While chatting with Ian Hummel and Bryan Scholle of Oliva/Studio Tobac fame at the IPCPR Show in Las Vegas earlier in the year, it came to light that Bryan (who rolls cigars at Studio Tobac events) rolls quite a few different combinations of blends for attendees of said events.

Well, I thought that was pretty cool (who wouldn’t, right?) and Ian mentioned he might put together a few for us to photograph and review, I said “great!”, then said our goodbyes, and went on with the rest of the show.

Well, about 3 months later, I received a package in the mail, which included:

Since there were five of them, we decided to split them up between Steve and I (Patrick is on Vacation this week), and do a whole week of test blend reviews.

As part of my research, I asked Ian about the possibly of any of these specific blends being released, and he said:

No plans at this time. Just myself and Bryan having some fun and playing around with different ideas we had during events.

The first blend we are reviewing has been dubbed the “CC-001” which stands for “Cain Concept 001.” The basic idea was to take a regular Cain F cigar, and replace the normal binder and wrapper with a Sumatra binder and wrapper.

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But enough of that, let’s get down to business, shall we?

Studio Tobac CC-001 (Cain Concept- 001) 1.png

  • Cigar Reviewed: Studio Tobac CC-001 (Cain Concept- 001)
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Tabacalera Oliva de Nicaragua S.A.
  • Wrapper: Sumatra
  • Binder: Sumatra
  • Filler: Cain F Filler
  • Size: 6 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 50
  • Vitola: Toro
  • Est. Price: N/A
  • Date Released: Unreleased
  • Number of Cigars Released: N/A
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 1

The cigar is an interesting specimen to look at, with a mottled espresso brown wrapper that is quite rough, what I would call rustic to the touch. There are a few major veins present, it is not the prettiest cigar in the world. It has the perfect give when squeezed, and the wrapper smells wonderful, like a combination of sweet cedar, barnyard and chocolate. The pre-draw notes include paint (yes, paint), leather and cedar.

 

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Right off the bat, I am hit with distinct flavors of toasted marshmallows, sweet cedar, and white chocolate. The profile is quite creamy in nature, and there is almost no spice or pepper to be found throughout the first third, great start.

Studio Tobac CC-001 (Cain Concept- 001) 2.png

The Second Third has that same great marshmallow sweetness, but also adds a distinct floral note to the mix there is still some (white) chocolate and a distinct barnyard note as well, and there is just a trace of spice on the retrohale.

Studio Tobac CC-001 (Cain Concept- 001) 3.png

By the start of the Final Third, the strength is ramping up a bit, not a lot, but noticeably. Sweetness is still the main note in the profile, and while there does not seem to be any major new flavors, all of the previously mentioned notes (floral, marshmallow, chocolate, cedar and barnyard) are melding into one great ending. There is still a bit of spice on the retrohale, but it is not strong enough to note anywhere else. I finished it easily, and it did not get hot at the end.

Studio Tobac CC-001 (Cain Concept- 001) 4.png

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Final Notes:

  • This cigar produced more smoke then a grass fire (albeit white smoke instead of black). Even for the vitola, I was surprised at how much smoke there was, Creamy white and wonderfully sweet smelling.
  • The Cain F blend is known as somewhat of a powerhouse, and I was surprised I did not get that same amount of strength in this blend, despite the fact that it uses the same filler as the Cain F line.
  • The overall look of the cigar and wrapper reminded me quite a bit of the OR Tatuaje Black Label Corona Gorda.
  • The band on this version is basically the logo of Studio Tobac, and this specific band is only put on cigars that Bryan personally rolls at events.
  • To me, this is one of the most perfect morning cigars you could get, It’s not too strong (it’s a solid medium in strength) and goes GREAT with a cup of coffee.
  • The construction, burn and draw were all top notch, just a joy to smoke construction wise. The ash is a stark white, and extremely well formed.
  • The Final Smoking Time was 1 Hour and 40 Minutes.

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The Bottom Line: I have been a fan of Sumatra wrappers and the flavors they impart for a while, but just recently have REALLY loved some sticks that are using it, including the Tatuaje NHC Capa Especial and Tatuaje “The Wolfman”, albeit from a different manufacturer. This cigar was obviously blended for flavor above spiciness and strength, and it is one of the most flavorful cigars I have tried in a while. A rich, decadent profile, and it is quite a bet better with this wrapper and binder then the normal Cain F, in my opinion. I would rate this cigar VERY high if I could, and I would buy them by the truckload, no doubt.

 

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Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.