Blackened S84 Shade to Black Toro Review

Today, we review the Blackened S84 Shade to Black in the Toro size by Drew Estate. The S84 Shade to Black is the second release under Drew Estate’s Blackened brand. The Blackened cigar brand brings together Metallica’s James Hetfield, Sweet Amber Distilling’s Rob Dietrich, and Drew Estate’s Jonathan Drew. The trio came together to release Blackened M81, an all-Maduro cigar. The S84 Shade to Black adds a Connecticut Shade offering under Drew Estate’s Blackened brand.

S84 Shade to Black pays homage to Metallica’s second album, Ride the Lightning. Shade to Black is an ode to the song Fade to Black. The “S” references the (Ecuadorian) Connecticut Shade wrapper used. Initially, the cigar was released as an unbanded Freestyle Live Mystery cigar in January as part of its sixth Freestyle Mystery Pack. Just before PCA 2024, Drew Estate revealed the mystery cigar as S84 Shade to Black. This new addition to Blackened was Drew Estate’s featured new release at PCA 2024. S84 Shade to Black is being offered to all Drew Estate retailers.

Let’s break down the S84 Shade to Black Toro without further ado and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blackened S84 Shade to Black Toro by Drew Estate | Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, the S84 Shade to Black uses a Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro binder. The fillers are a combination of Nicaraguan Maduro and Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro leaves.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan Maduro and Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate

Vitolas Offered

The S84 Shade to Black is presented in 20-count boxes. Its four sizes are the same as Blackened M81.

Corona: 5 x 43
Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Corona Doble:7 x 50

Appearance (*)

The Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper of the S84 Shade to Black Toro was light brown with a slightly weathered look. Its surface had a light coating of oil and some visible veins and wrapper seams.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Before lighting up the S84 Shade to Black Toro, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a mix of coffee, cream, and touches of cedar. Overall, this was an excellent pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band of the S84 Shade to Black Toro, toast up the cigar, and move into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The S84 Shade to Black Toro opened up with notes of coffee, cream, wood, cedar, and a touch of natural tobacco sweetness. Early on, the coffee and cream notes moved to the forefront, and they had a near-cafe au lait-like fusion. The wood, cedar, and natural tobacco rounded out the flavors from the background. On the retro-hale, there was an additional layer of cedar.

During the second third of the S84 Shade to Black Toro, the coffee notes remained in the forefront while the cream notes receded into the background. Concurrently, both the wood and cedar notes gradually increased. In addition, some black pepper surfaced in the background and on the retro-hale.

By the final third, the wood and cedar notes displaced the coffee notes. The coffee notes, natural tobacco, black pepper, and some residual cream notes remained. This is how the S84 Shade to Black Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and soft to the touch.

Burn

While the S84 Shade to Black Toro maintained a relatively straight path, it did require several touch-ups. The touch-ups did the trick, but they were needed more frequently than I prefer. The burn line seemed to be slightly jagged throughout the smoking experience. As for the ash, it was somewhat skewed toward the looser side. This was an ash that was light to medium gray. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

Blackened S84 Shade to Black – Burn

Draw

The draw to the S84 Shade to Black Toro was open but not loose. I usually prefer a little more resistance to my draw. In the end, there were no adverse effects from the open draw. At the same time, the S84 Shade to Black Toro produced a nice layer of smoke.

Strength and Body

I had smoked the Freestyle Live version of this cigar. One thing I noted when I smoked that is that this was a bolder Connecticut. When it came to the released version, all I can say is what I smoked had considerably mellowed. This was a cigar that started out mild to medium in strength and body before progressing into medium territory for both attributes in the second half. Throughout the smoking experience, the body maintained a slight edge over its strength.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

Once again, the design team at Drew Estate did a fantastic job with the packaging. The S84 Shade to Black differs from the M81 in that it uses white boxes with black font (as opposed to black boxes with copper) font. The footer band differs in denoting the S84 Shade to Black Cigar, and it uses white on black (as opposed to M81’s copper on black). The primary “BLACKENED” band remains the same.

Blackened S84 Shade to Black Packaging

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

One thing about the mellowing of this cigar compared to Freestyle Live, I actually think it worked in favor of this cigar. While the cigar mellowed, I think it brought out some of the flavors better. For the first two-thirds, I dug this cigar’s flavor profile. The final third is when the wood and cedar notes emerged. It wasn’t a bad profile in the final third, but it wasn’t at the level this cigar performed during the first two-thirds. In the end, this is a cigar I would not hesitate to smoke again, and it’s one I can recommend to any cigar enthusiast. At $10.50, this cigar is still quite a bargain in today’s market, so it’s one I can say to buy multiples and keep in the humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Cream, Wood, Cedar, Natural Tobacco, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (Second Half)
Body: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (Second Half)
Finish: Very Good