Cigar Info
Black Star Line Cigars was started by Adetola “Aric” Wimberly-Bey, or simply Aric Bey, a former Chicago Firefighter. With some assistance from his friend Derrick Bell, he was fulfilled his lifelong dream of starting a cigar company. In starting his company, he even got sage wisdom from none other than Jonathan Drew. From there, he met Sandy Cobas at El Titan De Bronze where their first line was made. Today we will be reviewing their second line, the Black Star Line Dark War Witch.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The Black Star Line War Witch Dark is a Nicaraguan puro that comes in two sizes: 6 x 46 Corona and 5 x 50 Robusto. The cigar was launched in only the corona size, then the robusto size was added last year. It is rolled at Aganorsa Leaf’s factory, Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A. (formerly TABSA). Each cigar has an MSRP of $11.99.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Corona
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 46
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Corojo 99)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A
Blender: Aric Bey
Number of reviewers: 4 – Quinn (quinnpins269) Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard) Jai P. (Jai) Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Price: $11.99
Age: 7 Months
Release Date: November 2021
Contributed by: Black Star Line
Initial Impressions – Black Star Line Dark War Witch Corona
Appearance: 93
“First impressions of this cigar were great. It had a very well-done box press to it, I did not notice any imperfections in the roll or bunching. The wrapper had a nice light caramel color to it with minimal veins to it.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
Aroma: 90
“The aroma was quite mild, but it did offer some sweet woody notes.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Quite a bit of spice starting out and takes several draws before the cigar starts to offer more in the way of identifiable notes. Chocolate soon joins. The draw is amazing and leather jumps into the profile. Nearing the end of this third chocolate does sweeten up a lot.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Nutty, nutmeg, meaty and peppery.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
Second Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“A little pepper was introduced, but still earthy.” –Jai P. (Jai)
“Cigar has an insane nic kick. Chocolate soon fades but leaves a honey-like sweetness. The cigar doesn’t have a lot of complexity but enough to keep my interest. Burn is okay but the draw is phenomenal.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Still some pepper notes throughout this final third. I did start to pick up a hint of sweetness similar to chocolate-covered espresso beans. Which was a pleasant finish to this cigar.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
“Cigar had a rough start but is definitely worth the wait. Pepper has calmed leaving the best part of honey and leather. Does have a bit of bitterness on the finish now but is manageable.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Overall Impressions – Black Star Line Dark War Witch Corona
Draw: 93
“Draw was both effortless and a high point for me in this cigar close to perfect.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Burn: 89
“Throughout the first third, the burn was a little wavy, but it always seemed to correct itself. As the review continued the burn started to straighten out nicely. I never needed to touch it up. ” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
Construction: 93
“Nice firmness, a smidge on the soft side, but still very nice.” –Jai P. (Jai)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 94
“I would reach for this one again. The cigar was a nice mild-medium profile that did not stray at any point. The bitterness I experienced at the beginning had me worried but the cigar got past that quickly and was very enjoyable. Bonus points for being a box pressed lonsdale.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
“Other than an uneven burn, this was a great cigar. Flavor profiles were on point.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“If simple is what you’re looking for, this is the smoke for you. With nice construction, an even, burn and a nice draw, personal flavor preference is the only area for debate. I immediately experienced an earthiness that covered all the corners of the palate. Not so much that it was offensive, and not too mild to be boring. As the ash grew, notes of pepper began to take center stage while the earthiness began to erode. After close to an hour, the experience closed out with the subtle earthiness returning under peppery tones.” –Jai P. (Jai)
“The cigar drew well burned okay and tasted very good minus some small details. Definitely box worthy. Would smoke and enjoy again without a doubt.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 67
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Quinn | 95 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 92 | 88 | 90 | 93 |
| Joseph S. | 92 | 90 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 88 | 92 | 95 |
| Jai P. | 83 | 92 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 92 | 90 | 92 | 95 |
| Ryan H. | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 90 | 92 | 93 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.