Morphine 2020 Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 48)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Cigar-coop.com website)

Black Label Trading Company’s annual limited release Morphine is returning for the seventh consecutive year. This year’s edition features new artwork and dual wrappers for the three sizes released.

“This is our seventh vintage of Morphine so we wanted to change things up a bit to celebrate. I designed new artwork and each of the three vitolas is wrapped in two wrappers, Ecuador Maduro and Mexican San Andrés. The 2020 vintage is rich and earthy with bold spice on the retro. The key flavors are raisin, black cherry and a big blast of anise on the finish. The dual wrappers work together to make this vintage very unique and one of the best so far,” said James Brown, creator of BLTC and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra in a press release.

The dual wrappers have been used before on Morphine – most recently on the 2018 Morphine Lancero.

Morphine 2020 is a small batch limited production made at Brown’s Fabrica Oveja Negra in Nicaragua.

Blend and Origin

Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro/Ecuadorian Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Factory: Fabrica Oveja Negra

Vitolas Offered

Short Robusto: 4 1/2.x 50 (20 count boxes, MSRP $10.50/cigar)

Corona Gorda Box Press: 5 1/2 x 48 (18 count boxes, MSRP $10.50/cigar) REVIEWED TODAY

Lancero: 7 1/4 x 38 (12 count boxes, MSRP $11.50/cigar)

The cigar is finished in a nice pigtail cap.

This cigar is a nice size and has an average feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were citrus/cedar, orange peel, raisen, brown sugar, nutmeg, and quite a bit of espresso. There was black pepper rated at 8. A nice, dark but sweet start.

At the first third (28 minutes) I had the same flavor notes as initially assessed. But now there is an element of black cherry also. The cigar is very close to full bodied. The finish is raisin, espresso, and nutmeg with a nice amount of lingering black pepper. The cigar is very good; dark and sweet. And it has some power. I rated the first third 95.

As I moved through the second third (49 minutes) the cigar continued on the same path. The cigar is full bodied. The finish changed a little for the better. Now there is a touch of citrus to go along with the other notes. The cigar continues to be very good. The espresso comes blasting through but the sweeter notes work hard to match them. I maintained the score of 95 for the second third.

The cigar lasted 1 hour 7 minutes. I used the PerfecDraw tool to nub the cigar to give the cigar every chance I could to fail. It did not. In the final third I got some caramel cream notes. The cigar continued to be very good. This is a very good dark noted, sweet, full bodied cigar. The finish is unchanged. I held the score of 95 for the final third. Very impressive.

Overall Score: 95