Black Works Studio Intergalactic Corona Larga

For its first limited edition of 2022, Black Works Studio—which is part of Black Label Trading Co.—turned to the stars for its inspiration as it released Intergalactic.

The cigar has a fairly interesting blend, mainly due to the Indonesian Sumatra wrapper leaf, something not commonly found on cigars at the moment. Underneath that is an Ecuadorian habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers, both of which are much more familiar in modern blends. It’s a blend that James Brown, the creator of Black Label Trading Co. and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra, described as unique for being both bold and subtle.

“I would consider it in a more traditional wheelhouse in terms of its overall profile with a definite Oveja Negra twist,” said Brown in a press release. “The blend starts with bold spice followed by herbal and cedar notes. The finish is a balance of different layers. The spice and earthy notes of the Nicaragua filler tobaccos are gently brought together with the creamy, subtle sweetness of the dark Sumatra wrapper.”

The Black Works Studio Intergalactic is offered in two vitolas.

• Black Works Studio Intergalactic Robusto (5 1/2 x 50) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
• Black Works Studio Intergalactic Corona Larga (6 1/4 x 46) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)

The company is producing 750 boxes of each size. The cigar debuted in the U.S. in mid-January before being released in Belgium and Germany towards the end of the month.

• Cigar Reviewed: Black Works Studio Intergalactic Corona Larga
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica Oveja Negra
• Wrapper: Indonesia (Sumatra)
• Binder: Ecuador (Habano)
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 46
• Vitola: Corona Gorda
• MSRP: $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
• Release Date: January 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: 750 Boxes of 20 Cigars (15,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The first thing that catches my eye about the Black Works Studio Intergalactic Corona Larga is what I notice once the cigar comes out of its cellophane, and that is that there’s a good amount of tobacco still in the cellophane. It’s small and very fine, certainly not dust, but what I would expect to find left behind by tobacco leaves that have been handled a good amount. I’ll get into that more in the final notes, but otherwise, the cigar looks good, including the tightly coiled bun of tobacco on the head of the cigar. The wrapper is a dark and meaty color that has a bit of mottling, visible and not always perfectly flat seams, as well as a handful of small veins. The cigar is rolled firmly but it feels a bit fragile, at least in terms of the wrapper leaf. One sample that has a bit of cracking near the foot reinforces that thought, as does the aforementioned tobacco I find in the cellophane. While not a consistent thing, one sample feels a bit lighter in the hand than I was expecting. The foot has aromas of mixed nuts, a bit of raw meatiness, and then a good bit of black pepper comes along to tickle the nostrils. One sample adds in a bit of syrupy sweetness that I’d expect to find in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned cocktail, depending on who’s making it. The cold draw really runs the gamut; the first is a bit open as air moves with only a bit of resistance, while the second is fairly firm and the third is smooth and just about ideal. The flavors are generally mellower and drier here; specifically, I get a bit of tingle from dry wood and white pepper, though I find hints of maraschino cherry juice in the background.

The first puff of the Black Works Studio Intergalactic Corona Larga is dry, woody and peppery, a combination that gets right to work tingling the taste buds and other sensory parts of the mouth. There are some puffs and samples where the flavor isn’t as immediately mouth-drying and instead, those puffs have a bit of juiciness to them, most often expressed as a damp cedar. After the first clump of ash drops, the smoke becomes impressively peppery through the nose, though something seems a bit off when combining it with the flavor. If I had to pin it down, the sharpness of the retrohales is a bit much for the still developing body of the smoke. One sample picks up a very distinct flavor of tar, something I’m left to wonder isn’t tied to what seems like a lot of folded over tobacco inside the head. A recut of the head and some additional trimming remedies the problem, though it’s something I never like to see from a cigar. Once that flavor is out of the equation, the flavor picks up a bit of creaminess while the retrohales get the white pepper into a clearer focus, allowing it to cut through the other flavors.

There are some puffs around the start of the second third where the earth and pepper dial back a bit and allow the creaminess to step the flavor, with the results being quite good. Even the retrohales, which just a few moments earlier had been bright and focused, take the cue and become an accent rather than a driver of the overall profile. From there, the cigar begins to reintroduce some flavors from the first third, though the earth is now a bit rougher and robust, while the pepper is a mix of black and white and coming along slowly. The midway point holds onto the peppery core flavors but starts to add something that has the physical effect of an Altoids mint in terms of how the sensation hits the mouth and makes its way into the nose. From there, the flavor seems to back off once again as creaminess returns and the other flavors yield the floor. It’s an interesting and attention-grabbing back-and-forth of profiles, both of which are impressively enjoyable. The flavor really varies between medium-minus and medium-full in this segment, while the body holds closer to medium-plus and strength is medium at most.

The final third starts off trying to find a middle point between the spots where the second third alternated between. There’s still some creaminess, but the earth and pepper return, now with a bit of charred wood lingering around the edges and taking up some of the profile that had previously been occupied by the pepper. I don’t know if it’s inherently a true happy medium, but for a good while, it is the most complex profile that the cigar has exhibited. The home stretch of the cigar brings on a bit harsher flavor, adding some chalk, sharp white pepper, even a bit of mineral in some puffs, creating a profile that is begging to be rinsed off my palate. The profile stays closer to medium-full for this final third, body is medium-plus, and strength is still medium. Construction is very good, finishing out with no problems in any area.

Final Notes

• After taking the smoking photos for this review, I realized I was probably photographing the back of the band, though the design seems like it should be the front and center of the band.

• When I took the first sample out of its cellophane, there was a good amount of tobacco bits that came out along with it, almost as if a covered foot had completely broken off the cigar. The same happened with the second sample, though I managed to keep most of the loose bits in the cellophane.

• The press release we received didn’t mention a covered foot, but I was told by a spokesperson for Black Works Studio that it’s designed to be a rounded foot as opposed to a fully covered one. The third sample showed that design much better.
• You may have this ear worm going since reading the name of this cigar, so here’s the obligatory link to the song.
• I would be really interested to smoke some puritos of the Indonesian Sumatra wrapper leaves to get a better idea of what it was contributing to the blend. The cigar definitely has some of the familiar traits of Ecuadorian habano and Nicaraguan tobaccos, but I’d love to see if the accent notes of occasional sweetness are coming from the wrapper.
• It didn’t catch my attention a lot while smoking the cigars, but there are some points where the aroma of the smoke, while the cigar is resting on the ashtray, is quite good.
• There didn’t seem to be much nicotine strength from the Black Works Studio Intergalactic, which is fine with me. I’m still not sure if I would paint the Black Works Studio profile as offering consistently strong cigars, but I do tend to think of the larger Black Label Trading Co. portfolio as one that isn’t shy with strength.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was one hour and 55 minutes on average.
• Site sponsors Atlantic CIgar Co. and JR Cigar carries the Black Works Studio Intergalactic Corona Larga.

Update (March 23, 2022) — The original version of this review referred to this cigar’s name as “Corona Gorda,” it is “Corona Larga.”