The Good Stuff:

After being skipped over in 2021, Black Label Trading Co. has released this year’s version of the Morphine. This year’s morphine features two different wrapper variations. This specific format, the Robusto Torpedo features a dual wrapper consistent over Mexican San Andres and Ecuadorian Maduro while the other two formats in the line use only the San Andres. All three sizes utilize binder and fillers from Nicaragua. Crated at their Oveja Negra facility in Nicaragua, the 2022 Morphine is offered in 3 sizes: Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 48), Lancero (7 1/4 x 42), and Box Pressed Robusto Torpedo (5 x 54). Each come packaged in boxes of 20 ranging between $11 and $12 per stick at only 800 boxes of each being produced. Big thanks to my boy Jake for hooking it up with a handful of these.

• Size: 5 x 54
• Wrapper: Mexican San Andres / Ecuadorian Maduro
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Body: Full
• Strength: Full
• Price: $11.50
• Pairing: The Bruery All the Cows (Imperial Stout 13.2% ABV)

Prelight:

The Black Label Trading Co. Morphine starts out with a very deep, very consistent, very dark brown wrapper. Laced in between the dark brown wrapper is a sliver of what looks like a whale lighter wrapper. In a few of the sticks I have the sliver is very visible, while in another it’s the exact same color. The wrapper’s texture is both very toothy and very oily. The wrapper itself feel decently dense while the cigar as a whole gives very little when pressed between my fingers. The short, stubby, soft-box pressed body showcases only minor veining as it leads up to the cigar’s tapered torpedo cap. The cigar is finished off with the standard Morphine black and white band we’ve seen for quite some time as well as a secondary black and white foot band with the “Morphine” logo printed across the front.

The Black Label Trading Co. Morphine’s wrapper gives off little more than just cashew and espresso aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more oaky, spicy, and carries bold natural tobacco aromas. The cold draw produces notes of caramel, cherry, spice and tobacco.

First Third:

The Black Label Trading Co. Morphine starts out with a mild black pepper punch with fades extremely quickly allowing the cigar to release bolder espresso, dark chocolate, dark berry, spice, and cedar flavors. I may be reaching but it almost tastes like a nice root-beer type mixture of flavors. As I continue to smoke on the root-beer becomes more and more prevalent. The draw is absolutely perfect as each puff kicks out a great amount of thick, white smoke which really sticks around for a while before dissipating while the cigar just pours out stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white and light gray ash which held on for almost an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Black Label Trading Co. Morphine and things start to level out a bit here. The flavor profile is now lead by a creamy espresso and dark chocolate over lighter notes of spice, cedar and berry. That crazy root-beer mixture has started to fade away quite a bit now however when I retrohale the cigar it comes back pretty hard. I close out the second third with a decent little nicotine kick already.

Finish:

Man, this cigar just takes off in the final third! The Black Label Trading Co. Morphine is kicking out tons of black cherry and creamy espresso now over bold dark chocolate and lighter notes of spice, cedar, pecan, and a really nice anise. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke this stubby little guy down the nub and I loved every second of it. I experienced no harshness nor any extended heat. Just a warning though, this little cigar did hit me with a pretty big nicotine punch.

Overview:

I have always been a big fan of the Morphine ever since it first came out (shout out to my boy Drew for turning me onto them). While I don’t smoke every year’s version, I smoke enough to know that this year’s blend is something special. It offers the same bold experience you’d expect however the flavors seem both more refined and more complex. I also really love the box pressed torpedo robusto format. This is going to go fast, and is probably already sold out basically everywhere, but if you stumble into any then this is easily a box-worthy purchase.

Pairing:

The Bruery’s All the Cows is a bourbon barrel aged imperial milk stout brewed with Madagascar Vanilla beans. Coming in at 13.2% ABV the beer leads with dark chocolate, sweet malt, cinnamon, vanilla, and a nice little bourbon kick with a very heavy and sticky mouthfeel before finishing with toffee, dark chocolate, sweet malt, vanilla, and even a touch of caramel. This isn’t an overly complex beer and it doesn’t need to be. The sweetness really paired well with the drier Black Label Trading Co. Morphine pushing the experience forward creating a more balance profile for both parties involved.

