The Cain F is a Nicaraguan puro made up of 32% Esteli Ligero, 25% Condega Ligero, and 25% Jalapa Ligero. I guess we will never know where the other 18% of the tobaccos come from. Available vitolas include: Nub (4 by 60), Nub Torbedo (4 by 64), Robusto (5 ¾ by 50), Torpedo (6 by 54), Double Toro (6 by 60), and Lancero (7 by 38).

The Facts

Vitola: Lancero
Size: 7 by 38
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Pairing: Seham’s Costa Rican Coffee
Smoke Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Pre-light

The Cain F sports a dark brown wrapper that has a rusty undertone. The dark imperfections, color variations, veins, and bumps make this one rugged looking cigar. The oils off the wrapper can be felt as I examine the cigar for soft spots.  The cigar has a good amount of bounce and there are a couple of spots that are noticeably softer. The wrapper aroma is of cedar, dark earth, and some other unidentifiable vegetal notes. The cedar notes are sharper off the foot, with a minor vanilla sweetness.

The double cap gets the job done. Clipping through the first layer of the cap, I find a decent draw that has just a tad more resistance than I prefer, but nothing unexpected due to the smaller ring gauge. The cold draw showcases a myriad of spices that are very rich. It reminds me of the smell of potpourri during the holiday season. Both foot bands slide off with ease and I am now ready to fire up this Cain F Lancero.

First Third

Even with the resistance on the draw, a good amount of flavorful smoke fills my mouth with each puff. Right out of the gate, the Cain F is a flavor bomb, firing off black pepper, cedar, and deep earth.  The spice sits on my palate for a good amount of time between each draw.  At the one inch mark, the pepper has shifted down, while the cedar has settled into a more significant role.  There is also a sweetness that hits the tip of my tongue. The smoke has a very thick, chewy feel in my mouth and oily quality on the finish. The black pepper on the retrohale will wake you up but not unbearable. A beautiful layered ash is a result of an almost perfect burn. Flavors are full and strength is coming in at a solid full as well.

Middle Third

The Cain F Lancero is putting me in a nice, comfortable state. The smoke has become very rich, delivering a caramel-like sweetness that compliments the cedar notes.  However, the caramel doesn’t linger on the finish but more of a dusty cocoa. The cocoa may be tied to the Costa Rican coffee I am enjoying with the cigar. In a similar way that coffee pairs with a rich dessert, the coffee is offsetting the richness of the Cain F nicely. The burn line is not as sharp as the first third, but is of no concern. As I smoke this cigar, I can’t help but think how comfortable the lancero format is in my hand and mouth.

Final Third

Due to dinking around a little too long with the photos, the Cain F did go out on me. But in no time at all, the cigar is back in action with a quick re-light from my Zippo Z-Plus! lighter. The “F” has a little more heat in the final third. I am going to have to be careful not to overheat this 38 ring gauge beauty and ruin the flavors.  The spice has crept back in warming my entire mouth and there is a lingering spice sting on my lips. The combination of woodsy notes, spice, and caramel reminds me of a spice rum. Don’t ask me what kind of rum because my rum knowledge is way below par. The strength is definitely full but it has not pushed me over the edge.  With less than an inch left, the flavor has become a bit charred and it is time to put this Lancero down to rest.

Wrap-up

I am just going to say it. I freakin love this cigar! While it has been well over a year since I smoked the 2011 release, I felt that this release offered bolder flavors and more complexity. While ugly in appearance, the construction and burn were excellent. As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I lean towards cigars that deliver some sweetness and the Cain F Lancero it right up my alley.  I adore the Lancero format and it is just unheard of to find a lancero in the $6.00 range for single. Actually, skip grabbing a single, just buy a box. Several places on the web have boxes of 10 for under $60.00. I think I know what my next box purchase is going to be.

