Black Label Trading Co. La Madonna Negra Corona Gorda
📌 Brand: Black Label Trading Co.
📌 Line: La Madonna Negra
📌 Size: Corona Gorda Box Press (5 1/2" × 52)
📌 Weight: 12.3 g
📌 Age: 3 years
📌 Origin: Nicaragua
Tasting Notes
Dark Cocoa – Present only briefly in the beginning
Black Pepper – Sharp and unbalanced
Bitter Earth – Takes over after the first third
Burnt Wood – Dominates the collapse
First Impressions
La Madonna Negra Corona Gorda starts promisingly, with an attractive dark Conncticut Broadleaf wrapper and firm, well-packed feel. Pre-light aroma reveals cocoa, earth, and pepper. The cold draw is good and suggests a rich, medium-to-full-bodied profile.
Smoking Experience
First Third – Opens reasonably well with dark cocoa, pepper, and some earthy depth. Construction appears stable and the cigar seems promising.
Second Third – After the first third, everything collapses. The burn becomes uneven, the cigar starts tunneling, and multiple corrections are needed. Flavors lose all definition and turn bitter.
Final Third – Construction deteriorates completely. Repeated touch-ups and relights create harsh burnt wood and acrid bitterness. Any enjoyable elements from the opening disappear entirely.
Pairings
Alcohol – Ratafia de Champagne (France) - Sweet grape richness and soft acidity help bring some balance and rescue the palate from the cigar’s bitterness.
Tea – Korean Corn Silk Tea - Gentle sweetness and a clean finish help calm the harshness after the cigar falls apart.
Music Pairing
“Tuesday’s Gone” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Reflective and fading away, matching how the cigar loses everything that made it promising.
Final Thoughts
La Madonna Negra Corona Gorda begins with a hint of promise, but after the first third the construction and flavors completely collapse. What starts as a decent cigar becomes a frustrating and unpleasant smoke.
Final Score: 2/10
Why not a 10?
After the first third, both the construction and flavor profile completely fell apart, leaving a bitter and disappointing experience.
Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.