Tonight at our weekly herf, Hal (hk3) and I did a side by side comparison of the new Cain line. I smoked a Cain 660 Habano while Hal smoked a Cain 660 Maduro. Both cigars were from the same retailer and had been in our humis for the same amount of time (both were purchased this past Saturday).

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Both cigars were constructed and burned very well. After a quick punch, we lit up and were on the way to taste comparison history!

First up, my thoughts on the Habano.

Taste was pretty damn good. I found it to be a bit mild for a cigar that had been totted as so strong. When I purchased the cigar, the man at the counter told me they were very strong, and word on the street(net) was this would kick my ass, or as my grandfather says, "knock your dick in the dirt." I thought overall it was way "underpowered" compared to what I had heard. The taste was great, the burn was good and it was a very enjoyable cigar. But as far as the "OMG PURE LIGERO KICK YOUR ASS SO STRONG" hype, nope, not at all.
Now, here is the cigar p*orn you've been waiting for:

Pre-light, with a side of Jack & Coke.
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1st 3rd-1/2
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Last Bit
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continued in part 2...
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...part 2

Now, on to the Maduro.
I can only give minimum input on this cigar as Hal smoked most of it, but here is my take and hopefully Hal will chime in with his thoughts. Construction, burn and draw were all about the same for this one. However the Maduro had a slight flavor difference. For me this cigar had an odd, but good, flavor. The best way I can describe it is like the slices of ginger that are served with sushi; sweet at first then a bit of spice kicks in. Hal may have some notes of his own, but this was my take. We did both, however, agree that the Habano was the better of the two blends.

Maduro Cigar p*orn time!

st third
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Hal decides to give the cigar a mid burn purge
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Mid-point burn (note: this is about as far in as Hal smoked, something about being a CC snob and it was beneath him or something :-) ).
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So in closing, we found the Habano to be better than the Maduro. Though I would not bad mouth either blend, the Habano just shone through more. Seems like Oliva has a good line on their hands here, and I look forward to having more of these.

Finally, a bit more cigar p*orn, a tray stand from a Nub Maduro I smoked after the cain
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I have smoked both wrappers multiple times and while I like both, I prefer the Habano wrapper as well :-)
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mmmmm these are a treat! IMO these sticks are very one dimensional, but are good smokes. I enjoyed the Habano wrapper the most.
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Great Review on a tasty smoke :-)
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I think people claim that they are going to 'kick your ass' because they contain all ligero, but I find them to be not nearly as strong as other people think they are. But then again I don't find many cigars to be over-powering. :-)
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I liked the Maduro better
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:-):-)
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I have to agree that the habano wrapper was more enjoyable but both are good cigars.
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Well like I said, didn't think either was bad but the Habano seemed to be a just a bit more smokeable. I'm usually a fan of maduros, but this just seemed almost like it was a week attempt at a maduro and didn't deliver the strength I expected. I still maintain that both were very good and would smoke either of them again.
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I started smoking full-bodied sticks b/c I liked that "knocked off my @$$" feeling, but now nothing seems to do that to me anymore.

This stick sounds good! Thanks for the review.:-)
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I'm waiting for these to hit my local B&M. Thanks for the review.
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great side by side thank you. I've only had the habano but I have the maduro waiting in my humi.
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I picked up a Cain today at a B&M and was hoping it would be a powerhouse. Oh well, I'm still looking forward to trying it soon.
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Nice side by side comparison. Both sticks are now stables in my humi...and of course, I prefer the maduro!! :-) Thanks for sharing.
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I'm going to have to pick up a habano. Tried the maduro wasn't too pleased. Definitely agree on that odd taste in the cigar.
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These sticks are wonderful =) I love the taste. Now that you have had the Maduro and Habano... go find you a Cain F. Those are where the best flavors are!
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Thanks for the review.
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Ring Ring! (that's my chime :-) )

Thanks for posting the review Jon! :-) I would consider buying more of the Habano wrappered Cains if I can get them in a smaller format. IMO, the Habano was much more enjoyable than the maduro. Maybe over time all of that could change, maybe not. I really enjoyed the sweet flavor on the nose exhale. The maduro was as Jon described being like pickled ginger. It wasn't horrible, just wasn't as good as the other. Will be looking for these in the near future in a smaller size.
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I've only smoked the Habano and I really liked it. I got more of a buzz from the Tat Cojonu 2006 than the Habano. I didn't think the Cain was all the strong...
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