Studio Tabac Cain "Daytona"

I was excited to find this stick in my humidor at the Cigar Cave the other day. I had read about the Cain, but had not yet had the opportunity to try one. If you have not heard of the brand, Cain manufactures on of the only 100% Ligero cigars on the market. The Daytona is comprised of 100% Jalapa Ligero, which is the smoothest of the Ligero cigars produced by under the Cain logo.This is one of the milder cigars that Cain produces, but the Cain Daytona still promises to be a fairly strong cigar.

Now for a bit of education... No, don't go running for the hills, I will keep this short. The Ligero leaves on a tobacco plant are those leaves growing at the top of the plant. They are smaller than the leaves near the bottom and as a result they are provided with much more sun. This makes them thicker, and fills them with more nutrients than the leaves near the bottom of the plant which, in turn, makes them much more powerful when wrapped into a cigar.

The version I smoked was a Corona 6 X 46 version. It was very nicely constructed! the wrapper was very smooth, and the cigar

was devoid of any irregularities... No hard spots, no soft spots. Always a plus when selecting a good hand-made stick! The smell was very mild, slightly woody (mostly dry oak to me) with hints of cedar, possibly from curing. The cap was well adhered, kudos to the man or woman who built this one!

The pre-light taste confirmed my initial smell. The pull was easy and provided a nice woody taste, not overpowering of tobacco. With my first match I toasted the foot, and much to my pleasure the flavors intensified even more. There was the undeniable small of  woody tobacco. You judge for yourself, but I still swear to dry oak with hints of cedar. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest I have smelled my share of Oak (any maybe your share too!).

The cigar lit very evenly and burned quite readily making me think it may have been slightly under-humidified. I had only left it in my humidor for about a week at 72% and 70*. I know some of you may think this is a bit high, but the is Southern Oregon, and we don't have a lot of natural humidity to take advantage of! The firt flavors to hit my palate were very smooth, smoother than I expected for a 100% Ligero cigar! I was expecting a power-house cigar!

As I burned the first half inch, I was quite pleased. The flavors were very balanced with just a hint of spice on the exhale. If you like a smooth smoking stick, you may want to consider this jewel. The flavor was not as complex as many cigars out there with blends of tobacco from different regions of the world and different parts of the tobacco plant. Exactly as you would expect. I actually considered this a plus. I don't consider this a detriment... I have said this before, but my palate is not overly refined, and I cannot pick up half the flavors many cigar aficionados can from their smokes!

This is considered a medium full cigar, and I think that I would agree with that assessment. It is full, but not overpowering and smoother than most strong cigars that I have tried.

As the Cigar burned down, the woody flavors consolidated a bit, but the cigar didn't become strong or bitter. It burned exceptionally even like an expensive hand rolled cigar should, but this wasn't (from my limited research, more on this later) a 12 dollar cigar. The cigar did not produce a large volume of smoke (also a plus in my book), and the ash was tight, white and held on for well over an inch and three quarters!

As the cigar continued to burn, the flavors continued to intensify a bit, but never really evolved, just got a bit more powerful. It is, in my opinion a very monochromatic cigar. I think this may appeal to many cigar smokers out there as you know what to expect from the last draw from the first... I actually like my cigars to evolve just a bit... Maybe transitioning from slightly spicy to smooth and nutty... This cigar did not do that. This is what I would call a great "golf" cigar as you would not miss the transitions and subtle tasting notes that many cigars provide but you would still get the pleasure of a great tasting cigar while hitting the front or back nine!

Have I mentioned how well it burned! Even from the first light to the nub! I can't tell you how much I appreciate this in a cigar. There is nothing worse than a cigar than burns down one side and then the other... I may add a few of these to the humidor for a good general purpose smoke. There is not a lot I can say that is a negative. And, at just over 5 bucks a stick (online for a five pack, 5 for 26 bucks) I don't see how you can go wrong with this one.

Final thoughts on this cigar? It is a good "every day" smoke. It burns incredibly well, the flavors are smooth, balanced, yet strong for those of us that like the powerful sticks. Its flavors are mellow, consisting of mostly wood, perhaps a hint of coffee and just a smattering of pepper on the aftertaste. It was a good smoke from the initial dry taste to the nub. I would give it a shot if you are looking for a new experience.

Cheers! Jm

A Drawer Full of Options...

My Sparsely Filled Humidor

Look at that selection of smokes! I know it isn't the best stocked humidor, but it is MY humidor, and not too bad for a poor working stiff like me!

I am contemplating the next review... and I think the CAIN "Daytona" is gong to win. Since I read about the CAIN I have been eagerly awaiting the perfect time to sit and enjoy this 100% ligero cigar. That time is is quickly approaching! Saturday or Sunday for sure. Thanks to the great guys at the Cigar Cave for this one!

since I have started writing these reviews, I have been reading a lot of cigar reviews. It is funny to me the "complex" flavors that many reviewers seem to taste in their cigars. My flavor palate is not nearly so discerning. The flavors that I most taste in cigars are spice (especially with the dark maduro wrappers that I seem to prefer), wood (cedar and oak), coffee and tobacco... (go figure!) But what I tell all my friends that don't regularly smoke cigars try several, smoke what you like and don't worry about whether or not the industry considers it an award winning smoke.

