Black Label Trading Co. Adds New Vitolas for Morphine’s 10th Anniversary
This year marks the 10th anniversary since the debut of Black Label Trading Co.’s Morphine line, and the company is celebrating with not only a release of the limited production line, but by adding two new sizes for 2024.
The first new size is a 5 x 50 perfecto, which James Brown, creator of Black Label Trading Co. and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra, said was created to represent the Death’s Head Moth’s chrysalis. The other size is a 6 x 54 box-pressed toro, which Brown said shows how versatile the blend is and how well it works in a larger format vitola.
They join two familiar sizes for the line that have been produced by Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua:
- Black Label Trading Co. Morphine Perfecto (5 x 50) — $11.50 (Box of 20, $230)
- Black Label Trading Co. Morphine Short Robusto (4 1/2 x 52) — $11.50 (Box of 20, $230)
- Black Label Trading Co. Morphine Lancero (7 1/4 x 42) — $12.50 (Box of 20, $250)
- Black Label Trading Co. Morphine Toro Box Press (6 x 54) — $13.50 (Box of 20, $270)
The toro vitola is the most limited of the sizes, with just 400 dress boxes being produced, while the company is producing 700 boxes of each of the other three sizes.
The blend is highlighted by the use of two wrapper leaves, one a Mexican San Andrés and the other an Ecuadorian maduro, which create the subtle barber pole design. Both the binder and filler are from Nicaragua, though the company has not disclosed where they are grown or what varietals are used.
“This vintage of Morphine is sure to be one of the best,” said Brown in a press release.
Morphine debuted in 2014, and in its early releases, the line saw a number of blend tweaks. It has been a near-annual release for the company, though there were not releases in 2014 and 2021.
Image courtesy of Black Label Trading Co.
Patrick Lagreid
I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.
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