Black Label Trading Company Orthodox Review — Black Label Trading Company Orthodox Toro

Today, we review the Black Label Trading Company Orthodox in the Toro size. This cigar from Oveja Negra Brands debuted at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show. As many know, Black Label Trading Company was the first brand founded by James Brown. During the early days of Black Label Trading Company, James Brown built a reputation for bold, dark wrapper brands. However, over the past decade, we have seen Brown emerge as one of the industry’s top blenders. At the same time, we’ve seen him expand well beyond bold and dark wrappers and master a wide range of tobaccos and blends. With Orthodox, this blend shows that while Brown has expanded his horizons, he can still mix bold and dark elements.

When Orthodox was released, Brown commented, “Orthodox is really about Black Label getting back to its roots. We’ve done a lot over the last ten years but at our core we are about highlighting the strength & intensity of Nicaraguan tobacco. That’s what I went for with the Orthodox.”

Let’s break down the Black Label Trading Company Orthodox Toro without further ado and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Black Label Trading Company Orthodox Toro – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Orthodox features a Mexican San Andres wrapper over an Ecuadorian Habano binder and all Nicaraguan fillers. Production comes from Oveja Negra Brands’ Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Mexico San Andrés
Binder: Ecuador Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fabrica Oveja Negra

Vitolas Offered

Orthodox is presented in 20-count boxes and comes in three sizes: Toro, Corona Gorda, and Short Robusto. It was released in a single batch in 2024. Oveja Negra Brands has not announced whether or when this blend will be available again.

Toro: 5 3/4 x 50
Corona Gorda: 5 x 46
Short Robusto: 4 1/2 x 52

Appearance (*)

The Mexican San Andres wrapper of the Orthodox Toro had a chocolate brown color to it. There was a light amount of oil on the surface of the wrapper. Upon closer examination of the Orthodox Toro, some toothiness could be detected on the surface. There were some thin visible veins as well as some thin visible wrapper seams. The cigar was finished with a thick pigtail affixed to the cap.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Instead of pulling the pigtail off the cap of the Orthodox Toro, I used a straight cut to remove the cap and the tail simultaneously. From that point, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered notes of cocoa, cherry, earth, and a touch of soy. To me, this was not only a unique pre-light draw experience, but a a good one. Now it was time to light up the cigar.

Tasting Notes

The Orthodox Toro opened with notes of coffee bean, dark cherry, cocoa, soy, mixed pepper, and cream. Early on, the coffee bean notes moved into the forefront. The dark cherry, pepper, and cream notes settled in the background. The soy and cocoa notes also settled into the background but occasionally crept into the forefront. The soy gave the cigar an element of saltiness and Umami. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered an extra layer of pepper and soy.

The second third of the Orthodox Toro saw the soy notes join the coffee bean in the forefront. Meanwhile, the cocoa, dark cherry, pepper, and cream notes remained secondary. The cherry notes contributed sweetness, the cream and cocoa notes contributed smoothness, and the pepper delivered spice.

The final third saw the coffee bean notes remain grounded in the forefront. The soy notes receded back into the background. There still were notes of pepper and cocoa present. The cream notes had dissipated, and most of the cherry dissipated as well. That is how the Orthodox Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

Fabrica Oveja Negra has been the winner of multiple Small/Medium Factory of the Year Awards on Cigar Coop, and for a good reason: the quality and construction of the blends have been excellent. This is the case with the Orthodox Toro. The Orthodox maintained a straight burn line and straight burn path and didn’t require frequent touch-ups. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side. This ash was colored with salt and pepper tones, unironically reflecting the salt and pepper qualities of the cigar flavor. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The draw of the Orthodox Toro had a touch of resistance, which is something that I like. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance.

Strength and Body

When it came to boldness, the Orthodox Toro delivers in this category. This bold smoke started out with medium to full strength and medium to full-bodied flavors. Both the strength and body increase in intensity. By the second third, the strength increased enough to push it into full territory. In terms of the flavors, they remained in the medium to full range.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

In addition to blending his own cigars, James Brown designs his own packaging. The bands and boxes have the gothic vibe that Black Label Trading Company is known for. The boxes are a little sleeker than I am used to for Black Label, but they work for me. The best feature is the oil effect on the band, which gives the band the impression that it is painted with oil.

Packaging of the Black Label Trading Company Orthodox Toro

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

In the introduction, I noted James Brown emerging as an all-around blender, and he has been doing some fantastic work in that area. At the same time, he has not lost the Midas touch when it comes to the bold and dark blends. The Orthodox Toro is precisely as advertised – it is bold, dark, and a throwback to the earlier days of Black Label Trading Company. At the same time, the flavor profile is quite unique and doesn’t resort to being a cookie-cutter flavor profile of something else.

The Toro size was by far my favorite size of the Orthodox. In the end, since this is a bolder smoke, I would steer this to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again. Since this is a limited cigar, I’d get multiples to keep in my humidor. Coming in at 90 points, the Orthodox Toro earns a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee Bean, Soy, Cocoa, Dark Cherry, Cream, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full (1st third), Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good