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The Good Stuff:

Originally released in 2016 the Black Label Trading Co’s Bishop’s Blend has finally started to see a bit more circulation as of late. The blend which James Brown, founder of the company claimed as a blend with a very rich, and intense flavor profile starts with an Ecuadorian Maduro wrapper, Ecuadorian Habano binder, and Connecticut Broadleaf, Nicaraguan, and Pennsylvanian Broadleaf filler tobaccos. Created at the Fabrica Oveja Negra factory in Nicaragua the blend is offered in two sizes: the Robusto (5 x 48), and the Corona Larga ( 6 1/4 x 46). Each size comes packaged in boxes of 20 running either $9.50 or $10 a stick respectively. From my understanding the initial release was slotted for only 150 boxes of each being produced. Since these are still found on shelves, albeit scarcely, I am unsure of that production was amped up post-release. I purchased a handful of these from.. somewhere. It’s been so long I can’t even remember. Big shout out to wherever it was though

Size: 6 1/4 x 46
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Maduro
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Connecticut Broadleaf, Nicaraguan, and Pennsylvanian Broadleaf
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $10
Pairing: Deschutes Rye Whiskey Barrel The Abyss 2015 (13.3% ABV)

Prelight:

Black Label Trading Co’s Bishop’s Blend starts out with a gorgeous deep, dark brown wrapper which is almost as close to black as you can get, while still being brown. The color is very consistent from cap to foot. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself carrying very mild veins, soft webbing, light tooth, and a whole mess of oils. The cigar feels very firm, and very hard while the wrapper of the cigar feels very dense and manageable as it leads up to the round, tapered, sharp cap. The cigar is then polished off with an awesome Black and Red Black Label crest on the band, along with a matching foot band that simply states “Bishops Blend”.

The wrapper on Black Label Trading Co’s Bishop’s Blend gives off some great musk, grape, and spice aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more modest giving off only a small amount of spice and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some great musk, leather, dirty earthiness, spice, and natural flavors. 

First Third:

Black Label Trading Co’s Bishop’s Blend starts out with a nice, expected cayenne pepper blast which lights up my mouth through the first few puffs. After a while the pepper fades and I am left with a whole mess of raisin, musk, brown sugar sweetness, spice, dark chocolate, coriander, oak, and natural tobacco flavors. This is a hell of a way to start off a cigar. Although the cigar is wrapped rocks hard tight, the draw is flawless as each puff kicks out a great amount of thick, white smoke which hangs around only second before dissipating while the cigar itself releases only trace amounts of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line has some soft waves to it, but nothing too concerning as it leaves behind a trail of slightly compacted medium to light gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray. 

Second Third:

Into the second third of Black Label Trading Co’s Bishop’s Blend and there brown sugar sweetness I picked up earlier has now transitioned over to a full-force vanilla which is leading the charge along with the musk flavors backed by raisin, spice, dark chocolate and oak with a few reminding aftertastes of natural, earthy, tobacco. The retrohale really brings out the spice and oak. The burn line is still slightly wavy but with no real issues and I close out the second third with a soft little nicotine kick already.

Finish:

In the final third of Black Label Trading Co’s Bishop’s Blend the flavor profile took a turn into more of a toasty, dark chocolate lead profile backed by soft vanilla, spice, lots of oak and musk and just a dash of raisin and sweetness. It took me almost two full hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I experienced very little nicotine, no extended heat, nor did I ever had to touch up or relight the cigar.

Overview:

It’s not just Texas love ya’ll, Black Label Trading Co. has produced some of the greatest blends in the recent years and the cigar community has quickly grown to appreciate and embrace the boutique brand. I have been high on their blends for a few years now and Bishops Blend has made it’s way into one of my favorite blends they have made to date. My only issue is how hard it is to find. The construction is flawless, the experience is memorable and the flavor profile is complex an right on key with my own personal preference. I love how bold it was without being over the top, or over powering. The price point is perfect and this cigar would easily make its way into my regular rotation if it was easier to acquire. 

Pairing:

Brewed by Deschutes brewing in Bend, Oregon the Abyss variants have repeatedly found their way into my reviews throughout the year. They are one of my favorite beers the company makes and consistently pair well with bolder cigars. The beer is an imperial stout brewed with Molasses, licorice, vanilla beans and cherry bark. This particular variant is aged in Rye Whiskey barrels. The beer leads with massive amounts of sweetness, vanilla, oak, dark chocolate, and malt with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with even more sweetness and vanilla, musk, malt, dark chocolate, coffee, and just a dash of rye whiskey. This sticky mixture fo flavors is almost identical to the existing flavors present in Black Label Trading Co’s Bishop’s Blend and made for one of the best pairings I have had in such a long time. The most impressive part of the pairing is that both the cigar and beer could easily overpower just about any other selection, but in this case not only held their own but helped create a hell of an experience. 