The post Oliva (Studio Tobac) Cain F Lancero appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Studio Tobac is a venture brought to you buy Oliva to provide experimental, and very unique cigars such as the Cain and the nUB lines. Back in march, the Studio Tobac board approved a request for a joint-collaboration product with Padilla Cigars. From the mouth of Studio Tobac’s John Gazzero:

“Even though we’ve existed for the last few years, Studio Tobac just became know to the public; so we’re very protective of the brand. This type of joint venture isn’t something we take lightly, and we’re not getting in the business of making private label cigars for anyone. Working with Ernie (Padilla) makes sense because he has been a friend of Studio Tobac for years. Ernie assured us that he will treat this project with integrity and respect. We’ve got some interesting ideas for the blend. I’m sure Padilla does, too. I’m excited to smoke the cigars. They should be pretty damn good.”

Produced with Oliva tobacco with direct input from Ernesto Padilla, a few others at Padilla Cigars, as well as the Studio Tobac Advisory board, the  exclusive “Padilla Studio Tobac” was born. These cigars are very limited, only 1,000 boxes of 10 will be made and will run $140 a box. These are now available, but won’t be around for very long. A special thanks to Smoking Stogie for the information. There wasn’t a whole lot online, but they always have the good stuff.

Size: 6 x 60  –  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  –  Body: Medium/Full

Prelight: The Padilla Studio Tobac is a very meaty, beefy Figurado format cigar. This isn’t a format that I smoke very often. I usually run into burn problems do to the bulbed foot of the cigar, plus it just doesn’t seem comfortable to hold. The foot of the cigar is so much heavier then the cap that it sets forth this strange balance in my hand. Let’s just hope the lack of comfort is something that the blend makes up for. Outside of the strange size the Padilla Studio Tobac is an exceptionally well constructed cigar. I can’t imagine how difficult this is to roll. The foot start off with this tiny little tip then explodes into a huge bulb which stretches and thins out across the body of the cigar until it meets the cap with a seamless, very pointy tip. The cigar boasts of oil. Each little ray of light that hits the silky wrapper shoots off a huge gleam of reflection. The wrapper feels really touch and durable carrying an extremely consistent light to medium brown with a bit of tooth, and only a few visible veins.

The band on this cigar is a monster starting with a huge silver, maroon, and black Padilla branded crest with the standard lion’s head we have all grown to love. Following the huge ass band is a tiny little black, white, red, and gold secondary band with the words “STUDIO TOBAC” and the small leaf branding on it. The wrapper of the cigar gives off an extremely sweet cedar aroma while the foot, because of it’s size, smells identical. The Padilla Studio Tobac cut very easily, and very clean using my Palio Double bladed cutter.  The cold draw surprised me with a huge kick of very strong pepper followed by some soft cedar, and very spicy notes.

First Smoke: The Padilla Studio Tobac surprised me once again when it started off with no pepper at all despite my cold draw conclusions. Instead it welcomed me with a really nice, subtle spice, strong cedar, and a soft leather with just a touch of citrus. The draw is remarkable despite being a pain in the ass to get going at first (most Figurados are).  Each little puff kicks out a huge mouthful of thick smoke.  The cigar gives off a ton of very smooth, sweet tobacco and cedar scented stationary smoke. The burnline, as expected is a bit wavy, but honestly not bad at all. At least, not as bad as I was expecting. This format is always hard to keep a solid burnline out of the gate.  The ash left behind is an interest dark grey, to light grey, then zebra striped mixture lasting about an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: This Padilla Studio Tobac is one of the most flavorful cigars I have had recently. I am really enjoying every single little puff. The main flavor is still this dominant cedar with a very, very sweet tobacco. The underlying flavors are a very soft leather and the citrus has now turned into a really nice fruit flavor. If I really wanted to stretch it I could say it has hints of apple, but for the sake of being subjective I won’t go that far. The retrohale is really nice and smooth coating with the cedar and some nice sweet spice. I am not feeling any nicotine at all at this point despite the size of this cigar. The burnline is now rocking solid and even as well which is great considering the format and the fact that I haven’t touched it up an at all.

