Late in 2021, Black Star Line Cigars, the company that brought to you the highly acclaimed War Witch, upped the game and announced they were shipping a darker version of the “witch” to be called the Dark War Witch. This time the company collaborated with AGANORSA Leaf for production.
Handcrafted by Aganorsa Leaf, the Dark War Witch has a blend described as:
- Wrapper – Corojo 99
- Binder – Nicaraguan
- Filler – Nicaraguan
The dark War Witch is expressed in a single (6 x 46) Box Pressed Corona and comes packaged in boxes and bundles of 20 and carries an MSRP of $11.99.
In the press release, Aric Bey, CEO/Owner of Black Star Line Cigars. quipped:
“The original War Witch is a fantastic blend that quickly became a favorite among many smokers. Aganorsa Leaf did a great job rolling that cigar for us, and the public let us know they love it. Fans of the original had been asking for a full-bodied version of the cigar. I’m just giving the people what they want. This cigar is magically delicious.”
For this review, I sampled 3 of these cigar that were provided by the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Black Star Line Cigars – Dark War Witch is a nicely constructed box pressed cigar that sports a medium to dark brown wrapper that is silky smooth to the touch. The cigar show signs of being well packed for a small ring gauge cigar with no soft spots detected along the barrel. The wrapper is light on veins and a simple cap finishes the presentation.
I single golden band adorns the Dark War Witch that is the same as the original. The name “War Witch” is emblazoned in black using script lettering along with the company’s logo to the left. The top is bordered by a black line and the bottom with a red and black lines.
Running the barrel along the nose, I picked up notes of natural sweetness and light cocoa, while the foot offered intriguing notes of floral and spice.
Once I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder, I proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to be spot on with restriction and offered notes of butter and lightly growing cinnamon spice. Certainly a fine start before I toast it up.
Using my single flame torch, I slowly warmed the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first peppery burst of smoke. Follow along as I burn this witch to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Peppery notes hit the palate and nose right off the first puffs
- Honey notes enter as the pepper recedes
- White ash forms on top of a thin wavy char line
- Leather and cocoa join the early profile keeping the palate interested
- The early honey begins to form a solid core in the profile
- A lingering sweet cedar note rests on the palate
- Decent ash fell revealing a well formed burn cone
- Cocoa begins to morph into a dark chocolate note
- Touch of cinnamon and sweetness join the profile moving into the second third
- Spicy notes build deep in the second third
- Strength ratchets up
- Cedar reappears entering final third
- Medium to full in strength
- Total Smoking time was 1 hour and 25 minutes
Final Analysis
It is always nice to pen the first cigar review of the year and the Black Star Line Cigars – Dark War Witch did not disappoint. As much as I enjoyed the original War Witch, I found the Dark Witch to be bolder and fuller in flavor. It had a decent burn with just a mild wave in the burn. I absolutely enjoyed the core of honey that developed early and formed a solid core in the flavor profile. Nuances of dark chocolate, cinnamon, and cedar just added to the pleasure of this moderately complex cigar. Grab a box of these and enjoy them mid-day to late evening. I rate this a 94.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wavy Burn; (-1) Ash fell often
Bonus Points: (+1) Buy a Box; (+1) Pleasant and Consistent across multiple samples
