I got this cigar from The Longfiller Company as they release these cigars on the Dutch market and they wanted me to review it. Cain, made by Oliva and Sam Leccia and the Cain F is the strongest and boldest Cain blend available. F stands for "force revined" and there are 3 sizes on the marked, a robusto called the 550 (5¾x50), a toro called 660 (6x60) and 6x54 Torpedo with the name 654T. The cigars are pure ligero and contain Esteli, Condega and Jalapa ligero.

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The cigar is bold and rough with a dark brown and silky wrapper with big fat veins. This is the kind of cigar you expect with a biker, just from the looks of it. The cigar has a nice small band at the foot, which seems to be the new trend. The construction feels good and the cigar doesn't have much aroma. I smell a barnyard aroma though, but not strong. The predraw is a bit hard and leaves a mild peppery flavor on my lips.

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I can taste a quite full earth flavor with some leather. That sounds typical Cuban but it's not, Cuban flavors taste different. After two inch the leather becomes the strongest flavor while the earthy notes are support and the strength of the flavors tones down a bit to medium. I also get a bit of a chocolate flavor.

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After ⅔rd the flavors pick up again and I can also taste some coffee. The flavors keep growing in strength and I can say that the last part, the nub, is by far the best part of the cigar.

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The draw is a bit hard but still I get plenty of smoke from the cigar. The burn is good. The pepper and salt colored ash is very firm. This cigar is a powerhouse, full bodied but only medium to full flavored. Don't get me wrong, I like powerhouses like Oliva V, Opus X, some Tatuajes and even Joya de Nicaragua Antano, but while blending these cigars flavor came before strength and I suspect Sam Leccia wanted to create a cigar as strong and bold as possible and putting flavor second.

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Would I buy this cigar again? No, this is not my kind of cigar. It's not bad, but the balance between flavor and strength is off for my palate.

Appearance: 7 / 10
Construction: 7 / 10
Draw: 6 / 10
Burn: 7 / 10
Smoke & ash: 7 / 10
Aroma first part: 7 / 10
Aroma second part: 7 / 10
Aroma third part: 7 / 10
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I agree. I am not a big fan of the Cain F. I like the regular Cain Habano though. I also don't understand how they can call it "Straight Ligero" when it isn't. I mean, if you add up the % on the box, it doesn't equal 100% :-)
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Nice review Ferdie. I grabbed two of each size this weekend as I am curious about these. I do LOVE the maduro version of this stick. :-)
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Yes, nice review. I have had 2 of these and really enjoyed them. I like the stronger, fuller sticks and therefore this one is up my alley. I have a few more in my humidor and I'll have to pay more attention to the flavor profile next time. Thanks for the review. Steve
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Thanks for the review. I've been meaning to try these. Hope they live up to my expectations.
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Great review (as usual :-)).

I haven't tried any Cains yet, but I think it will be in the works soon. I don't mind full strength (as long as I have a full stomach), but I appreciate a full flavored cigar more.

A buddy of mine had a Cain Straight, and that didn't settle well at all with him. :-)
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I have a Cain something in my humi, thanks for the review.
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Cain Habano is one of my favorite sticks. The Cain F was good too, but I feel as though (in the sticks I had at least) that there was a better complexity of flavors and a more peppery taste in the regular Habano.

As for calling it straight ligero... I dunno I never did bother to add up those percentages. Good catch.
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It was me Kenyan was talking about, I was/am still new to cigar smoking and I didn't feel anything sitting down outside, it's when I got up of my lazy arse that it didn't agree with me...lesson learned for not reading about it beforehand.
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I guess that one can be chalked up to the "smoke a Cain of a full stomach" experience. :-)
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Nice Review Ferdie. :-)
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smoked the 550 tonight, that one is much better. Review will follow in the morning.
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