Video review HERE.
(Description taken from Cigar-coop.com website)
At the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oveja Negra Brands introduced a new extension to its Black Works Studio Killer Bee line known as Shaolin. The cigar is a three-wrapper barber pole in a belicoso format.
Black Works Studio Killer Bee Shaolin features a barber-pole of three wrappers: Mexican San Andres, Connecticut Shade, and Candela over a Honduran Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The cigar comes in one size – a 5 1/2 x 46 belicoso. It is available in 24-count boxes with pricing set at $13.50 per cigar. Production comes from the company’s factory, Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua.
“The Killer Bee line is in a constant state of evolution. It lends itself to a lot of different variations and the next one in line is the Shaolin. The Shaolin is a slightly tweaked version of the Killer Bee blend wrapped in a mix of Mexican San Andres, Connecticut, and Candela. The result is a bold but elegant cigar that has layers of complexity,” says James Brown, creator of BLTC/BLK WKS and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.
Blend and Origin
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres, Connecticut, Candela
Binder: Honduran Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fabrica Oveja Negra
Vitolas Offered
Belicoso: 5 1/2 x 46
The cigar is absolutely beautiful. The barberpole wrapper is an eye grabber. The cigar has an average feel in the hand and features a closed foot.
The test draw after cutting the cap was tight, as would be expected with a closed foot. After lighting the cigar the draw was actually pretty good. The initial flavors at light up were citrus, citrus peel, brown sugar, nutmeg, leather, and black coffee. There was black pepper rated at 8. The candela foot gave the cigar some high pitched, sweet citrus notes but they quickly transitioned into the citrus/cedar notes. Nice start.
At the first third (22 minutes) the flavors changed a little; citrus, peach, brown sugar, leather, and black coffee. The leather and black coffee do not interfere much. The split is 60/40, sweet notes to black coffee and leather. The finish is peach and leather with good lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied. I rated the first third 94.
As I moved through the second third (42 minutes) the flavor notes were basically the same but there is some obvious earthiness in the leather and black coffee. Not much, but it's enough to notice. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is unchanged with very good lingering black pepper. I rated the second third 93.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 3 minutes. In a rare move, the cigar found another gear in the final third. The earthiness is gone and the sweetness from citrus, peach, and brown sugar is up. The cigar is a low grade full bodied. The finish is unchanged. The cigar is better now than it was in the first third. I rated the final third 95. It's rare that a cigar improves in the latter section but it's always nice. This is a nice addition to the Killer Bee line.
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