Finish: The spice has really started to ramp up in this Padilla Studio Tobac. It’s a very nice and smooth spice, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. The cedar is still in there too but it’s taken a back-burner to the spice with backing flavors of the fruit and even some nice chocolate creeping in. Despite the size of the cigar and all the flavor this cigar has been smooth from start to finish, even approaching the final inch. No harshness, no relights, no touchups, just the way I like it! The body has ramped up a bit too, but I wouldn’t classify it above medium/full. This cigar took almost 2 hours to take down, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Overview: I really wanted this cigar to be bad. Not cause I don’t like Padilla, or Oliva, but for the simple fact that I have had a very long run of cigars that I really enjoyed and I didn’t want it to seem like I enjoy every cigar that I smoke. Too bad that wasn’t the case. This cigar is dynamite. From every aspect you look at it. Even the size. That’s right, I said it. I enjoyed the size. While uncomfortable I think it really added another dimension to the cigar and quite honestly I don’t know if the cigar would fair as well as it did in another format. I would love to try it though. The robust, and immense flavors the Padilla Studio Tobac kicked out kept me on my toes from start to finish. The smoother tones, and gentle body let me really sit back and enjoy the cigar without getting my ass kicked by body. While most people may think ~$15 is steep for a cigar, I think that price is perfect for a cigar of this caliber, and I would gladly pay it again. Too bad these damn things are so limited.

Pairing: I decided to pair this bad boy with a beer you tend to see a lot of in my reviews as the weather starts to cool down. Pawvel Kwak’s Special Belgian Ale. This amber colored 8.4% ABV ale is perfect for those chilly winter nights. It’s a very smooth, strong ale with notes of plum, sugar, caramel, and malt. This makes a perfect pairing for any cigar no matter how strong, dark, light, or mild.

The post Padilla Studio Tobac Figurado appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Oliva family story is not that dissimilar from a lot of the family run non-Cuban cigar producers. Originally, they were tobacco farmers in Pinar Del Rio Cuba and were eventually forced to flee due to communism. After testing the soils of various countries, the Oliva family settles in Nicaragua and began producing top quality tobacco again.

The Oliva Cigar Family doesn’t seem to venture too far from what works but what they do produce is extremely consistent, tasty and usually well priced. Their lines offer a variety of flavors and strengths ranging from a full bodied Serie V down to the mild Connecticut Reserve and even a specialty line called the Master Blends. Today’s review is focusing on the milder range of their lines, the Connecticut Reserve in the Robusto vitola. This line is also offered in a few other traditional sizes such as Churchill, Toro, Torpedo and Lonsdale. This is probably a cigar that a lot of people have already tried since it’s been around for a long time and seems to be a staple in most people’s humidor. Let’s see if we can find out why in today’s review.

Cigar: Oliva Connecticut Reserve
Drink: RocketFuelCoffee.com Panama Carmen Estate
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $4.50 – $5.50
Burn Time:

Construction:
• A velvety smooth and honey brown colored wrapper surrounds this cigar
• There are some visible veins on the cigar but they are all small and thin
• The cigar is finished with a clean double cap
• The foot appears well packed and cleanly cut
• The length of the cigar is fairly firm but has a slight spring to in, very consistent throughout
• Draw is a little tighter than I would have liked but it’s not terrible, I won’t re-cut or use a toothpick in case it opens up later
• The draw opened up a bit as the cigar progressed but it seemed to be smoking well so I never bothered to try fixing it

Burn:
• Toasting was very fast and surprisingly even
• Burn line has been fairly straight through the first inch
• As I get past the first third the burn is starting to go really one-sided, I may need ot correct it if it doesn’t catch on soon
• The burn line never completely corrected itself but it did not get worse so it’s still burning without any touchups at the half-way mark
• As I get into the last third, the burn line is just about straight now.
• Cigar started burning a little hot near the nub

Smoke & Ash:
• There’s not much smoke coming through on the draw and it appears fairly thin, not the thick cloud you would usually get on most other cigars
• The resting smoke is fairly consistent but not too thick or overpowering
• The ash appears clean and tight with a light grey tone to it
• The ash just doesn’t want to fall off, sign of great construction here
• Ash finally fell off just past two inches

