Black Works Studio Paper Crane Corona Gorda Box Press

During the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show, Black Label Trading Co. showed off a new limited edition line under the company’s Black Works Studio brand.

Named Paper Crane, the new cigar is made with an Ecuadorian Connecticut desflorado wrapper covering an Ecuadorian habano binder and filler tobaccos grown in Nicaragua. The cigars were rolled at Fábrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua and there are a total of 18,000 cigars of each vitola packaged in 20-count boxes.

“I love the flavor profile of this wrapper and of course its unique beautiful golden pink color,” said James Brown, creator of Black Label Trading Co. and partner at Fábrica Oveja Negra, in a press release. “Even though there are a lot of subtleties, it is still a full flavor medium strength cigar that lives up to what you expect from a Black Works cigar.”

Paper Crane debuted in two different vitolas:

• Black Works Studio Paper Crane Corona Gorda Box Press (5 x 46) — $11 (Box of 20, $220)
• Black Works Studio Paper Crane Toro Box Press (6 x 48) — $12 (Box of 20, $240)

• Cigar Reviewed: Black Works Studio Paper Crane Corona Gorda Box Press
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica Oveja Negra
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut-seed Desflorado)
• Binder: Ecuador (Habano)
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 46
• Vitola: Corona
• MSRP: $11 (Box of 20, $220)
• Release Date: March 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: 900 Boxes of 20 Cigars (18,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

All three Black Works Studio Paper Cranes are covered in light golden brown wrappers that are extremely smooth to the touch, with no protruding veins of any sort or any oil. The cigars feature an obvious soft box press and are relatively spongy when squeezed. Aromas from the wrappers include a very strong tea leave note, as well as creamy woodiness, earth, barnyard, leather and slight mint. Scents from the feet are led by a stronger mint note, followed by creamy cedar, generic nuttiness, cocoa nibs and cloves. Cold draws include flavors of sourdough bread, earth, espresso, roasted nuts, vanilla bean sweetness and a slight vegetable note.

Starting out, two of the three cigars feature an immediate combination of spice and bitter espresso, while my second cigar features a bit of nutmeg and almost no spice at all. Regardless, after about five puffs, the profile for all three cigars is quickly overtaken by flavors of toasted bread and dried tea leaves. Secondary flavors of anise, salted potato chips, roasted peanuts, earth, cocoa nibs and lemongrass show up at various points, while a combination of white pepper and marshmallow sweetness is very noticeable on the retrohales. I pick up a very interesting flavor on the finish of my second cigar that reminds me of ocean water, and while it peters out by the time the first third closes, the other two cigars lack that note completely. Flavor ends the first third at full, body is at a point just under medium and the strength manages to reach a solid medium. My first cigar runs into enough trouble to need two minor burn corrections in quick succession, but the burn lines for the other two cigars are razor sharp, and the draws and smoke production for all three cigars are excellent so far.

As the burn line moves into the second third of the Paper Cranes, the main flavors shift to a combination of dried tea leaves and creamy cedar, followed by additional notes of roasted coffee beans, sourdough bread, semisweet chocolate chips, cloves, leather tack and citrus peel. The marshmallow sweetness on the retrohale increases a bit while the amount of white pepper decreases, leading to a slightly sweeter retrohale. Flavor remains at full, the body increases to a solid medium and the strength increases just a bit to land at a point just over the medium mark. Construction-wise, all three cigars need at least one touch-up with my lighter—my second cigar needs two—but there are still no issues at all with the draws or smoke production for all three cigars.

The toasted bread flavor returns to once again become one of the major flavors during the final third of the cigars, but this time it is joined by a distinct cloves note that has moved up from the secondary. Additional flavors of cinnamon, dried tea leaves, powdery cocoa nibs, roasted peanuts, gritty earth and lemon zest flit in and out, while the amount of white pepper and marshmallow sweetness on the retrohale remains about the same compared to the second third. However, while the actual flavors of my last cigar are similar to the other two, the distinctness of those notes has become mushy and subdued, a very obvious downgrade compared to the other cigars. Flavor stays at full for the first two cigars—the final cigar ends up dropping to medium-plus—while both the body and strength end the cigar at a point slightly past medium. Two cigars have to be corrected once each with my lighter but the draws are excellent and there is plenty of smoke emanating from the feet of all three cigars until I am done with them.

Final Notes

• In Japanese culture, paper cranes symbolize hope, love and healing.
• According to the company, Brown used the flavor profile of the Black Works Studio Paper Crane as the inspiration for the artwork that was utilized for the cigar line.
• While the wrappers and feet of all three cigars had a mint leaf scent, I never tasted that flavor in the actual profile.
• Having said the above, there is a light but noticeable citrus component present in the profile throughout the entire cigar, and while it is never a major note, it changes for each third: lemongrass in the first third, generic citrus peel in the second third and lemon zest in the final third.
• All three cigars needed at least two minor burn corrections with my lighter, but the final cigar was easily the worst in that regard, with a burn touch-up needed in every third.

• These cigars are officially listed as 5 x 46, and these three were some of the most consistent cigars we have encountered since we started measuring.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• The final smoking time for all three cigars averaged out to one hour and 11 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Black Works Studio Paper Crane cigars, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Famous Smoke Shop, JR Cigars and Smokingpipes have them for sale on their respective websites.