The post Black Label Trading Co’s Bishop’s Blend appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder features a three-country blend and is produced at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Nicaragua. Available vitolas include Robusto (5 1/2 by 54), Toro (6 by 52), and Gordo (6 by 60). The cigars range in price from $9.50 to $10.99.

You can purchase the Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder from our good friends over at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Price: $9.50
Vitola: Robusto
Size:5 1/2 by 54
Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder: Ecuadorian Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

Jacobs Ladder by Southern Draw wears a nearly black Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper. Sugar-like crystals glisten all over the leaf that has only minor bumps and small veins for the most part. It is a very nice looking cigar.

The wrapper aroma is very pungent with vinegar, barnyard, and dirt. I am picking up the same aromas on the closed foot with the addition of chocolate. A quick cut opens up an easy draw allowing notes of chocolate, cinnamon, and rich cedar to pass through. A spice is felt on the lips and in the mouth.

FIRST THIRD

Full-flavored smoke pours of Southern Draw’s Jacobs ladder immediately after lighting. There are flavors of dark red fruit, earth, cocoa, rich cedar and a pepper spice. The pepper is medium/full in the mouth and right at the full mark as I expel the smoke through my nose. The pepper is accompanied by a yeast on the retro-hale. The burn-line is thick and even as a solid grayish black ash forms.

MIDDLE THIRD

The first third flavors continue to hold strong and are very enjoyable as I burn into the second third of the Jacobs Ladder Robusto. There is no harshness and the flavors are well balanced. As I reach the middle of the cigar, earth sits heavy on the finish and a sweetness is appearing every few puffs. The rich cedar has evolved to more of pencil shavings and a salty quality has joined in. The burn-line has a minor wave going on, but I don’t see a touch-up being required anytime soon.

FINAL THIRD

With the last leg of the journey underway, the earlier sweetness is more distinguishable and seems to be tied to the yeast flavor that now plays a more dominant role in the profile. The ever-evolving wood flavor is now charred wood. Overall, the flavors have lost much of their intensity and the smoke production is lacking. The burn is back in-line and just about perfect as I close out the cigar.

WRAP-UP

Between Southern Draw landing the #4 spot with their QuickDraw Pennsylvania on my top cigars of 2017 list and the number accolades Jacobs Ladder received last year, I had high expectations going into this cigar. And the cigar did not disappoint. From the start, Jacobs Ladder showed off dark, spicy and rich flavors with noticeable changes in each third. The strength paired with the full flavors but never got out of control. Even though the cigar seemed to die out a bit in the last third, the overall experience was very good and I look forward to burning through many more of these cigars this year.

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The Good Stuff: Black Label Trading Company is one of the newer boutique companies to hit the market. Established in 2013 they pride in making small batched, heavily enjoyable cigars. Their attitude and philosophy is found on their site as is as follows:

ATTITUDE: Our attitude re-thinks standards for cigar making, and caters to cigar lovers and aficionados tired of a mainstream, mass produced approach to cigar making. At Black Label Trading Company, we have created a market for those with the attitude that they deserve the best, and the confidence that they deserve to experience the Black Label Experience.

PHILOSOPHY: Our philosophy is Less is More; Small is Big; Small is Elite; and finally, Fine Tobacco making is Fine Art. Much like when we experience fine art, the Black Label Experience involves slowing down, taking in, being in the moment and letting expectation be replaced by surprise, and ultimately, total satisfaction.

While this “less is more” structure has been attempted in the past, we’ll light this cigar up and let the smoking experience do the talking. Since Black Label Trading Company is so small only one account per state will carry the lines with the exception of Texas which has two which is also the state in which Black Label operates from. Go Texas! The Last Rites comes in 4 sizes, and 5 x 54 Robusto, along with a box-pressed version of that, and a 6 x 60 Gran Toro which will also feature a box-pressed version. Only 500 boxes of these, and many of their other blends will be produced each year and will range from $12 to $14 a stick. Big thanks to Black Label Trading for sending a few samples our way.