Tasting Notes:
• The aroma on the wrapper is mostly of hay and some earthy notes
• Pre-light draw brought a lot of earthy notes and some woodsy hints
• Initial draws kept the earthy and woodsy flavors and added to that a slight tartness
• The Oliva Connecticut is starting off fairly mild and has a smooth creamy finish on each draw
• As I get past the first third I’m starting to pick up a toasted bready kind of flavor
• The retrohale on this cigar has no bite to it but finishes off with a smooth and creamy woodsiness
• As I pass the halfway mark I’m getting some nice roasted coffee flavors that are mixing well with the cedar and earthy smoothness
• The body picks up a bit in the last third, maybe just touching into the medium range
• Very minor bitterness near the end allowing me to nub the cigar until my fingers were burning

Final Thoughts:
The Oliva Connecticut Reseve made for a perfect morning smoke today and every time I have it. It has a smooth and creamy mild profile that is enjoyable for pretty much every level of smoker from novice to experienced. The burn and ash was also fantastic making the whole experience enjoyable from start to finish. The price on these is also very accessible. Although the MSRP is around the $5 mark you can usually find these on special for a much better value. This is a classic Connecticut that tastes exactly like you would want it to and remains enjoyable every time. If you haven’t tried one yet, keep your eyes open for some and give them a try!

Pairings:
Today’s pairing was a freshly brewed pot of Panama Carmen Estate Coffee which I received as a gift from Lisa over at RocketFuelCoffee.com. You can also track her down via twitter on @rcketfuelcoffee or @hisandherf. The location this gourmet coffee bean is grown is fairly interesting, it is shade grown at an altitude of 5,600ft. Give the full description a read over here. The coffee initially poured a bit light and I was a bit worried I had gotten the measurements or coarseness of the grind wrong. After taking a quick sip I knew it was just right. The flavor of this coffee fills your mouth quickly and offers up a unique morning cup. Rather than a strong bitterness I was met with a flavorful, yet light, mix of bright and roasted flavors. There is a natural sweetness to this coffee that could almost be characterized as fruity but with a smooth and deep finish. Made for a perfect morning pairing with this cigar! Other suggested pairings with this cigar would need to remain light, such as water or soda, maybe a light beer. But I think coffee makes the perfect match here.

The post Oliva Connecticut Reserve appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I really enjoy setting these up. As Tony mentioned, it allows you to pick up a cigar and smoke it with no biases on brand/wrapper/blender/price. When you think about it, there are a lot of things that can affect your opinion that you may not even realize. It could be a cigar you’ve had before, or one you’ve never tried. Sometimes it’ll confirm your first impressions or maybe introduce you to a new brand that you would have otherwise overlooked at the B&M.

This set of blind cigars comes from dk_fxn, you can find him on twitter @dk_fxn. He sent me the following 5 cigars as well as bombed me with some other awesome smokes such as an AF Shark, Opus X and an Illusione culebra. He even had the creativity to name them all uniquely. Can anyone tell me the link between all the cigar names?? Thank very much for the bonus sticks dk_fxn! Now let’s get on to these reviews. I did them in short paragraph’s and jotted them down as I smoked them, so it’s all based on what I thought at that exact moment. Hope you enjoy!

A toro shaped cigar measuring in around 6 x 48. The wrapper is a nice medium shade of brown, not quite maduro but not quite Connecticut, maybe a Habano? It’s clearly constructed and has no major veins. The aroma on wrapper and foot is mostly hay/barnyard and pre-light draw leaves a big spice kick on my lips.

The toasting was nice and easy and the initial draws brought flavors of toasted cedar and a bit of leather added to the peppery spice which is actually very minor at this point. The spice settled right down after an inch and a nice toasted cedar has taken control with a bit of earthiness and nuttiness mixed in there. Body starting off fairly mild but close to the medium threshold.

The ash on this cigar is very nice, it’s white, strong and clean. It lasted nearly two inches before I tapped it off. Retrohale has been bite-free with a smooth cedar finish since the start. I’m surprised more spice didn’t come through on this since i was expecting a lot of spiciness after the pre-light draw. The cigar has also been a smoke machine since the start, never letting me down and has been burning razor sharp through the first half.

Some more spice came into play just past the halfway mark, like a peppery nutmeg type of spice. the body and spice developed a bit more near the end but it stayed with a nice cedar flavor straight to the end with no bitterness, very enjoyable cigar!

