MEGA Review: Cain 654T Habano Torpedo

**buzz** · 04-06-2010, 07:14 PM

badwhale: Thanks Buzz for the cool review format!

buzz: Sat out back with the dogs – great weather we have right now: 75 during the day, 45 at night.

cigarsarge: Sat outside by the Koi pond watching the fish come back to life after winter.

kevin7: Usually smoke alone on the patio.

logan37: Sitting in chat with Dr. Cox, Mangyrat, and Abyr.

Mangyrat: Smoked while on Cbid.

Roger: Was with a buddy.

**buzz** · 04-06-2010, 07:14 PM

| APPEARANCE:.. | Poor. | Fair. | Good. | Outstanding | Perfect |
| badwhale..... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| buzz......... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| cigarsarge... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| Cyris........ | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| EdgeMan...... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... | ........... | ....... |
| kevin7....... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| logan37...... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| mail man..... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Mangyrat..... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Roger........ | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |

| CONSTRUCTION: | Poor. | Fair. | Good. | Outstanding | Perfect |
| badwhale..... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| buzz......... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| cigarsarge... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| Cyris........ | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| EdgeMan...... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... | ........... | ....... |
| kevin7....... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| logan37...... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| mail man..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| Mangyrat..... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Roger........ | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |

| BURN:........ | Very Uneven | Uneven. | Even. | Perfect |
| badwhale..... | ........... | ....... | ..... | ...X... |
| buzz......... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| cigarsarge... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| Cyris........ | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| EdgeMan...... | ........... | ...X... | ..... | ....... |
| kevin7....... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| logan37...... | ........... | ...X... | ..... | ....... |
| mail man..... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| Mangyrat..... | ........... | ....... | ..... | ...X... |
| Roger........ | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |

| DRAW:........ | Too Easy. | Easy. | Perfect | Tight | Too Tight |
| badwhale..... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| buzz......... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| cigarsarge... | ......... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. | ......... |
| Cyris........ | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| EdgeMan...... | ......... | ..X.. | ....... | ..... | ......... |
| kevin7....... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| logan37...... | ....X.... | ..... | ....... | ..... | ......... |
| mail man..... | ......... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. | ......... |
| Mangyrat..... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| Roger........ | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |

| ASH COLOR:... | Black | Dark Gray | Gray. | Light Gray. | White |
| badwhale..... | ..... | ......... | ..... | .....X..... | ..... |
| buzz......... | ..... | ......... | ..... | .....X..... | ..... |
| cigarsarge... | ..... | ......... | ..X.. | ........... | ..... |
| Cyris........ | ..... | ....X.... | ..... | ........... | ..... |
| EdgeMan...... | ..... | ......... | ..X.. | ........... | ..... |
| kevin7....... | ..... | ....X.... | ..... | ........... | ..... |
| logan37...... | ..... | ....X.... | ..... | ........... | ..... |
| mail man..... | ..... | ......... | ..X.. | ........... | ..... |
| Mangyrat..... | ..... | ......... | ..X.. | ........... | ..... |
| Roger........ | ..... | ......... | ..X.. | ........... | ..... |

| ASH STRUCTURE: | Flaky | Typical | Solid |
| badwhale...... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| buzz.......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| cigarsarge.... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| Cyris......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| EdgeMan....... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| kevin7........ | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| logan37....... | ..X.. | ....... | ..... |
| mail man...... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| Mangyrat...... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. |
| Roger......... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. |

| ASH LENGTH:.. | <1 inch | 1 inch. | 1-1/2 inch. | 2 inch. | >2 inch |
| badwhale..... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| buzz......... | ....... | ....... | .....X..... | ....... | ....... |
| cigarsarge... | ...X... | ....... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| Cyris........ | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| EdgeMan...... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| logan37...... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| mail man..... | ...X... | ....... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| Mangyrat..... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| Roger........ | ....... | ....... | .....X..... | ....... | ....... |

| AROMA:....... | Horrid. | Poor. | Fair. | Good. | Great |
| badwhale..... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. |
| buzz......... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| cigarsarge... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| Cyris........ | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| EdgeMan...... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| kevin7....... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| logan37...... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| mail man..... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| Mangyrat..... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| Roger........ | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. |

| STRENGTH:.... | Mild. | Mild-Med. | Medium. | Med-Full. | Full. |
| badwhale..... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| buzz......... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| cigarsarge... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ......... | ..X.. |
| Cyris........ | ..... | ......... | ....... | ......... | ..X.. |
| EdgeMan...... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| kevin7....... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| logan37...... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| mail man..... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ......... | ..X.. |
| Mangyrat..... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| Roger........ | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |

**buzz** · 04-06-2010, 07:15 PM

prelight taste:

badwhale: nice sweet tobacco scent, and not much prelight flavor

buzz: nice spice (black pepper i guess), some wood/cedar, good draw.

cigarsarge: pepper on the tongue... Slight barnyard aroma.

cyris: prelight structure is good. Nice small veins running through it, solid construction. Firm to the touch and smells wonderful.

edgeman: a little spicy and airy.

logan37: it had a slight peppery spice to it with an earthy flavor. The prelight smell was chocolaty.

mail man: i think the tobacco taste pretty much overpowered all else, did taste some woody flavor, and a little bit of oil.

mangyrat: leather.

roger: A little salty flavor.

