Every year since 2016, Black Label Trading Compnay (BLTC) has released a limited edition of their Santa Muerte. The name Santa Muerte is short for Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte, which is an idol, female deity or folk saint in Mexican and Mexican-American folk Catholicism. A personification of death, she is associated with healing, protection, and safe delivery to the afterlife by her devotees.
In the release of the 2019 edition, BLTC creator James Brown described Santa Muerte:
“It features six filler tobaccos which create a very unique and rich flavor profile. You experience layer upon layer of coffee, malt, spice and cocoa.”
As in the previous releases the blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian Habano
- Binder – Ecuadorian Habano
- Filler – Nicaraguan, Dominican, Mexican San Andres, and US Broadleaf
Black Label Trading Co. Santa Muerte 2019 is expressed in two vitolas and come packaged in 20-count boxes:
- Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 48) MSRP $10.00
- Short Robusto (4 3/4 x 52) MSRP $10.00
The Black Label Santa Muerte is hand crafted and blended at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.
For this review, I sampled one Santa Muerte 2019 short robusto.
Pre-Light Examination
The Black Label Santa Muerte 2019 is a dark tan cigar that has a nice oily sheen and is finished with an expertly applied triple cap. There are just a couple veins noticeable along the barrel. The cigar is solidly packed, firm to the touch, and has a decent weight in the hand.
A single black and white, die cut, band adorns the cigar with seven roses surrounding a skull and a cross on the top. The bottom of the band denotes this as the Santa Muerte by Black Label Trading Company.
With the visuals out of the way, I ran the Santa Muerte along the nose and detected a sweet tobacco note along the barrel while the foot exudes a light savory spice note.
My double blade cutter did the trick to open the cigar with a straight slice across the shoulder. Taking some cold puffs I greeted with a gentle pepper note.
I used my triple flame torch to warm the foot and took in the first puffs of thick creamy smoke that had notes of nut and pepper. Follow along as I burn the Santa Muerte to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Thick creamy smoke right out of the gate
- Nut with and added light peppery burn on the nose
- Sweetness moves in and takes over the profile
- Light grey ash forms on a medium char line
- Toasted caramel aroma begins to fill the air
- Butter and savory spice enters deep in the first third
- Mild citrus notes join the profile close to midway
- Caramel notes and a malt nuance move to the palate
- Aroma shifts to more of a nutty note
- Burn line is just slightly jagged
- Light and refreshing mint notes makes for an added pleasure
- The long ash fell revealing a fine burn cone
- Excellent oiling has been present above the burn line throughout the journey
- Cocoa notes appear deep in the burn
- Increased spice entering the final third which is quite a shift from the previous two thirds
- Medium Strength
- Total Smoking Time was just over an hour
Overall, the Black Label Trading Co. Santa Muerte 2019 Short Robusto was exactly what I expect from James Brown and Fabrica Oveja Negra. This gem of a cigar was simply awesome in its delivery of balanced flavors, aromas, and excellent construction. I really enjoyed the notes of caramel, cocoa, and mint that moved in and about through the burn. This is a cigar any seasoned enthusiast would enjoy and may well be one I would offer a newer cigar smoker that wanted to expand their palate. I rate this a 95.
Point Deductions: (-1) Mild Jag in Burn
Bonus Points: (+1) Box Worthy; (+1) Extreme Ash; (+1) Excellent Oiling Above the Burn Line
