Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Black Label Trading Company Eletto, specifically in the Short Robusto size. Black Label Trading Company is part of Oveja Negra Brands. I still vividly recall the buzz back in 2015 when Cigar Coop broke the exciting news about the launch of Fabrica de Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua. At that point, Black Label Trading Company was starting to make its mark as a boutique brand. This strategic move turned out to be a game-changer, as today, Fabrica Oveja Negra stands tall as one of the most successful factories in the cigar industry. To celebrate the factory’s 10th anniversary in 2025, Eletto was released as a special tribute to this significant milestone.
Eletto is Italian for “The Chosen One”. In a lot of ways, there couldn’t have been a better name for this cigar. At the heart of the factory operation is Fabrica Oveja Negra owner James Brown. Over the past ten years, Brown has really come into his own as a blender. I’ve said this many times: in the next 20 years, Brown is going to have his name alongside some of the all-time master blenders in our industry.
For now, we are going to turn our attention to the Eletto Short Robusto and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
Eletto features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The rest of the blend features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and all-Nicaraguan fillers.
- Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
- Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Fabrica Oveja Negra
Vitolas Offered
Eletto is offered in three sizes. Each comes in 20-count boxes. A single batch of Eletto was released in summer 2025 with an undisclosed number of boxes.
- Short Robusto: 4 1/2 x 52
- Corona Gorda: 5 1/4 x 46
- Toro: 6 x 50
Appearance (*)
The Eletto Short Robusto’s Broadleaf wrapper had a classic milk chocolate color. The wrapper surface had slight mottling. In addition, the wrapper had a light sheen of oil and slight toothiness. The wrapper had thin, visible veins and minimally visible seams. The cap is finished with a thick tail that almost looks like a fuma cap.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting up the Eletto Short Robusto, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. I removed the cap and the tail simultaneously. This is my usual way of working with pigtail cigars, but I’m not sure in this case it would have been effective to pull the pigtail off. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of bittersweet cocoa notes and earth. Overall, I found this to be a very good pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Eletto Short Robusto and see what the smoking phase would have in store.
Tasting Notes
The Eletto Short Robusto offered a nice assortment of flavors including cocoa, cream, prune, earth, and cedar. Early on, the cocoa notes became the primary notes. The cocoa notes had a nice sweetness. The prune, cream, earth, and cedar notes settled in the background. As for the background notes, the prune and cream were more prominent. Meanwhile, the retrohale had a layer of white pepper.
During the second third of the cigar experience of the Eletto Short Robusto, the cocoa notes developed some of the bittersweet qualities that were detected on the pre-light draw. Meanwhile, the white pepper notes emerged in the background on the tongue. The prune and cream notes diminished in intensity slightly and were now more on par with the cedar, pepper, and earth notes in the background.
The final third saw the bittersweet cocoa notes remain grounded in the forefront. Meanwhile, the pepper notes slightly increased in intensity. There were still prune, cream, earth, and cedar notes present. This is the way the Eletto Robusto came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and slightly soft to the touch.
Burn
The Eletto Short Robusto’s burn line had a little bit of waviness and meandering. The burn path stayed relatively straight, but it needed multiple touchups. The resulting ash had a mix of light, medium, and a touch of dark grays. The ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose or flaky either. As for the burn rate and burn, both maintained ideal levels.
Draw
When it came to the draw, Eletto Short Robusto had a touch of resistance. I personally prefer that in a cigar. At the same time, the Eletto Short Robusto was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
In terms of strength and body, the Eletto Short Robusto started out with medium strength and medium body. During the smoking experience, there was an increase in intensity of both attributes. By the second half, the strength and body progressed to medium to full. Strength and body balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
In addition to blend development, James Brown is also heavily involved in packaging design. Brown tends to design the artwork for the bands and boxes. For the Eletto, Brown keeps the black-and-white gothic style the Black Label Trading Company brand is known for. The band prominently features the text “ELETTO” in a gothic-style font. While the gothic-style art and font aren’t necessarily my thing, I do respect Brown for staying true to the Black Label Trading Company identity.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
The good news is that if you like vintage, old-school, dark, and bold Black Label Trading Company cigars, the Eletto is the cigar for you. At the same time, the Eletto brings its own identity. In other words, I found the combination of the cocoa and prune sweetness really gave this cigar its own identity. My only issue with the Short Robusto is that it was simply too small. This gives me more incentive to try the Corona Gorda and Toro sizes. At $12.95, it may still be a bit pricey for a Short Robusto, but it’s also a delicious artisan cigar. I’d recommend the Eletto Short Robusto to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again and buy multiples to keep in my humidor. I look forward to (and hope there will be) the next release of these from Oveja Negra Brands
Summary
- Key Flavors: Cocoa, Cedar, Prune, Cream, Earth
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium Plus
- Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
- Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Buy Multiples
Score: 90
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
