Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Black Label Trading Co. Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Corona Gorda is a pretty uniform matte milk chocolate brown color and covers the foot. There is a thick but well pressed vein running down one side of the cigar. The seams are pretty easily visible as they are slightly raised. The tapered head is finished off with a well applied set of caps. There are two bands with both carrying the same color combination of metallic red over black. The primary band has the logo of the line while the foot denotes the line and the 5 Year Anniversary. The aroma from the wrapper and covered foot is a mix of wood and damp earth. I couldn’t get anything from the pre-light draw as I wasn’t able to actually draw any air through the cigar before putting flame to it.

Pre-light Experience

A unique size, a Petite Pyramid, the Black Label Trading Co. Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Corona Gorda comes finished with a pitch-black wrapper that has the color of espresso beans and is somewhere between maduro and oscuro in color. There are medium sized veins present throughout and it is giving off an aroma of rich earth and strong peppery spices.

Pre-light Experience

The Black Label Trading Co. Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Corona Gorda has the UPC sticker designed on the cellophane to stay intact when the cellophane is opened. The cigar has a cap complication of a pointed or ‘nipple’ style cap, along with a closed foot. The cigar is double banded, with the Bishops Blend Est 2013 primary band, and a Bishops Blend Five Year Anniversary foot band. Nosing the cigar, I was able to pick up aromas of intense barnyard, earth and wood. From the closed foot, all I could detect was faint, sweet tobacco.

Pre-light Experience

The Black Label Trading Co. Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Corona Gorda has a hearty uniformed oscuro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight but visible, bunch and roll even and the tapered head has a deep layered cap. Aromas from the wrapper and foot tell deep barnyard funk and cedar. Cold draw gives nuts, cedar and a hint of baking spices.

First Third

The cigar begins with a mix of wood, walnut shell and light mustiness. At a half inch in, a light earthiness and creaminess join the profile. The retrohale is a full on musty wood. At an inch in, the cream has departed and the profile is now musty wood up front with the walnut shell and earth not too far in the background. As the third comes to a close, the walnut shell and earthiness are now very light as some baking spice joins the profile. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

The cigar opens with some dry earth qualities and it is paired with some walnut and almond qualities. It has some spices present, peppery baking spices, and the finish is of dry wood. There is this twang on the finish, and it is not showing citrus qualities, but it grabs my attention. In terms of body, I would classify the cigar as being between medium and medium-full. The same goes for the strength and flavors.

First Third

My initial impression is that the cigar is putting off significant amounts of thick smoke with each puff. The flavors that develop are coffee, earth, sweetness, with trailing sweetness and baking spices into the post draw. The post draw has a lingering wood between draws that develops. As the first third settles in, rich sweetness joins the post draw to linger with the wood. By the 35 minute mark, chocolate has joined the profile.

First Third

The first third has a dark and rustic flavor profile. Flavors of baker’s chocolate, cedar, elevated dry red pepper spice and baking spices. Retrohaling creates a nostril awakening dry red pepper spice and also a creamy nuttiness. The finish has a mixture of nuts and cedar with trailing subtle dry red pepper spice on the rear palate. Strength and body are medium-full.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the earthiness picks back up as the walnut shell departs from the profile. At a half inch in, the baking spice has departed from the profile. The retrohale remains musty wood. At an inch in, the musty wood and earthiness are even. As the third comes to a close, the musty wood and earthiness remain even. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Second Third

The second third delivers a profile that is softer than how the cigar opened. I am picking up some cream and musty wood qualities, and it has touches of earth and soft peppery baking spices as well. There are some faint almond qualities on the finish, but they are faint. Overall, medium in terms of body, strength, and flavors.

Second Third

Rich sweetness, cedar and baking spices make up the start of the second third. Those baking spices begin to linger between draws along with the cedar. As the cigar progresses, a malty sweetness settles into the middle of the profile. Shortly after, light plus strength earth joins the post draw.

Second Third

The second third gets a bit unrefined. A lasting charred wood develops which entirely takes over the baker’s chocolate. The finish is never-ending but in a bad way as the charred wood lasts seemingly forever. Strength and body is still medium plus.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the musty wood has a slight lead over the earthiness. The retrohale remains musty wood. At an inch in, the musty wood and earthiness are back to even as a slight char joins the wood. As the cigar comes to a close, the profile remains an even mix of musty and slightly charred wood and earthiness. The strength in this third bumped up to slightly above medium.

