Brand: Cain Maduro
Blender: Sam Leccia
Vitola: Robusto
Ring Gauge: 50
Length: 5.50
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Origin: Nicaragua
MSRP: $5.80

Brand:

The Cain Straight Ligero line is the newest creation from Sam Leccia. Just like the Nub line, Cain cigars are crafted by the Oliva Family of Cigars in Nicaragua. Cain is available in both Habano and Maduro wrappers and are intended for those seeking extremely full bodied cigars.

The power of this cigar comes from its combination of Ligero. Both offerings feature a filler blend of 25% Esteli Ligero, 27% Condega Ligero, and 30% Jalapa Ligero. The remaining 18% is an undisclosed combination of tobaccos which help the stick burn properly.

Cigars are packaged in boxes of 24 and are available in three sizes. Those sizes include a Robusto (50 x 5.50), Double Toro (60 x 6.00), and a Torpedo (54 x 6.00).

Pre Light:

Before lighting my Cain Maduro, I gave it a good looking over. The first thing to catch my eye was the lack of sheen on the wrapper leaf, which gave it a dull appearance. The color was a mottled dark brown with occasional spots of black.

There were a couple of small veins throughout the wrapper leaf, none of which protruded to add a rough texture. Despite the small veins, this stick had a very lumpy appearance which did not do it any favors. When pinched, the cigar did not feel uniformly packed with tobacco and instead was full of soft and hard spots.

The aroma on the wrapper was heavy while the aroma on the exposed foot was even more intense. When smelling the foot, the smell of the tobacco seemed to tickle my noise and routinely made me sneeze. The aroma at both places reminded me of damp earth.

After a quick clip with a guillotine cutter, I had the head of my Cain Maduro open. The pre light draw had very little resistance and had a mildly sweet taste. The lack of resistance on the draw, paired with the lumpy feel of the filler, had me a little concerned.

First Third:

After my pre-light inspection was complete, I moved to toasting and lighting my Cain Maduro. As the tobacco began to burn, a thin line of smoke began to rise from the foot. The aroma of this smoke instinctively made my crinkle my nose and turn my head. I was amazed at how stinky and offensive this stick was, even before it was bellowing smoke.

After my cigar was evenly lit, I took my first puff and was rather surprised. As foul as the room aroma was on this cigar, the smoke was surprisingly smooth. The finish did not have any aggressive qualities and was easily passed through the sinus. The body is well inside the full spectrum, just as I would have suspected being labeled as Straight Ligero.

The core flavor was what I can best describe as oaky. As the core flavor settles, I get a sort of dense meaty flavor. The surprising thing here is that the volume of flavor is very low. In terms of body and strength vs. flavor, this cigar is out of proportion and lacks heavily in the flavor department.

The burn line was thin and relatively even while producing a highly aggressive room aroma. I constantly felt like I was inadvertently dodging any resting smoke lifting from the cigar as it irritated both my eyes and nose. Despite the loose pre-light draw, the draw was excellent throughout the first third and provided a generous supply of dense smoke.

Second Third:

After about an hour of smoking, I was just about through the second third of my Cain Maduro. The body has remained fairly consistent and did not pick up much along the way. It remains very full and carries with it a vast amount of nicotine. The finish is smooth and surprisingly easy on the palate. I found that blowing the smoke through my sinuses was effortless and did not produce any uncomfortable sensations.

There was virtually no change in the favor department. The core remained a sort of oak wood flavor while producing a dense meaty secondary flavor. I’m still shocked at just how lacking this stick is in terms of flavor, it seems like it is nothing but power. The level of nicotine is high enough that I’m already feeling shaky and am developing a mild headache.

For the amount of ligero within this cigar, I am impressed with how well it burns. Up until this point, the cigar has yet to require a touchup. The ash is light in color and holds a nice compact shape. When the ash developed to about an inch in length, it is easily knocked off with a gentle tap.

Final Third:

After nearly an hour and forty-five minutes, It was about time to consider setting down my Cain Maduro. The body picked up slightly as the cigar progressed but not enough to say that it made a significant step into another segment of the body scale. The finish remained smooth and easy on the palate.

At this point I am growing disappointed at the lack of flavor intensity in this cigar. Just like in the second third, it seems to be very unbalanced to favor strength over flavor. While I can pick up flavors of oak, it just isn’t enough to make it seem significant and results in a very generic Nicaraguan tobacco taste with no finesse.

I’m not sure if the level of nicotine is increasing, or if the effects are simply piling up. I have developed a mild headache and my hands feels shaky, as if I’ve put away a pot and a half of strong coffee. The room aroma remains very heavy and irritates my eyes and noise. While the cigar sits in the ashtray, I find myself glancing over to make sure a stream of smoke isn’t going to waft across the room and hit me in the face.

Final Thoughts:

In terms of burning characteristics, this cigar was very impressive. With all of the ligero in the Cain Maduro, I was so sure it was going to burn and perform miserably but I was pleasantly surprised. In regards to flavor levels, I was very disappointed with this stick. I hate to say it, but in my opinion, this is the least flavorful product of all of the Oliva offerings I have had to date.

I can’t help but think that this cigar is designed for those seeking out the most wicked power bomb on the market. The nicotine levels were uncomfortably high and deliver one hell of a nicotine buzz. The smoke was amazingly smooth and easy on the palate for something so strong. While this stick may be extremely popular and making a splash across the web, it just isn’t for me.