Tag Archives: Black Works Studio

An Illusione HL Candela and Some Oveja Negra News

Yesterday I smoked another cigar that I bought from Scotty’s Cigars, an Illusione ~hl~ Candela.  This is a 7 ½” x 40 Lancero with a pigtail cap and a bright green candela wrapper. It’s a Nicaraguan puro made in Honduras apparently. I’ve smoked the ~hl~ in Maduro and loved it. First I’ll say that I need to smoke more Illusione cigars, I don’t frequent the local stores that have a good selection of them, enough. I love smoking them when I pick them up, and I love listening to Dion any chance I get.  I need to sample more of the lines. Regarding the Candela ~hl~, or Holy Lance as it’s sometimes referred, if you aren’t a fan of candela, this may not be for you. If you are a fan of candela, and I really enjoy it from time to time as a change of pace and palate refresher, this is a great cigar. It’s got that crisp, clean, herbal kind of flavor. You can taste the chloroform chlorophyll and, like I said, it’s refreshing! This example had a great burn and draw and gave me two hours of relaxation on the porch.  I wouldn’t have wanted to take this for a walk on a cold, winders night, but in the comfort of the propane heater, it was real nice. It was a damned tasty smoke.

 

I received a couple news stories this week from Oveja Negra, and I want to comment on the first one, involving the distribution in Belgium and Luxembourg. I usually don’t pass along news items about international distribution, but there was another piece of this that cought my eye. The company that is the distributor in that small part of Europe is called Media Rueda and Halfwheel’s holding company is called Rueda Media (Halfwheel reported on the story and commented on this, saying they had no prior knowledge of the European company until this story). I’m guessing Halfwheel has had the name since it’s inception in 2012 or ‘13 or whenever it was they started, so my question is: will there be a letter sent from the attorneys on this? Is a cigar distributor in tiny Belgium/Luxembourg worth the legal fees, or is it a matter of ego? Am I right in assuming that my readers neither care about international distribution, nor the name of Halfwheel’s holding company or are likely to confuse it with a European distributor? Disregard all of this and check out these two news items from the folks at Oveja Negra, the second of which is probably far more interesting!

 

Oveja Negra Brands is pleased to announce their distribution agreement with Media Rueda™ for Belgium and Luxembourg.

Starting today Black Label Trading Company and Black Works Studio cigars will be available in the Belgium and Luxembourg markets through Media Rueda™.

 

“After entering the German market a couple of years ago, we have been humbled by the incredible reception our cigars have received. We are excited to continue our expansion in Europe by adding Media Rueda™ to the Oveja Negra family.  Pieter and his partners have been amazing supporters of what we do and I’m looking forward to working with him in the Belgium market,” said James Brown, creator of BLTC and BLK WKS, and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

 

“We are excited to bring Oveja Negra Brands to our markets. There is great demand for excellent, hand crafted cigars and we feel honored Oveja Negra Brands put their trust in us to serve our local customers,” added Pieter De Windt, partner at Media Rueda™.

Black Label Trading Company and Black Works Studio create handcrafted premium cigars of the utmost quality in small batch, limited quantities at Fabrica Oveja Negra. 

 

Media Rueda™ bv has the express goal to import and distribute added value, hand-made premium cigars in Europe.  For more information, please visit mediarueda.eu

 

 

 

I look forward to trying this Cameroon wrapped cigar! Corona Gorda and Lonsdale are neat sizes too.

 

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is pleased to announce the release of Hyena: Hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

HYENA is a Limited Edition that will be shipping to select BLK WKS retailers at the beginning of March.

“Hyena is the latest addition to the BLK WKS portfolio. 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 cigar and 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: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaragua
Corona Gorda – 5 x 46 (20 count) MSRP $12.00
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.

 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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News: Black Works Studio Announces the Release of S&R

Here’s some news from Black Works Studio. This looks interesting, I enjoy most of what I’ve smoked out of Oveja Negra, and I love Sumatra wrappers, so this interests me. I’m not opposed to Lanceros and Corona Gordas either, and a Culebra sounds interesting, especially if I can find two friends to smoke it with! 

 

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is pleased to announce the upcoming release of S&R: Hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.  S&R will be available at select BLK WKS retailers for a limited time.

 

“We are very excited for the third release of S&R. This cigar represents the broad spectrum of cigars produced under the Black Works Studio line. It’s medium bodied with tons of complexity and the perfect amount of white pepper spice to let you know this is a BLK WKS cigar. The Nicaragua & Dominican blend is wrapped in a beautiful coffee colored Sumatra wrapper and topped with the S&R’s signature pig tail.  Continuing with the serpent theme we made a very limited number of Lancero Culebras, so keep your eye out for those!” said James Brown, creator of BLK WKS and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra. 

 

 

S&R will be available in limited quantities at select BLK WKS this month. 

 

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Sumatra with a pigtail cap

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaragua & Dominican

                 

Lancero – 6.75 x 42 (20 count) MSRP $9.50

Corona Gorda – 5.5 x 46 (20 count) MSRP $9.50

*Culebra – 6.75 x 42 (1 count coffin) MSRP $35.00

 

BLK WKS cigars are an expression of art showcasing the talent, technique and tobacco behind our boutique cigar factory; Fabrica Oveja Negra.  Distributed by Oveja Negra Brands.

