Blackened M81 Toro - Box of 20

M81 took two full years to develop, and the process itself is part of the cigar's genuine story: James Hetfield and Rob Dietrich kept personal journals throughout the blending sessions, tracking which flavor notes they liked and which they didn't, until Jonathan Drew was able to pinpoint the exact recipe all three could agree on. The result is a thick, oily Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper wrapped around a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and a genuinely powerhouse filler blend, Nicaraguan and Pennsylvania Broadleaf tobacco that includes some of the strongest ligero leaf in Drew Estate's entire inventory.

At 6 x 52, this Toro is widely considered the best-performing size in the whole M81 line, and Cigar Coop's own review specifically named it the standout of the four vitolas they smoked. The cigar opens with dark earth and heavy pepper, a bit of tingle and texture with the slightest sweet spice trailing on a long finish, before the first third settles down into a more approachable medium body, sweet cocoa and coffee taking over as the pepper and earth recede. The midpoint brings thick, medium-full bodied smoke built around coffee and cocoa with light leather joining in, and a baker's spice character developing on an increasingly long finish. The final third shifts toward a syrupy sweetness with only a touch of added strength right at the nub, a genuinely well-paced, developed smoke rather than one that peaks early and fades.

Construction earns consistently strong marks, an excellent draw and a very good burn throughout, and this is a cigar Cigar Coop rated 90 points and specifically awarded their Standard of Excellence designation. It's recommended for more seasoned smokers given its genuine intensity, though reviewers note it's approachable enough that a newer smoker curious about bold maduro cigars wouldn't be discouraged from starting here either.

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Flavor progression:

1. Opening: dark earth and heavy pepper lead the way, a slight tingle and the faintest sweet spice trailing on a long finish
2. Mid-smoke: sweet cocoa and coffee take over as pepper recedes, light leather and baker's spice joining in as the smoke thickens to medium-full
3. Close: a syrupy sweetness develops through the final third, strength picking up only slightly right at the nub

Key Features:

1. Brand: Blackened by Drew Estate
2. Line: M81 Maduro to the Core
3. Collaboration: James Hetfield (Metallica), Rob Dietrich (Blackened Whiskey), Jonathan Drew
4. Released: 2022
5. Development Time: 2 years
6. Recognition: 95 points (line-wide, Cigar Aficionado), #7 Cigar of the Year 2023
7. Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, Estelí, Nicaragua
8. Country of Origin: Nicaragua
9. Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés (Maduro)
10. Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
11. Filler: Nicaraguan, Pennsylvania Broadleaf (including high-strength ligero)
12. Construction: Handmade
13. Vitola: Toro
14. Size: 6 inches x 52 ring gauge
15. Strength: Medium, building to Medium-Full
16. Flavor Profile: Cocoa, coffee, leather, cedar, dark earth, pepper, baker's spice
17. Smoke Time: Approximately 70 minutes
18. Box Count: 20 cigars
19. Price per Cigar: approximately $6.90