Black Works Studio Killer Bee Maduro Pyramid

More than any other company I can think of, Black Label Trading Co.—and its Black Works Studio sub-brand—loves releasing samplers in creative packaging.

At this year’s PCA Convention & Trade Show, the company had two different Black Works samplers that used non-standard packaging. Black Works Studio is a sub-brand within the Black Label portfolio, a collection of cigars that showcase the factory’s creativity, typically featuring multi-colored wrapper designs and often in interesting vitolas.

As far as the samplers, the one that stood out to me more was BOOMBOX, a 21-count box that was, yes, designed to look like a boombox.

In an even more interesting box and with a much longer name was the Black Works Studio The Five Temples Seven Star Fist of Shaolin. The words five and seven both appear in the name, but the box is six-sided, a curious quirk.

Inside the box are 24 cigars, different quantities of the following seven:

• 4 Black Works Studio Killer Bee Connecticut Pyramid (5 x 54)
• 4 Black Works Studio Killer Bee Maduro Pyramid (5 x 54)
• 4 Black Works Studio Killer Bee Sumatra Pyramid (5 x 54)
• 4 Black Works Studio Shaolin Candela/Ecuador Maduro Belicoso (5 3/4 x 46)
• 4 Black Works Studio Shaolin Habano/Ecuador Maduro Belicoso (5 3/4 x 46)
• 2 Black Works Studio The Hornet Pyramid PA Broadleaf (5 x 54)
• 2 Black Works Studio The Hornet Pyramid San Andrés (5 x 54)

Each sampler has an MSRP of $312 and production is limited to 1,000 samplers.

“This collection is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said James Brown, founder of Black Label Trading Co., in a press release. “I’ve been rolling various blends in this pyramid size for the last 12 years for myself. It’s finally time to do a production release. The vibe I wanted was an old-school Kung Fu movie, and The Five Temples – Seven Star Fist of Shaolin definitely has that feel. The concept was to create a collection that not only introduces a new vitola for the Bees & Hornets, but also showcases different wrappers. Each cigar is a unique representation of the blends, and the pyramid shape symbolizes the form of a Shaolin temple. The icing on top of all that is the two new versions of the Shaolin. Overall, I think this is the most exciting collection we’ve done for BLK WKS. For anyone who’s a fan of the Killer Bee and Green Hornet, this is a must-have!”

As noted by Brown, these are different blends, but all of the cigars are belicosos, albeit not all the same shape.

If you’re thinking, “that sampler looks familiar,” it’s because this is not the first time Black Label has released a sampler in a box with this shape. In 2021, the company released The Hive sampler, which also came with Killer Bee and Hornet cigars, albeit not the same ones. As you can see, there have been some changes to the interior layout.

• Cigar Reviewed: Black Works Studio Killer Bee Maduro Pyramid
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica Oveja Negra
• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf) & Ecuador
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $13*
• Release Date: October 2025
• Number of Cigars Released: 4,000 Total Cigars*
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

*As noted above, the sampler has an MSRP of $312, or $13 per cigar, and there are 1,000 samplers. Each sampler contains four Black Works Studio Killer Bee Maduro Pyramids.

My first thought is that it looks like a smaller version of RoMa Craft Tobac’s CRAFT 2013 La Campaña de Panamá Soberana. That cigar was 5 x 46/60, a lot thicker than this release, but the two cigars share a lot in common: the red-hued Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, the lighter stripes accenting the foot and, most importantly, the unique trumpet shape. Beyond the thickness, there are some notable differences: that CRAFT release didn’t have the stripes at the top of the cigar, the taper is much more pronounced on the Killer Bee, and the Killer Bee has a band. As far as Connecticut broadleaf, the wrappers are on the clean side with some more pronounced veins and discoloration, but no imperfection jumps off the surface like can sometimes happen with this tobacco varietal. The aroma from the wrappers is medium to medium-full with dry woods, leather, yeasty, saltiness and some barbecue smells. The foot of the first cigar has dark chocolate and some lemon, though the other two aren’t as sweet, with hickory being the only aroma of note. Cold draws are pretty consistent: medium-full with milk chocolate or a berry sweetness atop granola, wood and, on the third cigar, a toastiness that reminds me of a cigar shop. The other consistent thing is that I can smell the wrapper more than I can really taste the cold draw. When that happens, the contrast of the sweet cold draw makes the wrapper smell a lot more pungent than it did when I made my impressions about the aromas a week ago.