Final Third

As I enter the final third, a sour flavor profile emerges, and it is accompanied by the cream notes. It is quite unpleasant and takes away from the peppery spice profile and the earth qualities. It was not overboard but present enough to take away from the cigar. It got to a point where I did not want to go on with the cigar. The cigar was smoking around a medium level for flavors, strength and body when I put it down.

Final Third

Sweet baking spices, along with a light earth to finish each draw leads the profile into the last third. Sweet cedar settles into the middle of the profile some time later. By the halfway point, chocolate has joined the profile.

Final Third

The final third jumps in strength, making it a full tilt full (body still medium plus). Taste profile is unchanged with dominant charred wood heavy on the palate. I still miss the baker’s chocolate from the first third as it’s essentially now charred wood, cedar and dry red pepper spice.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy at times, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in inch and three quarter increments.

Burn

The burn and construction on this cigar were very good from beginning to end, and I have no complaints with the performance.

Burn

The burn started out quite straight, becoming offset in the first third requiring a touch-up. The cigar went out in the last third, requiring a re-light. Ash held on quite well, up to 2 inches or more at times.

Burn

The burn performance was disappointing. Two complete re-lights, multiple touch-ups and tar build up on the head.

Draw

Upon initial light, the cigar was nearly plugged. I took a poker and pushed it through just the tapered head depth and I could feel it poking through a tight area in the 4 locations I tried. After that, the draw was perfect until the halfway point when it tightened up a bit.

Overall

The cigar began with a mix of wood, walnut shell and light mustiness. A light earthiness and creaminess joined in fairly quickly and then the cream departed. The second third saw the walnut shell and baking spice depart. The final third had a slight char join the wood. Construction was pretty good after clearing the plug early on and strength built from slightly below medium to slightly above. The Black Label Trading Co. Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Corona Gorda had a good start with a unique combination of flavors. Once some of those flavors started dropping out in the second third, the enjoyment level dropped to average and maintained that the rest of the way. The strength level was a bit lower than I was expecting, but it worked well with the flavor profile. I enjoyed how the cigar started and wished that profile maintained itself longer. I would be open to smoking this on occasion, but it’s not likely something I would go back to frequently.

Draw

The draw was very good throughout the entire cigar. Well made cigar.

Overall

The Black Label Trading Co. Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Corona Gorda was an average cigar, but as I entered the final third it went south. The sour notes really took away from the cigar and my experience. It wasn’t a wowing experience to begin with, but you have to finish strong and this cigar did not do that. The flavors of soft peppery baking spices, earth and nuts were pleasant, but I felt the cigar should have delivered more overall. I was surprised by the strength and body of the cigar, I was a fan of that actually, but there was complexity missing that hurt the blend. Not something I will be coming back to down the road, and hard to recommend. I will be curious to hear from BLTC fans on this cigar.

Draw

I found the draw to be very good, with a small amount of resistance at roughly 1-1/2 to 2 notches.

Overall

The Black Label Trading Co. Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Corona Gorda has a consistently good flavor profile from start to finish. The list of flavors included coffee, earth, sweetness, baking spices, malt and chocolate. Overall, I found the strength and body to be just over the medium mark. The 5 Year Anniversary release seemed to be a bit of a departure from previous annual releases. Generally, I’ve found the past versions to be medium-full to full in strength and body, with the flavor profile exhibiting a bit more complexity with that intensified body. This cigar will appeal to BLTC fans and the reduced strength and body should bring in a wider audience of cigar smokers. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 5 minutes.

Draw

The draw on the other hand was perfect, providing the ideal air flow.

Overall

This was the quintessential Black Label profile. Strong nicotine kick, substantial earth and rustic tones. For this Black Label Trading Co. Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Corona Gorda, for me, it translates to too much charred wood with trailing cedar, red pepper spice and baking spices. I can see some may think these flavors are rich and full, but in my opinion, it’s unpleasantly char heavy, especially on the finish. If you are a fan of the Black Label profile, this is an absolute grab. I am just not in that bracket.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.70

Cost/Point

$2.02

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

4.78

Cost/Point

$2.40

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.69

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.70

Cost/Point

$2.02

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Black Label Trading Co. Bishops Blend 5 Year Anniversary Corona Gorda