Size: 5 x 54
Wrapper: Aged Ecuadorian Maduro
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan / Honduran
Strength: Medium/Full
Body: Full
Price: $12
Pairing: Saint Arnold’s Divine Reserve #14 (Belgian Strong Ale 10% ABV)

Prelight: First of all, the band is not only HUGE on the Black Label Trading Company’s cigars, but they have a pretty badass design as well. The black band sports a “BL” crest in white pearl with a skull on the center and some floral leaves spreading from the skull to a silver cross on the back of the band along with “Est. 2013”. On the samples I have received, the bands are identical although the foot band is different as it is a simple black and white pearl band with the blend’s name printed on it. In this case the words “Last Rites”. All in all it gives off a nice “Black Label Pirate” type theme to the cigar. The cigar itself carries and absolutely beautiful dark, dark brown maduro wrapper. The wrapper color is very consistent with the exception of a few darker areas around the round double cap. There are a few medium sized veins running through the body of the cigar while the wrapper remains silky smooth with some slight oils. The cigar is pretty seamless with the exception of a few softer spots around the foot of the cigar. The cigar is very heavy and quite bulky while the wrapper on the cigar feels pretty firm and delicate.

The wrapper on the Last Rites SCREAMS of strong sweet spice, cinnamon, and oak while the foot of the cigar is a bit more calm with some slight pepper and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut very clean and very easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw had a bit of the sweetness and spice but it was all masked out by a crazy strong paint-like flavor. Let’s hope that doesn’t make it’s way into the smoking experience.

First Smoke: Black Label Trading Company’s Last Rites starts out with the black pepper that I was expecting which quickly dropped off to reveal an awesome Malty, chocolaty character with some nice sweet spice and espresso notes. The spice isn’t your standard dry spice, it reminds me much more of a brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg mixture. Almost like Christmas. And I am happy to report that paint flavor never made it into the actual smoking experience. The draw is easy and plentiful as each puff releases a vast amount of thick smoke into my mouth. It’s a bit windy out, so I can’t really tell what the stationary smoke looks like or smells like. The burnline is razor sharp and dead even leaving behind a nicely compacted trail of medium to light gray ash which held on for a bit over an inch despite the wind having it’s way with it.

Halfway There: The Last Rites started to become a bit more tame in the second third. The sweetness and spice were still there but not as dominant as the espresso and chocolate mellowed out and a nice black cherry worked it’s way in. It’s still pretty complex, but none of the flavors were as potent as they were during the first third. The retrohale is amazing coating my nasal passage with some soft spice, and lots of sweetness. It really helped bring the tartness of the cherry out of the experience. The burnline is still rockin’ and I am feeling little to nothing in the nicotine department as I close out the second third.

Finish: Black Label Trading’s Last Rites is really starting to shine in the final third. The flavors have began to ramp back up with the strong sweet spices leading the charge followed by the chocolate and cherry with some molasses and espresso backing it up. The pepper has also started to show up a little, but it’s very mild. It’s pretty impressive the amount of flavor this cigar kicks out. It’s taken me about an hour and half to take it down to the nub and I enjoyed every second of it with no harshness, nor heat, no additional attention from my torch, nor nicotine.

Overview: Black Label Trading Company’s Last Rites isn’t is a cigar that isn’t very hard to fall in love with. While the price may be a bit steep the experience totally makes up for it. And while we are on price, being that Black Label is a brand new, boutique company one would almost expect a higher price point on their cigars. It all comes down to whether or not the cigar smoker deems the experience worth it, and in this case, I do. The Last Rites delivered on all aspects, construction, flavor, and burn/draw with an added bonus for complexity. While this cigar may be a bit out of budget, and complex for the novice smoker I think that more refined palates would really enjoy these and it’s worth having a few on deck when you are searching for a well-rounded flavorful experience.

Pairing: Keeping up with the Texas theme I turned to probably the best brew I have had from the Saint Arnold’s brewery, the Divine Reserve #14. The Houston based brewery releases a different brew style every year under the Divine Reserve name, this year they chose a style that was right up my alley a Belgian style strong ale. Clocking in at 10% ABV this beer is ripe and for the taking. The Diving Reserve #14 pushes heavy sweetness backed by some subtle fruit and caramel while finishing very clean with some apple and spice flavors. It’s easy to see why I chose as my pairing for Black Label Trading Company’s Last Rites as it meshed extremely well with the spice, cherry, and chocolate producing a cornucopia of flavor. Yes, I went there. Anyways, this beer is VERY limited, and VERY sought after so if you have access to Saint Arnold’s beers I suggest you get out there and find a few.

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