REVEAL: Cain F Toro

Post-Reveal Notes: I’ve only previously had the Cain Maduro and Habano and both were quite powerful. This one however only barely passed medium. I’m not sure if it had some age on it or what it was, but is was a nice smooth and spicy cigar. Very surprised at this one.

A Grand Robusto or maybe 6×60 shaped cigar with a nice dark cinnamon colored wrapper. It’s fairly smooth with a couple veins but nothing that looks problematic. The wrapper has a very nice oily sheen to it and is mostly hay/barnyard scented. The foot has a very nice aroma of cedar, barnyard and a bit tartiness. The prelight draw has a nice cedar flavor with some raw nutmeg and cinnamon spices.

Initial draws are very very peppery with an undertone of cedar. The pepper-bomb died down shortly after and balanced nicely with the cedar, also getting a sort of toasted bread note and a nice creamy finish. The ash is a bit messy, I needed to tap it off after an inch the first time. I’m also having some burn issues where the cigar doesn’t stay totally lit and I have to purge or touch up, I’m blaming it on the weather since it’s -6C (about 22F) outside right now.

The cigar has a nice bite on the retrohale, nothing over powering, and a smooth creamy finish. It started off just about medium and is holding steady so far. At about the halfway mark the flavors haven’t changed a whole lot but that’s ok cause I’m enjoying them. They are well balanced and alternating turns being the most prominent, the toasted bready flavor is especially nice.

Passing the halfway mark and the peppery spice is really picking up, as is the body. In the full range now. The creaminess is gone and getting some leather in the mix with a bit or earthiness. The bite on the retrohale picked up as well with a cedar finish. The cedar eventually turned to a burning wood flavor, not really in a bad way, just different. It finished nice and full with the pepper and burning woodsiness balancing nicely.

REVEAL: Camacho Corojo

Post-Reveal Notes: This is one of the cigars that I would normally overlook in the B&M. The peppery flavors are not exactly up my alley but I can say that this was a well balanced cigar and would recommend to people who enjoy the fuller and more peppery-type cigars.

The “Easy” is a Corona shaped cigar with a tapered cap at the head. It has a rough appearance with some bumpiness and rough lines, makes it appear old. There’s one section with some major veins and a knot running through most of the cigar, hopefully they won’t cause any problems. The wrapper has very faint aroma, maybe of just some hay/tobacco and foot is pretty much the same since it’s a shaggy so I can’t really get a good aroma off the filler.

Initial draws and construction seem to be pointing my guess towards a Cuban but I’m not sure. I got one very interesting flavor here that I think I’ve never had before. While toasting and initial draws I got a Pine taste. Was actually very good paired with some cedar and spice. Spice quickly took a backseat to the cedar with a smooth leather and clove finish. So far going very well.

Construction has been perfect, no burn issues at all and ash is a nice light grey color and holding steady just past an inch each time. Body is fairly mild/medium and retrohale his a tiny little spice bite and a cedar finish. Lots of smoke on each draw.

As I approach half-way some more spice is making an appearance, getting a bit of pepper and some saltiness. Shortly after the spice took a back seat again while the saltiness stayed and some dried fruit flavors snuck in, I’m loving all the subtle flavor changes here.

The flavors kept taking turns to the end with only a hint of bitterness but nothing off-putting. This cigar had it all, construction, burn, and a nice variety of flavors. It was very similar to some run-of-the-mill/basic Cubans I’ve had, if its not a cuban they did a damn good job making it taste like one. It wasn’t overly complex but a good quality smoke, definitely enjoyable.

REVEAL: Arturo Fuente Curly Head

Post Reveal Note: A budget Arturo Fuente? They hit this one on the head! I found them online for about $2 or less. Definitely a great purchase and an easy cigar to hand out to friends who aren’t smokers. I think this will make a perfect choice for a lot of situations, even when you’re not paying it much attention. From some discussions I’ve had about this cigar, seems a lot of people overlook them. I’ve personally never seen them but they are definitely on my radar now. Perfect cigar to throw into a blind tasting!

