I had the pleasure of smoking this cigar with Studio Tobac's Ambassador Bryan "The Show" Scholle.

I joked around with the name Showstopper for the single reason that this cigar pretty much ceases your desire for any cigar in the same sitting. Don't get me wrong. You will still want to smoke another one but it's a hard one to follow up.

The smell and cold draw from this cigar is unique. It is a bit hard to describe other than not a typical Cain or Cain F. The draw was firm but not tight.

Initial light-spicy and potent. An intitial complexity that I could not quite pinpoint, however, spicy was the major role anyhow. Spicy on the palate and on the lips. I LOVE spice in a cigar!

As it was smoked down the flavors of a deep black espresso came to light with the spice maintaining a role in flavors. Some toasted nuts were in the background.

Towards the latter half the espresso was maintaining and the spice was still there but in a subdued fashion. You could still tell it was a major player but not overpowering the cigar. The generally ligero sweetness appears in a supporting roll in the cigar and not really noted until the second half.

I will say this. The cigar is one of the strongest I have had in a while. I got a bit of a cigar buzz from this animal. A nice lingering finish of a twangy goodness. As much as I love a few cigars in a sitting this one made me only want one. I will post some pictures asap.

In short-enjoy it, smoke it slow and soak up the goodness it has to offer. :-)
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Can't wait to get my hands on these bad boys nice review! :-)
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Sounds like a winner Eddie....thanks for the review!:-)
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It'll put a hurtin' on some rookies! :-)

There was 3 of us smoking it and lets just say...we all were just sitting there in shock. LOL
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great review! I'll have to ask our Oliva rep why he's been holdin' out on me with this one. lol
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He doesn't have them. These will for the most part only be available at events next year, and will be included in a sampler with 5 other non-production cigars.
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Grr...jealous doesn't begin to describe how I feel towards you right now :-) lol
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If I'm lying to you, I'm dying.....my rep literally stopped by the shop tonight unexpectedly right after I posted this today. haha And yes...even HE was jealous that someone else had tried one because he just found out about this cigar last week! Good call, sir!
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How's ol' Allen doing? I haven't talked to him since August.

Jason, you did read the thread about Sam stepping down from the Oliva Family, right? Could this be the last "Sam Leccia - Cain Production Cigar"? Quite possible.
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Pretty sure this was not a Sam cigar...
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Allen's doing great, man. I've seen quite a bit of him lately, but I only got to spend about an hour with him last night as they were shutting down at 8:00 and I already had a commitment to be somewhere.

Dwight and David went to eat with him, but before they did, the question had to come up about what was going on with the company. Sam's last Cain even on the tour is this weekend, and after that's he's done. We got the impression that it was abrupt and unexpected, but that he's leaving on good terms.

Also, I think our brother below is correct....if I understood correctly, the Cain F lancero is all Studio Tobac (Oliva's new concept cigar umbrella)....and with Oliva owning all rights to the Nub and Cain cigars, hopefully nothing will change. They're coming out with a Cain Daytona very soon that will consist of ligero tobaccos from only the Jalapa region of Nicaragua to smooth it out more and give a more medium-bodied experience. Not quite sure how that will be received seeing as how the whole identity of a Cain is it's strength, but we will see.

If you ask me....and I know you were just dying to ask me (ha!).....I've heard rumors and have the suspiscion myself that he and John Huber are going to collaborate on a project. If anyone else has heard this rumor, fill us in as I could see the two styles meshing pretty well.
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Thanks Eddie for the great review. I love the Cain F line myself and love stronger, flavorful cigars. Can't wait to get my hands on a 5'ver when I can (if I can!). Steve
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nice review Eddie:-)
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OCD much?

I'm sure whatever Sam ends up doing will be of extravagant proportions and will undoubtedly introduce us to a new way of thinking about cigars... as both of his previous projects (NuB and Cain) did.

I agree with your assertion about a medium bodied Cain... my question is why?... you know I'm a Davidoff fan... and to be quite honest... their attempts at medium or full bodied cigars have left something to be desired. Sounds like Oliva might be about to fall into the same trap perhaps? Maybe I'm naive or don't think outside the box enough but... seems to me like when you find yourself doing something really well... maybe you should just stick to your guns? Case in point, Fuente Opus X. They probably really don't care that much that they've been riding that pony for years... because that pony hasn't stopped yet.
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You know folks from Alabammer can take pride in their spellin' too!

I've also been meaning to tell you.....I think I'm becoming more of a Davidoff fan. The AVO Classic #2 is fantastic in the mornings and as far as budget cigars go, the 3x3 tubos and 4x4 churchills taste great and are a far better value than any other bundled cigar I've ever smoked.

However....I was definitely not a fan of the AVO LE 2010. I'm with you....stick to what you do best and keep pumping out a consistent product that people know and love. Innovation is great, but not at the expense of losing your identity.
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Thanks for the review!

I can't wait to try this one!:-)

Somehow one dropped in my lap:-)
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Great review Eddie...thanks for sharing!!
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Does Santa have his hands on these yet? If so, I'm adding this to my list!
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I would have to agree with Eddie, this cigar is a monster!

Quite possibly the strongest cigar I've smoked.

Loved the spice but I was unable to pick up the black espresso (probably because my palate had not completely recovered from EPIC). It was very apparent that the construction of this cigar was spot on. The Lancero burned nice and slow without requiring any touch-ups or relights. The pull had just the right amount of resistance, it never got bitter or tarry and the tangy finish was something I really enjoyed. As much Ligero as this beast boasts, the retro-hale was not painful at all.

Just make sure you have a decent meal before taking one of these down...

If these make it to production, I will definitely pick up a few.
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I'm quite surprised to hear this cigar is as strong if not stronger than the other sizes of the F due to the fact that it's the lancero. Now you guys have me verrrry curious to try one since you usually see less strength and more flavor in that vitola. I'm gonna pester the hell outta my rep now....good thing he and I are friends. lol
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