Cigar companies, whether intentional or not, take on a certain reputation over time. That is the nature of almost any marketed product. The product itself, the look, feel, packaging, and presentation all play a factor in the way the company as a whole is perceived. Black Label Trading Co. (BLTC) have a reputation for depth, power, strength, and intensity in their cigar blends. That is how most consumers know them. But the people at BLTC also know that a market can have varied customer likes and dislikes. With that in mind, they decided to add a milder Connecticut Shade wrapped cigar to their lineup, and it gained steam as soon as it was announced.
At time of publishing, the BLTC Deliverance Porcelain is only available in this 5.5 x 48 Corona Gorda size. They are presented in 16-count boxes, and carry an MSRP of $10.00 per cigar.
BLTC Deliverance Porcelain Corona Gorda
MSRP: $10.00
Size: 5.5 x 48
Origin: Fabrica Oveja Negra (Esteli, Nicaragua)
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade (Ecuador)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Pennsylvania & Nicaragua
Prologue
With the ultra light colored wrapper that is almost amber/orange in color, against the glossy white and silver band, this cigar has an almost ethereal appearance. It is smooth and impeccably rolled, with a nice pigtail cap. The wrapper smells like cedar and cut grass, but the foot has aromas of leather, vanilla, and dry leaves. The cold draw is open, and has hints of grass and a a tiny bit of pepper.
Act I
While there is a little flash of black pepper at the very first light, that dissipates within a puff or two. Then a nice sweetness comes in, with a creamy texture to the smoke. There are flavors of dark sugar, some cedar and oak aromas, and hints of pepper in the background. The retrohale is smooth, with sweetness like butterscotch and a little pepper spice at the end.
Act II
The creamy texture remains, but some of the spice increases as this cigar warms up. The middle has more pepper, combined with some toasted bread aromas. There is also a new note that goes along with the sweetness that reminds me of some kind of fruit. The retrohale also increases a little in intensity. Less butterscotch, more pepper, but still not overwhelming.
Act III
As the cigar moves toward a conclusion, the sweetness is still there, but more subdued. I am noticing things like toasted wood, pepper, a little earthy mineral note, and some more of that unusual fruit from earlier. There is a more dense texture to the smoke now, and the aromas are almost leathery. The ending retrohale is definitely more spicy, but still has a little sweetness to round it all out.
Epilogue
Since these shade wrapped cigars have been experiencing a kind of renaissance, the blends from many different companies are trying to also amp up the profiles. In some of these cases these blends become too bold, almost acrid in their intensity. In other cases, these newly rethought shade blends have a nice marriage of legacy flavors with new-age grind. The Porcelain is definitely the latter. It is relatively narrow in its scope of flavors, but it really has that nice mix of creamy and sweet, played against spicy and woody. It is a cigar that should please mild and bold smokers alike.
BLTC Deliverance Porcelain Corona Gorda – How Bout That Cigar?
Rating: How Bout A 5er?
Overall Score: 89
PAD: +0.0 (What is PAD?)
Flavor Summary: Wood, Sweetness, Cream, Spice
Strength Assessment: Medium
Source: Cigars for this review were purchased by HBT Media LLC