A corona sized cigar with another oddly tapered, or maybe pointed, head. The wrapper is a nice mild chocolate color with lots of definition but no major veins. The wrapper gives off a sweet tobacco and barnyard aroma, the foot is closed with wrapper lead so not much of a difference in aroma there. Pre-light draw is mostly cedar with a bit of spice on the lips.

Had a bit of a tough time getting this lit. Initial draws are packed with cedar with some subtle coffee notes. The cigar is leaving a dryness on the back of my throat that I’m not too fond of. There’s not much interesting going on in the retrohale right now, very small bite and some cedar/tobacco flavors. Body is almost in the medium range for me so far.

Having a hard time keeping the cigar lit, keeps tunneling on me. The current temperature out here of about 17F might have something to do with that… The coffee flavors have developed a little more and I’m getting some nutmeg type spices. a nice change. Unfortunately the dryness on the back of my throat is still an issue but nothing to toss this cigar away for.

Around the half-way point some of the dryness seemed to stop, not completely but much improved. The coffee flavors developed a bit more into a nice espresso type of note and some leather and sweetness came into the mix. The body is slowing building up and the bite on the retrohale got a little more aggressive too but with a nice espresso finish. The burn also got much better in the last half.

With about two inches left I’m getting a new flavor I can’t quite pinpoint that is very tasty. It’s almost like maybe freshly baked goods, interesting! Definitely some more woodsy flavors, nutmeg and the espresso is turning into a bit of a bitter espresso, but not in a bad way. It finished off with mostly a sweet and bitter espresso flavor. Just an awesome finish, it was so tasty it could easily be compared to drinking a nice hot espresso. I kept expecting it to turn bitter but it never happened. Finished super smooth and damn tasty.

I have absolutely no guess on this one. It started off decent with some straightforward flavors and a dryness on my throat but really started to shine about halfway in. I can’t stress how good the last 2 inches was, tons of flavor and amazingly smooth finish.

REVEAL: Tatuaje Black Jar Release

Post Reveal Notes: A Tatuaje Black! Awesome! A Very rare gem and I’m very glad I had the chance to try it. Thanks so much for this one DK! Even though the start wasn’t as exciting the finish was just fantastic!

Click here to compare to Tony’s review of the Tatuaje Black OG Jar Release

A nice looking Grand Corona sized cigar with an interesting looking wrapper. The wrapper has lots of definition to it. Each vein, no matter how small, seems highlighted in a light brown color against the wrapper mainly milk-chocolately wrapper. The head is finished with a pigtail and there are definitely a few soft spots along the cigars body. The wrapper gives off an aroma of sweet cocoa while the foot is more barnyard scented with some hints of spice.

Pre-light draw is more barnyard and a touch of spice. Initial draws offer me a blast of pepper with some subtle coffee notes. I think there may be a Pepin influence going on here… The spice slowly started fading as the cigar progressed and the coffee notes made a more prominant appearence with nutmeg-life spice. Burn has been razor sharp since lighting. The ash is also very nice and clean and holds on just past an inch.

The cigar seems to be right at the edge of medium so far with a nice bite and cedar finish on the retrohale. At about the half-way point the pepper is still kicking around with the coffee and nutmeg. Hasn’t changed much but I’m enjoying the current balance. The pepper fades in and out of strength now and then, but it’s always there.

As I got into the last third the pepper and body both kicked it up a notch. The coffee and nutmeg is still around but it’s taking a backseat to the pepper. Can’t say I’ve had this specific cigar before but I’m almost 100% sure it’s a Pepin blend, maybe one of the 601 or DPG lines.

REVEAL: Ashton Benchmade Cazadore

Post-Reveal Notes: Looks like I was right! The infamous Pepin definitely did have a hand in blending these cigars. They are super budget friendly and pack an interesting mix of flavors. I’ve heard about them but always overlooked them as “just another budget cigar”. But they can definitely stand alone as a good smoke!

So if you actually made it down this far thanks for reading! This was yet another fun Blind Review Experience! Tony and I were thinking of setting up a blind review with some of our readers, would anyone be interested in participating? Let us know via comments or even email us directly!