 

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



 

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News: Black Works Studio Announces Killer Bee “Swarm”

News has been light for this time of year. Under normal circumstances, with the trade show right around the corner, news would be flying hot and heavy. Of course, 2020 is no ordinary year. It’ll be interestingly see what the next several weeks and months ends up looking like. I’m also looking forward to smoking this cigar, and curious if there will be a “murder hornet” in the BWS line one day.

 

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is pleased to announce the release of Killer Bee“SWARM”

 

Hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.The KILLER BEE SWARM is a Limited Edition that will be shipping to select BLK WKS retailers this week.

 

“To say I’m excited about this release is an understatement. Cameroon is one of my favorite tobaccos and I’ve worked a long time to develop a cigar that highlights the distinct profiles it possesses. The Swarm is bold, spicy and extremely complex. It’s very unique, but also true to the style of the Killer Bee line,” said James Brown, creator of BLTC & BLK WKS and owner at Fabrica OvejaNegra.

 

KILLER BEE “SWARM”

 

 

  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Wrapper: Cameroon with a Maduro and Candela linear cap 
  • Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Corona – 5 x 46 (24 count) 
  • MSRP $10.50
  •  

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.OvejaNegraCigars.com.

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Black Works NBK Tasting at CigarCigars in Downingtown, PA

Last night I had the pleasure of being among the fifteen lucky attendees of a guided tasting of the Black Works Studio NBK, hosted by Mick Grant, the Northeast territory rep for Oveja Negra Brands. The venue was the CigarCigars Shop in Downingtown, PA. managed by my friend Kevin Sirman. This was a bit of a different experience, as it involved three puritos of the components of the blend of the NBK. The NBK is a box pressed Gran Corona, measuring 6″ x 46 with an Ecuador Habano Oscuro wrapper and Nicaraguan Binder and filler. Mick had us light the NBK first, in my experience an unusual first step. He then passed out the first purito, the viso in the filler blend, which is from Jalapa. I admit, when I lit the cigar I had a thought that there was Jalapa tobacco in the blend. There’s a sweetness to the Jalapa tobacco that is distinctive, and smoking it separately makes it quite noticeable. Now we find the brilliance in smoking the finished cigar side by side with the individual leaf.  The second puro was the seco, which is from Ometepe.  I rather expected a bland, papery taste, but this Ometepe seco was very flavorful! There was a citrus or almost floral flavor. I found it drying, which Mick validated when he likened it to black tea, with the tannins being  drying on the palate. Finally, the last tobacco in the blend was the Esteli ligero. Of course, this tobacco was rich, dense, and full of flavor. I found that after smoking the ligero Purito for a bit, going back to the NBK took a little adjustment, as it seemed much lighter in comparison. Throughout the tasting, Mick answered questions about the cigar making and tobacco growing process, he was extremely knowledgeable and did a great job of leading this very educational experience. 

 

I’ve done a lot of these kind of events, and I always learn something from them and enjoy them a lot, and I thank Kevin, the manager at CigarCigars in Downingtown for giving me the heads up on this!  One of my favorite things to do though, is to bring a friend who may not have experienced this kind of thing before. My friend Greg, who I’ve known for 40+ years, loves cigars, and is a regular shopper at CigarCigars in Downingtown, but hadn’t had a chance to go into the lounge and have a smoke, let alone attend an event like this. Since we rarely get together, I invited him to this and enjoyed seeing how breaking down how a cigar is made, and what makes them taste the way they taste made sense to him. He seemed to get a lot out of the experience and I think it will enhance his appreciation of cigars. I encourage everyone to go to an event like this! Not everyone can go to a factory, this gets you a little closer to all the steps that goes into making a cigar. Finally, Thanks to Mick Grant for the great presentation. Mick just announced that he will be leaving Oveja Negra to move and pursue some personal family goals, and I wish him and his wife (who was also there last night) all the best and he will be missed! I’ve known Mick for a few years, with a couple of brands, and he’s the best.  

 

On a side note, I wandered into Nat Sherman‘s Townhouse on 42nd Street in Manhattan on Tuesday and had their Panamericana in the 4″ x 54 Robustico size. I wasn’t sure how much time I was going to have, and it worked out that that was exactly the right size for the time I had. It was a really great tasting cigar, and I had gone to the city without the expectation of having a cigar, so this visit was a bonus. It was also a $14 cigar, but it’s NYC, where you can walk down the street smoking a joint and it’s OK, but you’ll get all kinds of crap if you smoke a cigar. what a world…that’s all for today! Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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News: Black Works Studio Shipping Boondock This Month

Here’s some news from the folks at Oveja Negra this morning. I love PA Broadleaf, and I have enjoyed this blend in the past! Looking forward to getting some of these. 

 

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is pleased to announce the shipment of BOONDOCK to select retailers this month. This is the third annual release of Boondock, hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

“It’s our third release of Boondock and it just keeps getting better. This cigar is the perfect balance of strength and flavor, its bold yet refined. The Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper combined with the Broadleaf and Nicaraguan filler create flavors of anise, clove, dark fruits, bitter cocoa and earth. This blend highlights the many complexities in the broadleaf and Nicaraguan tobaccos used,” said James Brown, creator of BLK WKS and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

BOONDOCK will be available in limited quantities at select BLK WKS retailers.

Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaragua/Pennsylvania/Connecticut
Corona Larga – 6.25 x 46 (20 count) MSRP $10.50
Robusto – 5.25 x 50 (20 count) MSRP $10.50

 

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

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