Black Label Trading Co. has announced the release of the 2020 edition of Morphine, marking the seventh annual release of the line.

The cigar uses a dual wrapper consisting of Mexican San Andrés and Ecuadorian maduro leaves, while the binder is a Nicaraguan habano leaf and the filler comes from Nicaragua. In a press release, James Brown, creator of Black Label Trading Co., said that he wanted to change things up a bit for this year’s release, which resulted in the addition of the Ecuadorian maduro wrapper being added. “The dual wrappers work together to make this vintage very unique and one of the best so far,” he said, calling this year’s release “rich and earthy with bold spice on the retro” and identifying raisin, black cherry and anise as specific tasting notes.

Morphine is being released in three sizes:

  • Morphine Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 48) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
  • Morphine Lancero (7 1/4 x 42) — $11 (Box of 12, $132)
  • Morphine Short Robusto (4 1/2 x 50) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)

The company is producing 450 boxes of each vitola for the United States, with an additional 100 boxes being created for the company’s European retailers. Additionally, Brown has created new artwork for the cigars and boxes. As with the rest of Black Label’s portfolio, the cigars are made at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Black Label Trading Co. first released Morphine in 2014 with the intention of adding a big and bold blend to the company’s portfolio.

Image courtesy of Black Label Trading Co.

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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 and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, 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.