-------------------------------------------------------------

taste (1/3):

badwhale: i felt the flavor profile was pretty even / uneventful. Good, but just didn't change a whole lot. Leathery with a bit of spicy bite. Pretty nice i especially like the nose exhale. Smooth and full of previously described flavor.

buzz: nice and spicy, with a slight cedar aroma. Draw was perfect, nice even burn and great ash. Smoke is nice and full and has a nice aroma.

cigarsarge: pepper bomb... Slight cedar finish. This smoke is dense with a leather smell.

cyris: spicy but not over the top. Strong cigar that went very good with the smooth rum on the rocks. There is a light nutty flavor. Good nose burn on the nose exhale.

edgeman: fresh, light, airy and a little spicy..

kevin7: typical oliva woody leathery almost musty.

logan37: this cigar was so spicy it was bitter when i first lit it. I let it rest for a few minutes and the bitterness went away. All i tasted was oil with a nutty finish. There was a slight spice on the finish as well.

mail man: strong tobacco with slight hints of leather, and a touch of oak?

mangyrat: pepper/spice with some leather undertones.

roger: Very rich tasting stick, deep cedar notes and copious amounts of smoke.

-------------------------------------------------------------

taste (2/3):

badwhale: i'm feeling a little more love now in the smoke. A little more bite, but still pretty mellow and a great draw / burn. I like it although it's got a pretty steady flavor profile. Mostly leather with some spice.

buzz: spice went away a little here, mostly wood now, very smooth and still a great draw and burn. Ash held nicely, but now i am having some slight wrapper annoyances at the head (due to it being a little damaged). There may be a little leather in here, hard for me to tell though.

cigarsarge: mellowed slightly... It became a little smoother... Still real spicy. Slight cream on the finish. Still dense smoke... Purging through the nose really opens up the pepper explosion. Is that a tear running down my face? Man this cigar is strong.

cyris: still a good spice to this cigar going into the second third of the stick. The nicotine level is good on this one, i can feel it in the back of my throat and in the head. It is burning well, with nice big smoke. I think its actually mellowed a little bit and got a bit smoother.

edgeman: a lot stronger than the first third and almost too spicy at the time for me.

kevin7: same.

logan37: the smoke turned mild for me. No spice, just oil and nutty finish.

mail man: the draw opened up to a med/hard draw now, could get a whole lot more flavor out of it. Nose exhale burned good, and gave me almost a taste of toasted marshmallows along with the woodsy taste something else i could not pick up on.

mangyrat: more pepper seemed to get a little milder.

roger: More of the same.

-------------------------------------------------------------

taste (3/3):

badwhale: i'm back down to the b+ at this point. Kinda ashy, but the same flavors are there. Limited to leather & some spice. Good, but i would only look for a small trade or a 5er of these.

buzz: was hoping the spice would come back here in the third – but it didn’t (bummer). Wood/cedar with maybe some leather, didn’t get hot or harsh though, still smooth and i nubbed it. Burn stayed nice and even to the end, and the draw was very consistent.

cigarsarge: the last third got kinda nasty. I let it go with a little less than two inches left. Seems like the tar built up in the final third causing burn problems and a bad taste. I got a buzz also - maybe it led a little to the early demise of the cigar.

cyris: the strength is coming back out in this last part of the stick. The strong tobacco flavor has turned noticeably more roasted tasting. The spice is still there, but not overpowering. The oaky flavor of this rum is meshing well with the cigar.

edgeman: smoothed out a little compared to the too strong and spicy 2/3.

kevin7: same as before but much more hotter and very biting on my tongue.

logan37: oil and nutty finish. I didn't finish this part.

mail man: stayed pretty much the same as the 2/3, but got more potent, and the leather and oils really shined through for me.

mangyrat: pepper and leather.

roger: Flavor improved even more this third!