What I look for when I peruse the humidor at my local cigar shop is a well formed, dark cigar that is firm to the touch (no overly hard or soft spots) and a "warm" inviting smell. Yes, I like to smell a cigar before I buy it which is difficult with some of the cellophane wrapped sticks you get today.

So what's in that meagerly stocked humidor you ask... well there are a couple Undercrowns (one of my faves), a CAO Sopranos (limited edition), an Acid Toast and a few others... missing from this photo is my all time fave the Cohiba Black (I have one left, but it was still in my travel humidor that I took playing golf the other day...).

As you go into your weekend, stop by your local cigar store and pick up a stick, something you would not normally try and enjoy!

Cheers
Jm

Partagas 1845 Crystal

Today's cigar is the Partagas 1845 Crystal which is the tubed version of the Rubusto. This was my first Partagas stick ever, and... spoiler alert... it was quite good. The packaging was superb, and the cigar inside hand picked to be the best that Partagas had to offer.

The cigar sports a dark brown/ aged copper hued Dominican wrapper over a Connecticut binder with a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. With ingredients like that you know you are dealing with a strong cigar! Execution in the construction of this smoke was of the highest caliber. The wrapper was pretty smooth, a bit heavy on the veins for a "perfect" wrapper, and the cigar was firm from end to end. No soft spots, no hard spots. Just a nicely rolled, hand constructed smoke from a top-notch manufacturer.

I am a bit odd when it comes to enjoying a cigar... I like to savor the entire experience. The feel, the smell, the tastes, the plume of smoke, the ash... everything you can think of when it comes to a fine cigar. I must say when I pulled this cigar from the glass vial it was shipped in, the smell was amazing. I couldn't quite place it, but it took me back somewhere to early childhood and some great memory that was just beyond latching on to. It had a sweet tobacco smell with earthy overtones of oak and cedar. Not over-powering, but just the right blends of olfactory stimuli.

Nipping the head, I was a bit dismayed that the draw was a bit tighter than I had hoped, but not excessively so (I hoped). My first pre-light draw was nice, very nice. Those initial smells were rewarded with a dry taste that matched... Slightly sweet tobacco, perfectly aged and cured with hints of earth and wood.

After a light toasting of the foot, which released even more of those great pre-light aromas, the cigar sprang to life. I mean this is the reason we buy these things, isn't it, to smoke them? My first impression was quite a surprise! the first draws revealed quite a creamy, earthy lightly woody taste with strong natural tobacco overtones. There were not a lost of spice notes, just a hint in the aftertaste. Wow, what a nice blend!

The first half inch burned a bit uneven, but it quickly corrected itself and burned straight and true for the remainder of the smoke. I did find the draw a bit too hard for my liking, but in looking, I had barely snipped the cap so I elected to open it a bit more... After cutting this stick a second time, I was still within the shoulder of the cap and the opening was quite a bit larger. But still the draw was a tougher than I prefer. That being said, It wasn't so hard it could not be smoked, just not as easy as I prefer... We all have our little peculiarities when it comes to our cigars, don't we?

As I worked my way through the fist inch and into the second, I was pleased to find that the flavors, though evolving, stayed very consistent. You could tell this was a powerful cigar (medium-full if you read the literature), but it smoked more like a medium to mild cigar! The cigar produced a nice amount of smoke, and the ash was tight and held on to the end of cigar nicely. To those of you that like a smoke that stays consistent as it burns, with flavors that evolve very little, you may want to pick on of these up. While the flavors do change from beginning to end, the evolve quite slowly, and never end up harsh or bitter.

As I passed the halfway point of the 1845 I was thinking to myself that this is a really good cigar for its price point! A quick internet search showed a price point of about four bucks per stick for larger quantities, you can expect to pay a bit more for singles at your Local Cigar Shop. But still an affordable cigar, and quality in an inexpensive cigar is hard to find.

The flavors at three inches had added a taste of nuts, still quite creamy, but strong tobacco and woody flavors continued. This really didn't smoke like a strong cigar, but that feeling that you get when you smoke a REALLY strong cigar was there, what was missing was that powerful punch with every inhale that you normally get. very nice.

As I neared the last inch or two I kept waiting for the flavor to sour... you know what I mean, we have all had "that" cigar... The one that concentrates all the flavor into the nub and the taste gets stronger and more bitter the farther down the smoke you get... But that is not this cigar. The Partagas 1845 was well balanced from beginning to end. The flavors did get stronger, but remained smooth and creamy from tip to nub!

I am glad the guys at the Cigar Cave recommended this stick to me. I am not sure it is one that I would have chosen for myself. The wrapper isn't as dark as I usually like them, the strength is a bit lower that I normally pick (I love a full strength cigar!) and the price was indicative of a cigar that was not manufactured with the best materials... Man, was I ever wrong!

So bottom line, this is a great smoke at a dang decent price. The lesson for me was don't be afraid to try something new. Go out on the edge, pick a stick you would normally not choose. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Cheers!
Jm