The first two Black Works Studio Killer Bee Maduro Pyramids start pretty similar: burnt toastiness, woodiness and a touch of grass before it transitions into dark fruit sweetness. There’s the similar wood and terroir flavors on the third cigar, but it’s got pepper and some harshness that dramatically change the overall complexion. Unlike a traditional belicoso, where the taper is limited to just the very top part of the cigar, the entire length of the Killer Bee Pyramid changes. After just a few puffs, the flavor is regularly changing, I suspect as a result of the constant taper. An inch in, the first and third cigars are in very similar spots; the flavor profile has become quite toasty with dry terroir, leather, paprika and varying amounts of pepper. The second cigar is similar, but the toastiness comes across less burnt and more like a whiskey. Because the flavor ratios are changing at nearly every puff, it’s difficult for me to really put a firm grasp on the finish. For the most part, it’s pretty similar to the initial flavor, though the first cigar has more starchiness, including a sticky rice flavor, and some creaminess. Retrohales drop the toasty qualities altogether, though the first cigar has a roasted flavor. In general, I find them to be saltier and introduce some fruity flavors, though not particularly sweet flavors. The third cigar has a distinct jalapeño salt flavor, something I use occasionally when cooking. After retrohaling, the finish is noticeably softer than it is when not pushing smoke through my nose. Rice cakes, semi-sweet earth and citrus are present, though there’s also some sharp pepper in my throat. Flavor is full, body is medium-plus and strength is medium-plus or medium-full. The first cigar’s smoke production from its foot is concerning—I regularly look over and see no smoke from the ashtray—but combustion is fine. All three cigars’ burn lines could be better, but only the second cigar requires a touch-up to correct a very uneven burn.

Leather really picks up in the second third, and at times it’s stronger than the toastiness; however, I think for the majority of time, the toastiness is the leader. Nuttiness is present in the first two cigars, though I get a different salty pasta flavor—imagine too much salt in the water—from the third. Dry terroir and black pepper remain, though the paprika has oddly departed. Again, I struggle to find much of a difference during the finish, though the second cigar is presenting some whisky-like flavors, albeit with only minor amounts of peat. Retrohales add some different sensations—nuttiness, yellow mustard and dark fruits—but the toastiness and pepper are ever-present. Unfortunately, the finish isn’t as dynamic, now just a slightly less toasty version of what I get on the finish when I don’t retrohale. Flavor is medium-full or full, body is medium-plus or medium-full, strength is medium or medium-plus. For those interested about the individual cigars: the second one is the lighter in each of those categories, whereas the first and third are stronger. The speed at which the cigar is burning picks up as the ring gauge reduces, but oddly, combustion issues are becoming a thing. Between the three cigars, there’s a total of five touch-ups in this section, almost all for combustion, though the burn lines aren’t perfect either.

You might have heard or read about cigars having “sick periods,” times when the tobacco is changing and just not in a good spot for smoking enjoyment. Typically, that’s referring to a cigar—usually a Cuban cigar—being stored in a humidor. But there’s a half-inch section, usually right around the end of the second third, that might as well qualify for the term. Each cigar gets really bitter, which isn’t enjoyable, especially not for this profile. But then, after barely a handful of puffs, things change and the cigar no longer has the overwhelming bitterness. For the most part, it’s a return form of the existing profile, but the second cigar really tastes like a glass of whisky, peat included. There’s thick earthiness, some meatiness and sharpness, different than how the cigar had tasted at any point before. Retrohales are getting more affected by the toastiness, though they are still able to deliver some unique contrasting flavors like buttermilk creaminess or some caramel sweetness, though it’s buried underneath the toasty and terroir sensations. Again, the second cigar is tasting like I’m drinking a whisky: peat city. Flavor is full, body is medium-full or full and strength is medium-plus. Unfortunately, even with a quicker smoking rate, each cigar needs at least two touch-ups to help make it through the last inch or so of the cigar.

Final Notes

• You can also see the seven theme on the box: there are seven different hexagons, made to show a piece of honeycomb.
• As the cigar tapered out, the combustion became a real issue. I wonder if this is the physics of the cigar thinning down.
• When I was first learning about cigars on the internet, I would see non-standard vitolas like this one and get all excited, as the cigars looked so cool. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that there are reasons why cigars are offered in standard shapes. Undoubtedly, it’s trickier to blend cigars for a shape like this because the ring gauge of the part of the cigar that is combusting is always changing.
• While there are lots of whiskey/whisky flavors, I wouldn’t recommend pairing this with a glass of either. I think the flavors would be too similar to be complementary.
• I’m a big fan of the Killer Bee blend in the lighter Connecticut wrapper option. To Brown’s point, the wrappers make a huge difference. This is a completely different cigar from those: not the same flavors, nor the same approach to flavor.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The cigars for this review are listed as 5 x 54 belicosos. Above are the measurements for the three cigars I smoked. Because of the taper, I did not measure the ring gauge. At less than 10 grams, these are abnormally light cigars.
• Final smoking time averaged 90 minutes. I’d venture to guess the first inch took about 40 percent of that.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Famous Smoke Shop and Fox Cigar carry the Black Works Studio The Five Temples Seven Star Fist of Shaolin sampler.

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.