Pre-light Experience

The Black Works Studio Killer Bee Lonsdale has a dark chocolate wrapper with the telltale tan wrapper strips wound into the cap, sporting a closed foot. The aroma on the wrapper is a light leather with white pepper underneath. I pick up some faint hay in the foot.

First Third

The Killer Bee Lonsdale has a medium strength sweet and spicy retrohale to start. The spice lingers pleasantly on the post draw without dominating the palate. A few minutes into the smoking experience, some mild cocoa and woody notes join the profile. The woody note evolves to mix into the spices on the post draw. The woody notes start to take on a creamy mouthfeel as well, combining together at the 30 minute mark pleasantly. At the 1 hour mark, some light plus leather joins in on the post draw.

Second Third

In the second third, some earthiness enters the profile at a medium minus strength level, harmonizing nicely with the profile. As the second third settles in, I find the Killer Bee Lonsdale is reaching an optimal balance with the various flavors. At the halfway mark of the smoking experience, the wood has evolved to a rich, elegant flavor which carries the cigar through to the last third.

Final Third

The creamy wood flavor starts to fade in intensity going into the last third. A dry wood note shows up on the post draw, lingering between each draw. At the point I remove the band, the woody note evolves into an aged barn wood.

Burn

The burn on the Killer Bee Lonsdale was tight and even with the ash holding on in one to one and a half inch increments. I had a few re-lights at the second third and final third, which could be as a result of sharp temperature increases in my smoking environment.

Draw

The draw starts out with some resistance and opens up at the 5 minute mark.

Overall

Black Label Trading Company and Black Works Studio puts out a myriad of complex and fairly bold cigars. At this stage, I find their releases consistently on my buy list. While the Killer Bee Lonsdale is exclusively an event only offering, the flavor profile and strength levels fall neatly into the medium to medium plus category. This should make the cigar very approachable to smokers who already enjoy offerings, without blowing out your palate at an event. If you’re attending a Black Label Trading Company / Black Works Studio event, you would do well to pick up a few of these to try out for yourself.

John McTavish

SCORE

6.47

Cost/Point

$1.39

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: Black Works Studio Killer Bee Lonsdale