Blackened M81 Maduro Toro (6 x 52) Cigar

Blackened Cigars "M81" by Drew Estate is a three-way collaboration between Drew Estate co-founder Jonathan Drew, Metallica co-founder and frontman James Hetfield, and Rob Dietrich, master distiller of BLACKENED American Whiskey — a friendship that began with Hetfield and Dietrich smoking cigars together before Dietrich introduced Hetfield to Drew. Announced in September 2022 and roughly two years in the making, the blend was developed by sending samples to Hetfield and Dietrich, who kept journals of the flavor notes they favored until the trio settled on one blend. The "M81" on the foot band is a nod to 1981, the year Metallica was formed; the line debuted through unbanded Freestyle Live sampler packs before its December 2022 release to Drew Diplomat retailers.

Built "Maduro to the Core" — a thick, oily Mexican San Andres maduro wrapper over a Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf maduro binder and a filler of Nicaraguan maduro and Pennsylvania Broadleaf maduro, including the potent leaf Drew Estate refers to as Green Sucker. Hand-rolled long filler at Drew Estate in Nicaragua, with the cigars resting in cedar marrying rooms before the dark maduro wrapper goes on. Toro format, 6 x 52. Box count: 20 cigars.

An all-maduro profile that smokes dark and dense, led by espresso, leather and dark chocolate with black pepper and earth underneath. Reviewers of the Toro tracked the opening chocolate shifting into mocha and then straight black coffee, with cedar, nuts and a thread of fruit sweetness filling in behind. The finish is rich and lingering, trading on depth of flavor rather than sheer nicotine punch.

The natural match is BLACKENED American Whiskey itself — reviewers who paired the M81 Toro with the Blackened spirit found its sweetness made for an excellent companion to the cigar. Strong black coffee or espresso also holds up to the dark maduro core.

Evening with Metallica.