I smoke a large variety of cigars and cigar strength has never been an issue for me, but this week I met my match...the Cain F. I was curious about the Cain line and ordered what I thought was a sampler of the standard Cain line. Unknowingly I ordered a sampler box of the Cain F and tried one before a dinner. Big mistake. At first light I knew this was going to be an outstanding cigar. The blend was smooth and complex, with a richness that I immediately appreciated. But then, about an inch into it, I tried to stand up. This cigar almost dropped me where I stood. I wanted to smoke more but I just couldn't handle the strength. It was so smooth and delicious that it fooled me into thinking it was more mild and I hadn't prepared myself for such a cigar. The Cain F is a cigar with unreal flavor and smoothness but with unreal strength as well. It is, by far, the strongest cigar I've ever smoked, bar none. Stronger than Pepin, Tatuaje, Camacho, anything. But the Cain F is such a great cigar that I'm ordering another two sampler packs to pull from when the moment is right. Only next time I'll be ready for it.
my first VSG nearly made me sh!t my pants years ago.
"Cuban seed tobaccos grown in Nicaragua and Cuba. The wrapper would be from Cuba. The binder leaves would be from Nicaragua. For the ligero tobacco in the filler, he would use two types, one from Esteli and the other from Jalapa in Nicaragua. The other filler components, seco and viso, would come from Cuba, the former from Villa Clara, the latter from Pinar del Rio. That Cigar, he says with pride, would score 100 points." -Don Pepin Garcia
If anyone is interested, I got the sampler at Atlantic cigars. If you look at the listing, you can see why I inadvertently bought the F cigars. There is no mention that the sampler box is different from the regular Habano line. Perhaps my dyslexia is kicking in but I doubt it.
1 - take VERY small puffs 2 - put it down BEFORE you get light headed and take a breather 3 - don't smoke more than a quarter inch before resting 4 - don't try to smoke this cigar as you would any other 5 - allow a full night of smoking this one stick. with all the breaks you need, it will last hours and be very rewarding and satisfying.
have to agree with joe, this is a very strong cigar but I also agree that it compares to the antano. the thing is, I smoked the antano years ago and I didnt eat anything, well not a full meal. the antano is a bigger cigar and I had to give up on it. the cain I like better and if I wanted a strong smoke, I'd pick the cain F over the antano. I smoked two cigars last night, the epernay and then the cain F and the cain still sticks out to me. I scoured the net this morning and most of the day looking for this F and seems it is only available by buying a box of regular line cain and then you get the F as a freebee. I just bought a 4pack of the habano and the 5box of the F so that I can compare and see which is more flavorful. what got me about the F last night was the crazy dark, rich color and the construction and the aroma was just off the charts for me. flavor started out just great with a rich earthy and slight spicy flavor and really made an impact right off. the profile only gets darker and earthier from there and soon you get a pit of spice in your stomach. I smoked it all the way and have to say that its during the middle of the smoke that you're hit but by the end, I was fine and ready for something to eat. I didnt feel sick just speedy, like i just had a red bull or something.
Posts: 678 | Location: uniontown , PA | Registered: August 06, 2007
I smoke the JDN Antano quite frequently and it isn't even in the same ballpark as the Cain F (strength wise). The Cain F is incredibly strong, yet smooth.
Posts: 3287 | Location: WI | Registered: November 16, 2007
The trouble with the Cain F is that once you get used to it's strength, it spoils your enjoyment of other cigars. Well, not really but almost. The Cain F has everything good about a Nicaraguan puro but dialed way up. Yet it remains smooth and not overly spicy. Just well balanced with an abundance of flavor, complexity, richness, and intensity. It does, however, take a while to maintain a burn. It is so oily that it's a bit hard to get going. Although once it does, the burn is even and deep. Towards the end the cigar seems to mellow and gain a chewy quality that is as rich as a dry-aged prime steak, medium rare. :-)
Just bought a box of Cain maduro torps just so I could get my free Cain F sampler.... I love a strong cigar, I'll update how it is once I've had a full meal and a chance to smoke it.