The post Daniel’s Blind Review Challenge appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

NUb Maduro

This cigar was sent to me along with a pre-release Cain Habano by cigar maker Sam Leccia a while back. Ever since, I have been wanting to try it, but I knew I wanted to do a review on it and just hadn’t had the upcoming time to sit down and hammer one out. So here it is, finally. I am also completely aware that there are already 230942839402 reviews of this cigar already out there, hopefully my take will be a little different than the norm.
The Good Stuff: The NUb cigar was invented by the cigar genius Sam Leccia in his garage in 2006. The idea behind each NUb cigar is simply capture the true essence of a cigar. Every experienced cigar smoker knows that the cigar matures as it is smoke, making the final few puffs of each cigar a whopping powerhouse of strength and flavor. What NUb cigars bring is the same mature flavors, up front. No waiting hours to hit that sweet spot. NUb cigars a the “sweet spot” the whole way through.

Size: 4 x 64  –  Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

NUb Maduro

Prelight: First of all this cigar has some massive weight to it. Not to mention the famous NUb shape. At a 64 ring gauge this is a pretty fat cigar. I had never even noticed until it was time to light it up. The wrapper is a smooth, creamy maduro. The one i smoked was literally about 4 shades lighter than the ones I’ve found at my local B&M shop. There is only one visible vein, but it is very small and out of the way. The obvious torpedo shape extrudes through the head of the cigar while the foot is crisp and clean. The cigar itself is very hard and has no soft spots. The NUb maduro is extremely tight wrapped, which makes for awesome NUbStands! The first scents were very earthy/leather with soft notes of almost dirt, and tobacco.

NUb Maduro

First Smoke: This cigar took a really long time to light under my single flame torch. A lot of that probably has to do with its think ring gauge. The first draws were extremely weak, which REALLY disappointed me. The cigar wasn’t plugged at all either, I was receiving lots of airflow on each puff. Then, as if the NUb read my mind I was smacked in the face with not only the largest, but the thickest smoke I have ever pulled off a cigar. I smoke outside with the wife a lot of times, and even she got all excited and followed the smoke cloud as it drifted across my entire back yard. The taste of the NUb maduro is magnificent. There are very soft spices, mixed with earthy, leather tastes with small hints of cocoa, caramel, and straight up tobacco. This is a VERY smooth smoke. The burn is absolutely gorgeous and there are no signs of wrapping flaws.

On most reviews i follow up with a sentence like “i got about an inch of ash before it gave way”. The NUb is different. Different in a way that there were no ash droppings. I literally smoked the whole cigar from start to finish before it ashed the first time.

Nub Maduro

Halfway There: Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever had a cigar that kept such a balanced taste, smoke, and texture through its smoke like the NUb maduro has. The peppery spice is so well balanced with the tobacco, cocoa, and earth tastes. This is such an enjoyable cigar. The burn is still rocking perfect, and the draw is still massive.

NUb Madruo NUb Stand

Finish: That’s right. Tony’s first NUb stand. You see it all the time in pictures, and magazines, but you don’t realize what a feat it is until you actually do it for yourself. The whole smoke down I had been trying to be as careful as possible as to not knock off the ash until I could get this shot. And then when it came down to it the ash was just crooked enough to set the cigar off balance and it tipped over as I tried to snap the shot. Much to my surprise the ash held on. On the second shot i serious just smashed the ash into my ashtray. Sure enough, it held on just fine. Try doing that with any other cigar.

The finish of the cigar literally tasted just like the beginning. The NUb maduro is a VERY well balanced and well thought out cigar from the draw to the shape. All in all the NUb Maduro took about an hour and a half to smoke. A lot longer than expected. Bigger isn’t always better.

Nub Maduro

Overview: The NUb Maduro is a spectacle. It’s a great tasting cigar, extremely well balanced, and very affordable. I would not only try this cigar again, but I would honestly recommend it to any cigar smoker. The complex smoke and flavors are enough to stun any experienced smoker while the soft spice, smooth draw, and cocoa flavors are vivid enough to entice even the novice cigar smoker. This is definitely a box-buy considered cigar.

