Supporting smaller, boutique cigar brands isn't just a lot of delicious fun, it's an obligation.
This goes beyond "helping out the little guy," and "supporting small business." Unlike other businesses, premium cigars are a 100% hand-crafted product, and one that undergoes considerable, blending, aging, and fermentation procedures.
Furthermore, smaller, boutique brands can roll-out all sorts of specialty sticks, and can get creative without having to worry about what their corporate overlords have to say.
Take Black Works Studio for instance. A boutique cigar brand that has produced some super fun, ultra-edgy cigars over the years, with the maduro version of the "Killer Bee" being one of those blends.
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Unlit Impressions
![Black Works Studio Killer Bee](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0574/4649/8463/files/PXL_20230630_024846539_2_600x600.jpg?v=1688170555)
It's also got a closed foot and is perfectly rolled. Not a soft spot or uneven seam to be detected here.
The Ecuadorian-grown maduro wrapper (presumably a Connecticut Broadleaf varietal) provides faint earthen mocha notes to the nose, along with some grassy touches and a bit of pepper. Being that the foot is closed, it is hard to detect much else from that end of the stick.
Initial Smoke
![Black Works Studio Killer Bee](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0574/4649/8463/files/PXL_20230630_030052035_2_600x600.jpg?v=1688170594)
Peppery, and very much Maduro-forward, the first few millimeters of this blend builds a basic, but easily enjoyable beginning. Behind this, a mocha-like backdrop starts to form, and it is one that is sure to remain.
1st Half
![Black Works Studio Killer Bee](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0574/4649/8463/files/PXL_20230630_031442371_2_600x600.jpg?v=1688170689)
The first big surprise you will discover within this stick is its lightness. Body and strength are a medium/medium+ affair, but the flavors of this are very bright and refreshing. This is especially true during the first third and throughout the entire first half.
There's a coriander powder taste in there somewhere, which brightens things up significantly and makes all of those darker maduro tones feel and taste far less intense. Mix that with a splash of milkiness that is often associated with milder Connecticut shade wrappers, and this stick is off to a bang.
2nd Half
![Black Works Studio Killer Bee](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0574/4649/8463/files/PXL_20230630_031601728_2_600x600.jpg?v=1688170710)
If the center of this blend is both bold and bright, then anything past it is roasty and rich. That tingly, coriander-like taste trickles out, and in its place comes forth this mocha profile. One that features the milky taste of freshly roasted hazelnut and pralines & cream.
This cigar flavor profile dominates the palate all the way up until the center of the final third. At which point a fun aromatic entrance of rosehips occurs via retrohale.
It's still very much a bold medium smoking experience, but these accompanying tastes and aromatics make the maduro potency of the "Killer Bee" far more approachable and enjoyable.
Parting Puffs
![Black Works Studio Killer Bee](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0574/4649/8463/files/PXL_20230630_034527204_2_600x600.jpg?v=1688170744)
Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw
![Black Works Studio Killer Bee](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0574/4649/8463/files/PXL_20230630_032632974_2_600x600.jpg?v=1688170764)
Despite the first centimeter or so of the stick dropping its ash, this petit corona/rothschild hybridized vitola burned beautifully.
Combustion, burn lines, smoke creation, draw... A+ all around for both sticks that I smoked.
Final Thoughts
![Black Works Studio Killer Bee](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0574/4649/8463/files/PXL_20230630_034027389_2_600x600.jpg?v=1688170789)
Black Works Studio and the Fabrica Oveja Negra facility down in Nicaragua that rolls the "Killer Bee" for this boutique brand have done a fantastic job of making an approachable, medium-strength miniature maduro.
So shop small ya'll, and snag a stick or two of these little stingers, because I get the feeling that they will quickly become a go-to dark cigar short smoke option.
![Black Works Studio Killer Bee](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0574/4649/8463/files/PXL_20230630_032020661_2_600x600.jpg?v=1688170813)
Cigar Stats
Cigar |
Black Works Studio "Killer Bee" Maduro |
Wrapper |
Ecuador Maduro (Connecticut Broadleaf?) |
Binder |
Nicaragua |
Filler |
Nicaragua |
Factory |
Nicaragua |
Size |
4.5" x 46 "Petit Corona/Rothschild Hybrid" |
Strength |
Medium |
Pairing Drink |
Boss Coffee Café Italiano |
Rating |
4.4/5 |