Blackened S84 Shade Corona Doble (7 x 50) Cigar

Blackened Cigars is a three-way collaboration between Metallica co-founder and frontman James Hetfield, BLACKENED Whiskey Master Distiller & Blender Rob Dietrich, and Drew Estate founder Jonathan Drew. "S84 Shade to Black" is the second release in the partnership, following the 2022 debut of "M81 Maduro to the Core" — the "S" nods to the Connecticut Shade wrapper, "84" to the year Metallica released Ride the Lightning, and "Shade to Black" to that album's power ballad "Fade to Black." Unlike the Drew Diplomat-exclusive M81, S84 was released to all U.S. retailers nationwide. Box count: 20 cigars.

Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over a Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro binder with Nicaraguan Maduro and Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro fillers. S84 keeps the dark maduro core of the original M81 and swaps in a shade cover leaf, balancing the smooth wrapper against the rich maduro interior. Handmade in Nicaragua; long filler, double-banded. Corona Doble format. Box count: 20 cigars.

A creamy, smooth, balanced smoke with an underlying sweetness and notes of spice and coffee. The Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper layers creaminess and slight spice over a robust, chocolatey core, with wood and nutty tones and plenty of nuance along the way. Reviews of this Corona Doble note sweet cedar, toasted nuts and light cream early on, building toward dark chocolate, charred wood and espresso in the final third.

Whiskey is the obvious choice — a single malt Scotch works especially well — but a strong espresso will do the job too.