Cain F Lancero

[the MacDonald]

Personal History: One of my local B&M’s carries Cain, but insisted the line was a punishment for all the sins of the world. I paid it little mind (their opinion and the Cain line) because they kept me well fed on Tatuaje Reservas.
Meanwhile, I have grown to realize I like a longer smoke, but not a giant smoke, so lanceros became a natural fit. When I started poking around the lancero world…Cain F lancero…well I couldn’t get away from them. Then, I read the fine print…Oliva makes Cain. I love Oliva! A nic puro…I love Nic puros! Perhaps I should give the F lancero some face time. Naturally, I am a day late to this party, and as soon as I realized what I have been ignoring all these years, the announcement came that they were out of production as of April.

The dog is Satchmo, my English Bulldog. He's usually more animated but he was made at my wife because she skipped the Saturday morning adventure walk because of a photo shoot.

Pre-light—I also love tubos, convenience in a tube form. I am a practical guy, and the tubos protection and a band at the foot (I hate it when a cigar start to crack and fray at the foot) makes a lot of sense. A double bonus here because I don’t really care for the branding, the blood red, gold and black doesn’t work for me so removing the band left me with face to face with a well-made stick. Aromas of high end coffee, leather, and an earthy jungle scent that makes me want to crack open Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” again.

Light/first third—Muscles, meat, this is the stick I’d want after months of trekking through the jungles of Africa. It raw and potent. I wished it was hotter outside. This will be a great stick to sweat out an august afternoon in the Nutmeg State. Espresso, steak straight from the grill with a side of grilled peppers. A slight undercurrent of nutmeg, and or cinnamon—this would work very well with Bacardi 8 rum. A bright white ash formed along a nice straight burn line and held together even in the brisk wind.

2nd third—the nutmeg and cinnamon became a little more pronounced, but the charred meat (a good thing) and espresso ruled the battlefield. This is definitely a hot weather stick (it was low 60ish, sunny, with some gusty breezes). The construction was Oliva perfect. The potency has not let up at all. I half wonder if I rose to meet the stick, or the stick rose to meet me. Usually beyond the first third I get acclimated to it, but this one kept delivering, but only delivering more of how it started.

3rd 3rd—Still an impressive smoke, but it lacks the complexity of a truly great smoke. I’ve been smoking a lot of My Fathers and the like, cigars that wander all over the spectrum like good jazz, they improve on the original theme, fold it, morph it, and transmute it into something original and unique. Cigars that make me tell my wife to be quiet. The Cain has all the right pieces, but the alchemy isn’t there yet. I think some age would make a big difference on these.

Conclusion--This cigar was like a muscle car. Turn the key, the engine explodes with ferocity, thunder, and potential. Mash the accelerator and a torrent of power pours forth, but once you’re at 60-70-80-90+ mph, it settles into an impressive, sensation of power and wind, but you can only accelerate so much. I bought a box of these, and I might buy another to lay down for a little while. I think they will join become legion in a few years when they are no longer on the market, but more importantly with some time to meld they'll become more than their original parts.