Welcome back to the Blend of the Week. 🔥

Every Monday we put one cigar under the microscope: what's in it, how it smokes, how it's been received, and whether it's worth your money. This week, the Blackened M81 by Drew Estate: the Metallica cigar that cracked the world's Top 10.

One honest note on strength: Drew Estate rates it medium to full, and reviewers agree the skinnier sizes burn closer to full. If full throttle isn't the goal, start with the Toro.

This cigar exists because of a whiskey. Blackened is Metallica's American whiskey brand, and its master distiller, Rob Dietrich, is a cigar guy. So is James Hetfield. The two smoked together for years, and when the band wanted a cigar worthy of the Blackened name, Dietrich made the introduction to Jonathan Drew. Hetfield and Drew then spent about two years trading samples and feedback before one version finally earned the band.

The name is the band's birth certificate: M for Metallica, 81 for 1981, the year it all started. And the partner matters. Drew Estate is the Estelí powerhouse behind Liga Privada and Undercrown, the standard-setter for dark maduro tobacco. Hetfield didn't license his name to a factory he'd never visit; he plugged into the people who do dark better than anyone.

The M81 launched in November 2022 as the line's opening track, "Maduro to the core" in Drew Estate's own words, and it's been in regular production ever since.

Flavor's personal, and we don't fake a chair we didn't sit in. Here's what this blend's makeup, and the reviewers who've burned through it, keep pointing to.

What's in it. The tagline is "Maduro to the core," and it's literal: every layer of this cigar is dark leaf. The wrapper is Mexican San Andrés maduro, the thick, toothy tobacco behind the cigar world's best espresso and dark chocolate notes. Under it sits a Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf binder, the rugged New England leaf Drew Estate built the Liga Privada legend on. The filler is where it gets nerdy: alongside Nicaraguan tobaccos there's Pennsylvania Green River One Sucker, an old-school, air-cured American dark tobacco you almost never see in a premium cigar. It adds a rustic, earthy backbone nothing else quite matches.

How it smokes. Synthesized from published reviews, not a smoke we're claiming we took.

Pre-light: a dark, oily wrapper with real tooth; the foot gives off dark fruit, a little black pepper, and dry bark. The cold draw lands smooth with just the right resistance.

First third: opens with a burst of black pepper that settles quickly into dark chocolate, dark berry sweetness, and roasted nuts around the edges.

Second third: the profile turns woodier and earthier, with a charred, almost meaty savoriness reviewers keep circling back to. A flash of cream shows up before white pepper takes over the retrohale (smoke pushed gently out through the nose, where this blend does its loudest talking).

Final third: the richest stretch of the cigar: deep earth, dark chocolate, and black pepper riding the finish as the strength climbs toward full. Give it space between puffs and it rewards you to the nub.

Construction: this is where Drew Estate's factory shows off. Halfwheel called the build outstanding from first light to finish, and Cigar Advisor's panel reported a beautiful burn and a dense grey ash. Budget 90 minutes to two hours for a Robusto.

How it's been received. This is the part nobody saw coming. Cigar Aficionado scored the Corona 95 points and ranked it the No. 7 cigar of 2023, hardware most legacy brands never touch. Cigars Daily customers agree: 4.7 stars on the Robusto, 4.6 on the Toro. The one real debate is size. Halfwheel found the blend rounder and smoother in the thicker vitolas, while Aficionado's medal went to the skinny Corona, which burns hotter and more intense. Pick your lane: Toro for smooth and cool, Corona for the full riff.

Pair it with. The intended match is Blackened American Whiskey, the band's own bourbon-rye blend, finished in barrels literally blasted with Metallica's music; its caramel sweetness stands up to the pepper. No bottle handy? A rye or a barrel-proof bourbon does the same work, and Drew Estate's own suggestion of an ice-cold cola is sneaky good against all that dark chocolate. This is an evening cigar, best after a real meal.

Who it's for. Maduro devotees first: if Undercrown Maduro or Liga Privada is your comfort zone, this is squarely your lane and a few dollars friendlier. Metallica fans get the rare band collab that respects them enough to be excellent. And if dark and medium-full isn't your speed, the S84 Shade to Black is the same band in a gentler Connecticut-shade voice.

Where to buy. Our shop of choice is Cigars Daily. They stock the M81 Robusto and Toro as singles, 5-packs, and 20-count boxes at about 10% under MSRP, with most orders shipping inside 24 hours. They carry the S84 too, so you can build your own A/B test in one cart.

Celebrity cigars usually sell the name and shortchange the blend. The M81 is the exception: a real Drew Estate maduro, built in the Liga Privada mold, that earned a 95 and a world Top 10 on merit. If you smoke dark, this belongs in your rotation, and at around eleven bucks a stick it's an easy yes.

🔥 Smoked the M81 yet? Hit reply and tell us where it landed, and if there's a blend you want us to break down next week, send it our way.