(Description taken from Cigar-coop.com website)
Oveja Negra Brands has announced the sixth release of its annual limited edition cigar, the Black Label Bishops Blend 2021.
May 18, 2021 — Black Label Trading Company is pleased to announce the shipment of Bishops Blend to select retailers. Bishops Blend is hand crafted in Estelí, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.
It’s the sixth consecutive year Black Label Trading Company has released the Corona and Robusto sizes of the Bishops Blend. The Lancero vitola was added in 2020.
“We are very excited about this highly anticipated release. Bishops Blend boasts big bold flavors of anise, pepper, raisins and a sweet earthiness on the finish. It is very complex and extremely refined. As with the past vintages, the broadleaf fillers shine at the forefront and are perfectly balanced by the Nicaraguan filler tobaccos,” commented James Brown, creator of Black Label Trading Co. and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.
Distribution in the U.S. for the Black Label Trading Company Bishops Blend will be handled by Oveja Negra Brands. Media Rueda will be handling distribution for Belgium and Luxembourg.
Blend and Origin
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Maduro
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan, Pennsylvania Broadleaf, Connecticut Broadleaf
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fabrica Oveja Negra
Vitolas Offered
The Robusto and Corona Larga vitolas are packaged in 20-count boxes. The Lancero was packaged in 12-count boxes.
Robusto: 5 x 48 (SRP $11.00)
Corona Larga: 6 1/4 x 46 (SRP $11.50) REVIEWED TODAY
Lancero: 7 x 42 ($12.00)
The cigar is very well made and quite dark. The bands are the usual Bishops Blend bands. The cigar features a triangular "Bishops hat" cap and a closed foot.
The test draw after cutting midway through the cap was totally blocked. I used the PerfecDraw tool to open the draw. I only had to go about 1/2 inch in to open the draw. The initial flavors at light up were noticed immediately. They were dark chocolate, raisin, espresso, nougat, brown sugar, orange citrus, and citrus peel. There was a lot of black pepper rated at an 8. A great start.
At the first third (27 minutes) the cigar has developed a syrup of caramel, citrus, brown sugar, and raisin. There are still nice dark chocolate and espresso notes. The black pepper continues to be excellent. The finish is raisin with some nutmeg and a lot of lingering black pepper. The cigar is full bodied. To me, this year's version is more powerful, has more black pepper, and more sweetness. The syrup sweetness is massive. The cigar is very good at this point. I rated the first third 97.
Moving through the second third (50 minutes) the cigar is not quite as rich. The reason; the espresso rose, along with the black pepper. There are now peach notes in the mix. The same basic flavors are still there and now peach notes. So, the cigar is still quite good. It is also very full bodied. The finish is peach and a lot of black coffee/espresso with a lot of lingering black pepper. The cigar got dark in the second third but it didn't hurt it much. I rated the second third 96.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 7 minutes. The final third bounced back to almost a mirror image of the first third. But, there are also peach notes. The cigar is very sweet and rich. The dark chocolate and espresso went back to their previous amounts. Again, the cigar is very full bodied. You can feel it! The finish is back to raisin and a lot of lingering black pepper. This is a fantastic cigar. Definitely a cigar of the year contender. I rated the final third 97. Great, great cigar.
2 comments:
Totally agree with your review of this cigar. All the BLTC blends are great, but the Bishops Blend is an amazing smoke. I still hold last year's release as my top cigar of 2020.
Cheers!
Thanks, David. This year's version is even better than last year's in my opinion. This is a fantastic, sweet, dark noted, powerful cigar. Definitely a cigar of the Year contender.
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