4" x 60 ring gauge, Price TBD
Keith Said:
The Cain F Nub is the newest creation by Sam Leccia. According to Sam this will be released sometime early next year after the Cain Habano Nub and Cain Maduro Nub are released sometime later this year. Currently the only way you can get a Cain F Nub is to get one from Sam at one of the Cain F Tour stops. Sam was gracious enough to give samples to me and Dave at the recent Cigar International Cigar Fest.
In looking over the cigar I noticed that the cap was slightly off center, that there were a few medium veins running down the cigar and that the wrapper was very toothy. The wrapper was one of the oiliest wrappers I've seen. I could feel the oil coating my fingers after I put down the cigar. In feeling along the length of it the cigar felt firm to the touch with a slight sponginess at the foot of the cigar. The wrapper had a scent of barnyard and the foot smelled of barnyard too, only slightly less intense. I cut the cigar with my trusty Xikar MTX and was rewarded with a good draw and some tastes of spice and sweetness.
I knew it was going to take some firepower to get this lit up I used my Coilibri Enterprise triple flame torch to get it started. After I lit it up I immediately got a spiciness on the tongue and in the retrohale. There was a slight sweetness to the lips that balanced out the spice. As I continued to smoke I got a pepper spice on the back of the throat. I was also getting a taste of bittersweet chocolate. The burn line was slightly wavy, but that could have been due to the gusting wind I was dealing with at the time I was smoking this cigar. The ash was holding up well and it had a stacked look to it.
Continuing on to the second third some woody notes started to come through with the spice and chocolate flavors. I was also getting a taste I couldn't put my finger on, but it was almost herbal. I also got a taste that I would describe as cola. The spice did tone down a bit in the second third. I tried to do a Nub stand but wasn't able to due to the wind and the fact that the ash was a bit curved. The ash did continue to hold firm throughout the second third.
In the final third the taste didn't change a whole lot. However there were hints of leather and tobacco coming through. The spice did come back a bit. The ash continued to hold firm. It actually fell into my lap right after I took this picture.
While the cigar wasn't the most complex Cain I've had, or my favorite Cain, it was still enjoyable. I would say that this is my new favorite Nub though. I'd be really curious to see how this would smoke after sitting for 6 months or so. This is another great creation from the mind of Sam Leccia.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 6/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1 (Based on the cost of previous Nubs)
Total: 9/10
Prelight draw was excellent and I got typical Cain prelight notes of cocoa and spice. Lighting a thick, ligero-heavy stick is always a challenge--I recommend a triple-flame torch and lots of patience. Initial light-up gave me flavors of pepper spice, cocoa powder and a nice autumn-type spice...maybe nutmeg? Hard to say for sure. Since this was the start of summer in East Tennessee (temp hitting 90 degrees), I paired this cigar with one of my favorite beverages: unsweetened iced tea. The first third continued on its way very full of body, but not quite as full of flavor as I have experienced with other Cain F vitolas. It had a slight earthy quality to it along with some of those flavors I got upon initial light. The draw was not as good as other Nubs I've had either (even after a great prelight draw). Although adequate, it did not get quite enough smoke through and I was already feeling the stick heat up. The burn line was straight, though.
This cigar did burn very slowly and gradually did pick up in the flavor department. By the time the second third started I was getting more and stronger notes of cedar and coffee to go with the cocoa and earth. The autumn spice had all but disappeared. The ash continued to build and hold on tight, which is somewhat typical of Nub cigars. I was unable to get a long enough ash for a Nub-stand picture, though, as it did unceremoniously drop off...and there was no wind to speak of, either.
In the end, I have to agree with Keith that this is not destined to be my favorite vitola of Cain F. I much prefer the small ring gauge 550 that allows for a deeper appreciation of the wrapper leaf. Where I do not agree with Keith is that this will not end up being my favorite Nub, either--that place is still held by the Connecticut, which is still one of the best mild cigars on the market. The Cain F Nub succeeds at being a great marriage of Sam Leccia's cigar concepts and a fun vitola to smoke. It has plenty of flavor along with plenty of strength--although I still have not seen these to be nearly as strong as they were originally marketed to be. I am sure I will purchase them when they become widely available, but I do not see a box purchase in my future.
Body: 9/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
Keith Said:
The Cain F Nub is the newest creation by Sam Leccia. According to Sam this will be released sometime early next year after the Cain Habano Nub and Cain Maduro Nub are released sometime later this year. Currently the only way you can get a Cain F Nub is to get one from Sam at one of the Cain F Tour stops. Sam was gracious enough to give samples to me and Dave at the recent Cigar International Cigar Fest.
