Cigar Geeks - Black Label Trading Company Bishops Blend Lancero

Cigar Geeks Geek Critique

Black Label Trading Company Bishops Blend Lancero
Written by Cigar Geeks Member: David Robinson (gitfiddl)

92
Cigar Geeks Rating

Welcome to another Member sponsored Geek Critique generously sponsored by our member Beegerply (Byron). The cigar provided for this round is the Black Label Trading Company Bishops Blend Lancero.

First unveiled in 2016, the limited edition Bishops Blend is an annual release known for its robust flavor profile, which James Brown believes showcases his growth as a blender. Never a shortage of skulls in the Black Label Trading Company's branding, the band showcases a red skull adorning a ceremonial bishop's headdress (or miter for all the Catholic school survivors out there). This band is rock and roll through and through, but even more impressive is the somewhat pointed cap mirroring the miter shape. At the heart of the Black Label Trading Company Bishop's Blend are Pennsylvanian, Nicaraguan, and Connecticut broadleaf filler tobaccos. This blend moves the broadleaf to the forefront without overwhelming the Nicaraguan portion. The binder is Ecuadorian Habano, and the wrapper is an Ecuadorian Maduro. Production is usually limited to around 400-600 boxes of Bishops Blend in each size in the United States. The Lancero size was released in 2020 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of this blend.

Black Label Trading Company Bishops Blend Lancero

Brand:: Black Label Trading Company
Name:: Bishops Blend Lancero
Length:: 7
Ring Gauge:: 42
Country of Origin:: Nicaragua
Filler:: Connecticut Broadleaf
Nicaragua
Pennsylvania
Binder:: Ecuador
Habano
Wrapper:: Ecuador
Habano
Color:: Maduro
Strength:: Medium-Full
Shape:: Lonsdale
Notes:: https://cigarsandleisure.com/black-label-trading-co-to-ship-bishops-blend-in-may-2021/

This cigar was enjoyed with black coffee and water

Pre-Light: 8 Points of 10 Possible

Very nice looking stick; the wrapper maybe a touch on the dry looking side with a noticeable seam; very nice looking pointed cap that cut cleanly. Being a little on the visually impaired side these days, I found the bands a little hard to make out, but that's of no real consequence. The pre-light aroma was a mix of cocoa and barnyard scents.

Lighting and Burn: 15 Points of 15 Possible

Definitely gets a perfect score in this category from me. The light grey ash dropped in solid chunks every inch or so. The burn was even throughout the almost 90 minute smoke-time and no corrections or relights were necessary. The smoke produced was think and creamy.

Construction: 27 Points of 30 Possible

The draw on this cigar was as close to perfect as could be, with just the right amount of resistance. My only issue with the construction of this cigar was the somewhat dry looking wrapper and a seam that looked like it was trying to unwrap itself. It never did, but it sure looked like it wanted to.

Flavor and Aroma: 42 Points of 45 Possible

This cigar started out with some mocha and coffee notes, and a touch of light leather. There was also a certain sweetness underneath that reminded me of dark fruit like plums. Around the start of the second third, i began to notice a little saltiness and some cashew-like nuttiness. As the cigar made its way through the final third, the saltiness was gradually replaced by some white peppery spice and some cedar was also noticed. That certain dark, fruity sweetness was ever-present throughout the entire smoking time.

Summary

I thought this was a great cigar! I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of sweetness. Sometimes, I find smaller ring cigars to be lacking in body and flavor, bot this particular doesn't fall in with those. Thanks again for including me in this Geek Critique. And I'm really glad Byron sent me two of these cigars!