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Cain Straight Ligero Habano

Being that I am new to cigar reviews, I spend a lot of time reading other sites and blogs. One name stood out as of late and its all over the internet. The Cain Straight Ligero is all over twitter, blogs, review sites, and even the buzz in local stores. Needless to say I jumped at the first chance to get my hands on one of these bad boys that I could, getting a pre-release kit courtesy of Sam Leccia himself. He was kind enough to send a few of these out before release to cigar reviewers all over the Internet.

The Cain line of cigars (at this point I believe is is just a habano, and a maduro) are the newest release from the nimble hands of Sam Leccia, maker of the famous NUb cigar line. The Cain will be announced to the world at this year’s International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Event that took place this past week in New Orleans and is by far one of the most anticipated cigars to make face in this years event.

Cain Straight Ligero

The Good Stuff: The Cain Straight Ligero cigar is, as obvious of its name, a ligero based cigar. Ligero tobacco is the absolute top leaves from the tobacco plant. These leaves are not only said to be the strongest of the entire plant due to the excessive amount of sun they absorb, but the most flavorful as well. Taking it one step further has always been a trend when it comes to Sam, and the Cain in no doubt withholds that tradition with its triple fermentation process. Easily said, the ligero tobacco leaves are fermented three different times, producing massive amounts of heat withdrawing the strongest, and most flavorful tobacco possible while at the same time producing the longest burning tobacco. Although the Cain states “straight Ligero” the tobacco in this cigar are blended with Seco tobacco to produce a true burn.

Cain Straight Ligero

Size: 5×50  –  Wrapper: Ligero Habano  –  Filler/Binder: Ligero  –  Origin: Esteli, Nicaragua

Prelight: The Cain I happened to receive was a Belicoso (torpedo) habano. Which is actually my favorite shape. The construction of this cigar is magnificent. Absolutely no flaws, or soft spots. When I recieved my package UPS did a good job banging the hell out of the box, so I wasn’t sure what condition the contents would be in. The Cain Habano boasts a very dark, very smooth, chocolaty brown wrapper. This actually threw me off, and for a while I thought I actually had received the maduro. From what I hear I’m not the only one who made that mistake. There were very little veins. The banding itself is remarkably simple. A black and gold band, stating the words Cain Straight Ligero is soft script; the perfect touch, the Cain speaks for itself.

First Smoke: As a trend in most traditional cigars I have had recently the Cain Habano took quite some time to get lit under the gun of my single flame colibri butane torch. The first tastes were that of a woodsy cedar arrangement, followed shortly by sharp pepper spice. The Cain’s spice was incredibly strong and flavorful, and at times actually tickled the back of my throat while the strength of the tobacco made my eyes water. The draw was decent sized, and very thick. It wasn’t wrapped too tight, just tight enough not to let the immense taste over-power the smoker. The Cain, even in its beginning stages, has to be by far the strong cigar I have ever smoked. The scent of the Cain was well-paired with its cedaresque smells, mixed with that of leather and spice. The ash built up for well over an inch before giving way.

Cain Straight Ligero

Halfway There: I am so taken by the strength of the Cain, and the length of the burn. I can’t believe I have been going at this cigar for over an hour an I am barely reaching the halfway point. I’m not babysitting this guy either, I am hitting the hell out of it and the remarkably smooth smoke, with the great flavor is allowing me to do so. The taste is still hanging in there, and has yet to change, or decrease. The strength of the Cain has increased a bit by this point, while the burn is INCREDIBLY perfectly even.

Finish: When all was said and done the Cain Habano took me little over two and a half hours to smoke down to the nub. Again, I was going at this cigar like a champ. I am so blown away at the consistency in burn, flavor, and strength. Even towards the very end of this cigar, it was still a very smooth, enjoyable smoke. I took this down and one sitting, needless to say I was a bit light-headed and disoriented when I stood up for the first time.

Cain Straight Ligero

Overview: The Cain is one hell of a cigar, and anyone who has had one should be privileged. Because of the strength, and flavor, I wouldn’t recommend this cigar to any novice smoker, or those with weak stomachs. But anyone who has ever enjoyed a few good, stronger cigars this one’s for you. I would buy this again, and plan to do so in the very near future.

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