In looking over the cigar I noticed that the cap was slightly off center, that there were a few medium veins running down the cigar and that the wrapper was very toothy. The wrapper was one of the oiliest wrappers I've seen. I could feel the oil coating my fingers after I put down the cigar. In feeling along the length of it the cigar felt firm to the touch with a slight sponginess at the foot of the cigar. The wrapper had a scent of barnyard and the foot smelled of barnyard too, only slightly less intense. I cut the cigar with my trusty Xikar MTX and was rewarded with a good draw and some tastes of spice and sweetness.
I knew it was going to take some firepower to get this lit up I used my Coilibri Enterprise triple flame torch to get it started. After I lit it up I immediately got a spiciness on the tongue and in the retrohale. There was a slight sweetness to the lips that balanced out the spice. As I continued to smoke I got a pepper spice on the back of the throat. I was also getting a taste of bittersweet chocolate. The burn line was slightly wavy, but that could have been due to the gusting wind I was dealing with at the time I was smoking this cigar. The ash was holding up well and it had a stacked look to it.
Continuing on to the second third some woody notes started to come through with the spice and chocolate flavors. I was also getting a taste I couldn't put my finger on, but it was almost herbal. I also got a taste that I would describe as cola. The spice did tone down a bit in the second third. I tried to do a Nub stand but wasn't able to due to the wind and the fact that the ash was a bit curved. The ash did continue to hold firm throughout the second third.
In the final third the taste didn't change a whole lot. However there were hints of leather and tobacco coming through. The spice did come back a bit. The ash continued to hold firm. It actually fell into my lap right after I took this picture.
While the cigar wasn't the most complex Cain I've had, or my favorite Cain, it was still enjoyable. I would say that this is my new favorite Nub though. I'd be really curious to see how this would smoke after sitting for 6 months or so. This is another great creation from the mind of Sam Leccia.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 6/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1 (Based on the cost of previous Nubs)
Total: 9/10
Dave Said:
Right away, the look, feel and aroma of this stick outshines the regular Cain F simply because it came encased in a cellophane sheath rather than the typical Cain "naked" look. This prevented oils from evaporating, making the cigar oily to the touch and to the eye. The aromas of chocolate and barnyard wafted up to my nose as soon as I freed the cigar from the cello. Other than that, the appearance was pretty standard Cain F--it honestly just looks like a Cain F 660 with 2 inches cut off the end. Sam Leccia occasionally reads this blog and has left comments before so I have a question if you are reading today, Sam: Is the Cain F Nub just a 660 with 2 inches lopped off the end, or it there something special about the way the Nub size is rolled? Without getting into specifics, will there be other sizes of Cain Nub cigars besides this 460?Prelight draw was excellent and I got typical Cain prelight notes of cocoa and spice. Lighting a thick, ligero-heavy stick is always a challenge--I recommend a triple-flame torch and lots of patience. Initial light-up gave me flavors of pepper spice, cocoa powder and a nice autumn-type spice...maybe nutmeg? Hard to say for sure. Since this was the start of summer in East Tennessee (temp hitting 90 degrees), I paired this cigar with one of my favorite beverages: unsweetened iced tea. The first third continued on its way very full of body, but not quite as full of flavor as I have experienced with other Cain F vitolas. It had a slight earthy quality to it along with some of those flavors I got upon initial light. The draw was not as good as other Nubs I've had either (even after a great prelight draw). Although adequate, it did not get quite enough smoke through and I was already feeling the stick heat up. The burn line was straight, though.
This cigar did burn very slowly and gradually did pick up in the flavor department. By the time the second third started I was getting more and stronger notes of cedar and coffee to go with the cocoa and earth. The autumn spice had all but disappeared. The ash continued to build and hold on tight, which is somewhat typical of Nub cigars. I was unable to get a long enough ash for a Nub-stand picture, though, as it did unceremoniously drop off...and there was no wind to speak of, either.
In the end, I have to agree with Keith that this is not destined to be my favorite vitola of Cain F. I much prefer the small ring gauge 550 that allows for a deeper appreciation of the wrapper leaf. Where I do not agree with Keith is that this will not end up being my favorite Nub, either--that place is still held by the Connecticut, which is still one of the best mild cigars on the market. The Cain F Nub succeeds at being a great marriage of Sam Leccia's cigar concepts and a fun vitola to smoke. It has plenty of flavor along with plenty of strength--although I still have not seen these to be nearly as strong as they were originally marketed to be. I am sure I will purchase them when they become widely available, but I do not see a box purchase in my future.
Body: 9/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
0 comments:
Post a Comment