BLACKENED S84 Shade to Black by Drew Estate

Two years after "cranking it up to eleven" with the introduction of the Blackened M81, Drew Estate partnered with Metallica and Blackened Whiskey once more, flipping the original cigar on its head with the softer tones of the Blackened S84 "Shade to Black" cigar.

Like the original, the S84 cigar is a three-way collaboration, featuring titans of industry James Hetfield (Metallica), Rob Dietrich (Blackened Whiskey), and Jonathan Drew (Drew Estate). Where the original M81 was named for the founding year of Metallica, the S84 stems from the band's 1984 sophomore album, Ride the Lightning (with the "S" in the title representing the cigar's <em>shade</em> wrapper).

Bearing the tagline "Shade to Black," the S84 offers a clever twist on the original "Maduro to the Core" blend, featuring hearty tobaccos (Connecticut Broadleaf binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania) throughout the interior and finalizing the recipe with a creamy Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. This makes for a familiar weighty texture to the smoke, yet bringing in the creamy and bittersweet characteristics of the Connecticut Shade wrapper. Expect a medium body, being thick and voluminous in smoke output and delivering standout flavors of barnyard hay, freshly cut cedar, white pepper, and heavy cream through the finish.