CAO recency launched the latest edition to its ever-popular Flathead line with the new Speed Shop Habano. The Flathead line is inspired by automotive hobbyists and pays homage to the culture with some of its engine themed packaging. The packaging on the Speed Shop is no exception. It comes with beautiful red and white bands and boxes with silver lines, giving it a classic muscle car vibe. As an auto enthusiast myself, this makes me very happy to see. It is eye catching and bright without being over the top.
The Flathead cigars all come with a flat top cap instead of the usual round style most cigars are rolled with. The Flathead gets its name from the original Ford and Harley Davidson engines of yesteryear that many auto and motorcycle lovers will recognize.
Under the Lid
- Origin: Nicaragua
- Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
- Binder: San Andrés
- Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican
- Vitola: V654 Crankshaft (6.5 x 54)
- Factory: STG Esteli
- Released Date: February 3, 2026
- MSRP: $8.99
The CAO Flathead Speed Shop Habano feels velvety and silky to the touch. It is not very toothy having small and thin veins on the wrapper. It also has a nice solid box-press to it that I am excited about. On the cold draw, I notice this cigar has strong notes of white pepper, chili powder and leather. The draw itself is very smooth without being too loose. I except this cigar to burn and breathe well but lets see how it does.
First Third
Wow, there is so much pepper up front that I feel as though I am drowning in it. This cigar is starting off very strong. I feel like I just ate a bunch of hot habanero peppers. Settling in past the foot, the pepper cools off slightly but doesn’t hide at all. Plenty of smoke production from this cigar and it feels like I am smoking some meat on a hot summer day. I am lost in a cloud of smoke. As I mentioned before, the wrapper is soft and velvety but also seems fragile as it has chipped easily in a few spots across all three cigars. The burn line is uneven and jagged but not uneven to the point where I think it will not burn well. The ash however is brittle and I did not get far before it crumbled and broke like an imploded casino all over my keyboard the first time. There is some earth and leather notes in there but the seem to be overpowered by the pepper.
Second Third
I am still feeling pepper in the back of my mouth as well as the corners of my mouth. Similar to when you eat about of hot wings and the sauce is all over you lips. There is a slight burns and tingle to them from this cigar. General really put some gas in the tank on this one if you know what I mean. At this point, I would say this cigar is very Medium + to full bodied. There is some strength here putting it on par with the rest of the Flathead line. Warm dry notes of earth, fresh leather and spice still fill my mouth and I find myself reaching for water more frequently than I normally do. So far, the flavor on this cigar is full and strong, but it doesn’t feel very complex, still one dimensional. Also I should mention, two of the three cigars needed one or two relights at this point and I have very focused on this cigar, not letting rest for very long between puffs.
Final Third
By this point, the flavor has changed a little by way of a new dark, rich ground espresso note taking shape with some sourness and bitterness mixed in as well. The pepper notes are still active, bot no longer complete dominating the flavor profile. The cigar remains strong and full bodied and burns nice with a smooth draw. The last cigar did need another few touch ups as entered the final third form the second. The burn line never really evened out but it never spread in a way that made it lopsided and needing constant touch ups to correct. Somewhere near the beginning of the final third, the head began to crack an despite my best efforts to tame it, it kept getting worse.
Smoking Experience
Overall, this isn’t a bad cigar but it certainly isn’t the one for me. It has a large amount of pepper, especially in the first half. The burn was good although I did need to add some touch ups and relights to a cigar that didn’t have a ton of rest between puffs. Add in that the wrapper on this cigar slowly became more and more brittle as time went on and I would conclude that I would probably pass on it next time around. If you like full bodied cigars with a bunch of pepper I would say try it out otherwise – keep ‘er movin’.
Smokin Facts
- CAO was acquired by STG in 2007 from the Ozgener Family
- General Cigar Co. inherited the CAO brand in 2010 following the merger between Swedish Match and Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG)
- Cigars were sent by STG
- Speed Shop Habano is a Regular Production
Purchase recommendation: Try a sample
Smokin Wrap
Cigars Smoked for the Review: Three
Average smoking time: One Hour and Forty minutes
