The only thing that was hard about reviewing the blackened s84 shade cigar was that I didn’t light another one right after. A conneticut experience i never have had before.
The cigar is a collaboration between Rob Dietrich (mater blender and distiller) at blackened whiskey, music legend James Hetfield (guitarist, singer and one of the founders of Metallica) and the founder of Drew estate cigars Jonathan Drew. I have previously written about how music is a perfect pairing with cigars, but this cigar shows the pairing in a completely different way.
Construction
The bands around the cigar were a perfect example of less is more and gave a somehow powerful impression. It felt a bit like it was a mysterious blend hidden in a humidor, with minimal text to preserve as much of the blend as possible, to be taken out and enjoyed by a lucky few.
The Drew Estate blackened s84 shade was incredibly firmly rolled with a silky smooth oily feeling to it.
Wrapper: Connecticut Ecuador – Binder: Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro USA – Filler: USA and Nicaragua
Scent and cold draw
The scents I was met with were a bit shocking and incredibly pleasant. The wrapper had a scent of hay and incredibly sweet fruitiness while the filler was a bit extra shocking. I have never before experienced that my thoughts have been taken to peach and vanilla without the cigar having been infused before. A masterpiece I cannot describe. The cold draw was incredibly tasty and worked as an appetizer long before lighting. Something I regretted not doing, that I took more time before. But I was eager to get it lit and see what it had to offer. The cold draw gave me flavors of strangely chamomile tea and peach.
1/3 Lets enjoy the first third of the Drew Estate blackened s84 shade to black toro
When I lit the cigar I was greeted by a silky creamy texture and smooth flavors of coffee with cream, cedar, nuttiness reminiscent of sweet almond and an incredibly sweet Fruitiness that no matter how unreal it sounds with a weaker nuance that is most easily described as peach. In the background there were flavors of carbonation, grass and another flavor nuance that took me by surprise, a tartness that can only be described as a combination of citrus and raspberry. The retrohalation tickled my nose a little lightly and gave nuances of cedar. I can’t say anything other than that I was shocked and almost couldn’t believe my taste buds. An incredibly good start to the cigar.
2/3 Lets enjoy the second third of the Blackened s84
The texture changed a bit and was creamy with a light buttery hint. The flavors I felt were raspberry-like acidity, hay combined with cedar, nuttiness in the sweet almond direction and coffee with cream and sugar. In the background there were flavors of fruitiness that still had nuances of peaches and sweet dried herbs. The retrohalation became smoother but still tickled a little lightly in my nose and gave nuances of cedar.
3/3 Lets see how the Drew estate blackened s84 ends
The texture was as before creamy with a slight hint of butteriness. The flavors I felt in the cigar were Sweet dried herbs, nuttiness in the sweet almond direction, sweet fruitiness with a hint of peach peel, general woodiness, hay and leather. In the background there were nuances of coffee with cream and sugar. Retrohalation was now completely smooth and gave nuances of cedar.
After taste
General woodiness
Body
Medium bordering on mild
Smoke time
85 minutes
Conclusion
Drew estate blackened s84 shade to black toro is a cigar that has an incredibly unique flavor profile. It is incredibly sweet and has some flavors that stand out from the crowd. The body that is on medium makes it suitable for most Aficionados. If I compare price vs taste vs quality I think it is far too low in price and you get much more than what you paid for.
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