Description
Black Label Trading Works Killer Bee Privada James Brown Exclusive Lonsdale Aged 3+ Years
Size: 6.5×44 Lonsdale
Vitola: Lonsdale
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Fillers: Nicaraguan
Flavor Notes: Cocoa butter, peach juice, nut butter, peppermint oil, thyme, vanilla, butterscotch, cedar, frankincense, white florals, rosewater, almond butter, coffee candy, lemongrass, lemon, umami, cinnamon, roasted coffee, dried herbs
Pairing Notes: Rye bourbon, sarsaparilla soda, root beer, root beer barrel candy, medium roast coffee, bagel with cream cheese, milk chocolate pretzels, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry soda, strawberry ice cream, stout beer, peanuts
Manufacturer: Black Label Trading Works / Fabrica Oveja Negra (Nicaragua)
Privada Storytelling
Some cigars feel like personal triumphs. This is one of them. The Killer Bee Lonsdale you see here doesn’t exist on the market anymore. In fact, this was the exact size James Brown—the founder of Black Label Trading Works—kept for himself, smoking it at events but pulling it from shelves in 2020. Before it disappeared, though, he agreed to make and age a special batch just for Privada.
James and Angela Brown, the husband-and-wife team behind Black Label, live in Nicaragua, running Fabrica Oveja Negra with a philosophy that mirrors their global life. James, a wine sommelier, and Angela, a world traveler, once owned a bar on a remote African beach before moving to Central America. Their journey led them to the heart of cigars, where they now craft some of the most cult-followed blends in the industry.
This cigar is a slice of that cult history—aged over three years under Privada care and rolled at one of the most respected small factories in Nicaragua. Rich, creamy, and wildly complex, it’s an experience normally reserved for James himself, now brought to you in true Privada fashion.
Flavor Journey
First Third: Opens with cocoa butter, tobacco barn, and peach juice sweetness. The smoke has nut butter creaminess layered with peppermint oil, black pepper, thyme, vanilla, chocolate, and a syrupy butterscotch texture. Red mulch, frankincense, cedar, and instant hot chocolate join as the retrohale adds pepper and dried fruit tones.
Second Third: Florals bloom—white petals, orange blossom, magnolia, and rosewater. Black pepper fades into white pepper, balancing almond butter, chocolate with almonds, and coffee candy. Lavender and mint peek in, while lemongrass appears as a phantom retrohale note. Smooth, tangy, and deeply floral.
Final Third: Becomes vegetal and savory, with lemon zest, salt, umami butteriness, and cinnamon sweetness. Butterscotch shifts into simple syrup, with roasted coffee beans, dried herbs, cedar, and florals closing the experience. Tingling mouthfeel lingers to the finish.
Why It Belongs in Privada
Privada was built for moments like this: cigars you can’t get anywhere else, in sizes and ages the public never sees. The Killer Bee Lonsdale isn’t just rare—it’s intimate, pulled from James Brown’s own rotation and aged into something transcendent. It belongs in Privada because it embodies exclusivity, artistry, and story—a collector’s piece that also happens to smoke like a masterpiece.
