Black Label Trading Company Salvation

Here’s a name you may have heard being tossed around the cigar scene lately – Black Label Trading Company. Established in 2013, these guys have come out with guns blazing, releasing 6 (soon to be 7) cigars within the first year of operation.

BLTC is a boutique cigar brand and strives to make cigars for the enthusiast.

BLTC Salvation specifics:

On a matte black band and accompanying foot band, BLTC does themselves a favor with a really attractive presentation. Their entire lineup is consistent, having either black on white or vice versa; using their BLTC logo for the primary band (I’m a sucker for cool skulls) and the cigar’s name on the sub-band. Add to this a dark and mottled wrapper – which went from medium-brown, to red-brown, to near black – the looks of this cigar had my attention from the get-go.

The pre light smells were leather and fresh cut grass. And lighting the cigar, my first impression was of caramel and breakfast chocolate (as in, the frosting on a chocolate doughnut). Right away I noticed the draw was a tad bit tight for my preference, though it was definitely manageable. Within a few puffs the flavors had already expanded a little, showing a creaminess with the caramel, some charcoal smokiness, and barnyard hay on the finish. There were no unwanted flavors.

Clocking in at a medium body and strength, the cigar was perfect for the midday/brunch timeframe. The wrapper had a couple of chips in the tobacco, but after examining the other sampler cigars we were sent, this cigar was the exception. While the flavors were certainly on point, I found myself wishing for more smoke output – maybe it’s just me, but I love seeing a tangible verification of my puffing efforts.

Moving along, the sweeter caramel and chocolate flavors subsided, bringing forth more of the charcoal I found earlier. Charred wood, hickory smoke, and a BBQ sweetness took center stage. Thinking back on it, the transition sounds strange, but it really worked well – making for a nice and unexpected experience. The chocolate remained present, weaving in and out and increasing into the darker spectrum as the cigar burned. And by the halfway point, I’d say the char/BBQ flavors were battling a dark chocolate with equal results.

As I approached the band, the flavors became dark and the cigar needed a few re-lights – though the flavors were still interesting. Anise accompanied the dark chocolate and I noticed a dark tobacco flavor, along with an increase in nicotine (medium +). Before the end, I was pleased to see one last glimpse of the original caramel flavor, bringing the cigar full circle.

Would I smoke this cigar again?

Yes I would. Despite the tighter draw and lack of smoke output, this cigar showed interesting enough flavors to win me over. It’s a dynamic smoke that developed really nicely in my opinion. Lasting over an hour, the cigar was a slow burner, and at $9, you’ll get your money’s worth.

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