My Weekend Cigar Review: Warped La Colmena Black Honey

VIDEO CIGAR REVIEW: WARPED LA COLMENA BLACK HONEY (2023)

A Honey of a Smoke

The Warped La Colmena Black Honey first arrived on shelves in January of 2015. Now, nine years and two more limited edition releases later, the Warped La Colmena Black Honey 2023 has arrived. Combining blend ingredients from the Warped La Colmena Unico Especial and the Warped El Oso cigars, Black Honey uses an Habano Oscuro wrapper from Ecuador, plus a twin set of Ecuadorian binders, and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The cigar’s Belicoso format also remains the same as a five by forty eight petite belicoso.

The Warped Black Honey 2023 release also swaps-out the black paper bundles for wooden boxes of 10. Each very plain-looking box has “Black Honey” printed on it as if it was handwritten with a black marker pen.

Cigar Details

Factory: El Titan de Bronze – Little Havana Miami, FL
Size: 5×48 Belicoso
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Oscuro
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan

Presented in boxes of 10

Warped La Colmena Black Honey (2023) Cigar Review

This Belicoso boasts a flawless, even-colored wrapper with a perfect shade of brown. Cutting the head a little wider because I like a more open draw, the prelight issued a combination of earth and herbal flavors. Once lit, the smoke was earthy out of the gate followed by hints of dry earth and chocolate and landing with a peppery finish.

Saltiness arrived next mixing with hints of dry earth and wood while the pepper stepped aside. An earthier flavor dominated but the smoke was also very smooth. As the first ash began to form it had a very light, almost limestone color.

At a couple of inches in, the smoke turned smoother as some pepper hung on. Then, sweetness arrived, piercing the more dominant earthy-woody layer. The body also began increasing toward full.

At the midpoint, with the cigar’s name in mind, it occurred to me that the cigar was laced with a ribbon of honey. This underlying sweetness balanced also nicely with the darker earthy-peppery elements.

By the last few inches I was convinced this cigar had some of the most gravity resistant ashes ever tapped. Ironically, they looked like they were made of concrete. From there, the Black Honey continued to be a smooth, earthy and semisweet smoke and finally gave out at around 90 minutes.

Was Warped La Colmena Black Honey (2023) Weekend Worthy?

I thought the Warped La Colmena Black Honey was another fine example of what Kyle Gellis has been up to lately. Last year I reviewed the Sky Moon, and discovered the Bits of Havana Seleccion de Capital. The Belicoso isn’t my usual size of choice and this blend wasn’t my usual flavor profile. That said, there was something about it that really held my interest. I liked its smoothness and rich, woodsy aroma. I also liked that ribbon of sweetness that lies just below that more dominant earthy-woody layer. There are other nooks and crannies to also get lost in. So, with that I would say the audience for this La Colmena Black Honey would be smokers who’ve had a fair amount of experience. The MSRP may be a bit much for some, but if you’re in the market for a top-performing, artisan-class cigar with a dark, semi-sweet profile, you just might want to add a little honey to your diet.

Please Note: Gary’s review was based on two samples and that your experience may vary. If you’ve already had an experience with this cigar please share your thoughts with a comment