**buzz** · 04-06-2010, 07:15 PM

| GRADING:.. | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Overall |
| badwhale.. | .B+ | .A- | .B+ | ...B+.. |
| buzz...... | .B+ | .B. | .B- | ...B... |
| cigarsarge | .A. | .A. | .C. | ...B... |
| Cyris..... | .B- | .B+ | .B. | ...B... |
| EdgeMan... | .C+ | .C+ | .B- | ...C+.. |
| kevin7.... | .B+ | .B+ | .A- | ...A-.. |
| logan37... | .B- | .C. | .C. | ...C... |
| mail man.. | .A- | .A. | .A. | ...A... |
| Mangyrat.. | .A. | .A- | .A. | ...A... |
| Roger..... | .A. | .A. | .A+ | ...A... |
| AVERAGE... | .B+ | .B+ | .B. | ...B+.. |

| THOUGHTS:. | .Smoke Again. | ...Buy a Box... | ...Recommend... |
| badwhale.. | Yes.......... | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| buzz...... | Yes.......... | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| cigarsarge | Yes.......... | Maybe.......... | Yes............ |
| Cyris..... | Maybe........ | Probably not... | Maybe.......... |
| EdgeMan... | Maybe........ | Definitely not. | Probably not... |
| kevin7.... | Definitely... | Definitely..... | Yes............ |
| logan37... | Probably not. | Definitely not. | Definitely not. |
| mail man.. | Definitely... | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| Mangyrat.. | Yes.......... | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| Roger..... | Definitely... | Definitely..... | Definitely..... |

LAST WORDS:

badwhale: For all ligero leaf, I was expecting something with a lot more bite, like a LFD DL, or even a Padron Maduro. Both have more bite than this. A good solid smoke no doubt. I would recommend it to someone who has been smoking alot of mild / mild-medium body cigars that wants to step it up to the next level.

buzz: I was expecting this to be a stronger cigar, but maybe that JdN I smoked a couple nights ago is throwing my senses off. This cigar was very smooth, nose exhale was nice and the flavors were somewhat interesting. Smoke was nice and dense, and the burn/draw were excellent. It went well with the Balvenie, but next time I want to try it with some Baileys on the rocks. The wrapper at the head was unraveling a bit but was only a minor annoyance and did not effect the draw as long as I paid attention to how I held/smoked it. I will be trying a Maduro to see how it compares.

cigarsarge: One powerhouse of a cigar. It will hold up against any meal you eat before. I wish I would have drank something sweet maybe a Pepsi with it. The stout I had with it was pretty much over powered by the cigar.

Cyris: All of the "all ligrero" hype on this I was expecting a cigar to kick my ass. I will admit, it does have a good kick and I would not want to try this one for breakfast or anything! Good smoke, and a great looking stick. I do not think I would go out of my way to get another one of these, but I would not turn one down. The first one I smoked was not nearly as enjoyable as this one. I think the rum helped bring out the flavor, and mellow some of the harsh bite that it started out with. I do recommend a good dark drink to go with this, but I think a nice hoppy IPA would also be a good match for it.

EdgeMan: The ligero stood out but it just wasn't for me even though I enjoy a good strong ligero very often. The spice was there, especially in the 2/3, but it was not very smooth at that point. The harsh flavor I got was not appealing to me.

kevin7: I am a fan of almost every Oliva cigar made . These are akin to the old Serie X made by Oliva and a slight resemblance to my precious Master Blend. I didn't do the ash length because I am one of the dorks who is constantly knocking my ash off.

logan37: This was a pretty boring and one dimensional smoke. I could deal with a one dimensional smoke if it didn't taste like leather oil the entire time.

mail man: Very good smoke, but pretty pricey. The first cigar I had was plugged pretty tight and had to massage the heck out of it to get it to smoke, and it choked all the flavors, but the 2nd one smoked well.

Mangyrat: Excellent burn, I was really happy with how it burnt. This cigar goes good with whiskey or bourbon but stay away from the sweeter drinks like brandy. I finished it up with some Bushmills and it really made a difference.

Roger: Great stick!

**buzz** · 04-06-2010, 07:16 PM

PICTURES:

**buzz** · 04-06-2010, 07:16 PM

PICTURES (CONTINUED):

**buzz** · 04-06-2010, 07:17 PM

EDITOR’S NOTE:
I want to thank badwhale, cigarsarge, Cyris, EdgeMan, kevin7, logan37, mail man, Mangyrat, and Roger for participating in this first-stab at a Mega Review. It was fun for me and interesting to see the differences in tastes (and similarities too). The draw seemed to vary a little and I wonder if that may be due to differences in the cutting from person to person (especially with a torpedo shaped cigar). The color of the ash varied also, which seems strange to me – perhaps this is due to differences in smoking times? The cigars were packaged nicely, but the heads of a couple of the sticks were slightly damaged (nothing major though because I was able to cut them in a way to avoid wrapper issues).

If anyone has any suggestions on how we might do the next Mega Review please let me know. Hopefully this format is easy to read – if anyone has comments I am all ears. Thanks again guys!

-Buzz