review. The price is fair and worth a shot at a fiver.
All four of my sponsors have this cigar in stock. Small Batch Cigar (10% off with promo code ‘katman’), Luxury Cigar Club (15% off with promo code ‘katman’), Atlantic Cigar (no promo code), and Cigar Page (no promo code).
RATING: 89
Discover more from Cigar Reviews by the Katman
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
