Pre-light Experience

Seth: The CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft is a large cigar that is industrially pressed with a flat cap. I am not quite sure how I feel about the cap of a cigar being flat. I am not sold on the look. The cigar is finished with a Colorado wrapper that has a nice light reddish-brown coloring. There are small veins throughout the cigar, and it has some give to touch. There are soft aromas of tobacco, earth and sweet spices.
John: The CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft features a flat cap and a wrapper that sits between Colorado and Colorado Maduro in color. I weighed the cigar at 17.5 grams and measured the humidity at 59.4% using the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included hay and dry wood, while the foot offered sweet tobacco, hay and dry wood.
Jiunn: The CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft has an even and oily Colorado wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas give subtleties in anise and barnyard.

CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft

First Third

Seth: The first third is fairly lacking. I am picking up some earth, mushroom, nut and soft raisin notes. Bits of cereal as well. I would classify the cigar as medium in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with sweet tobacco and wood leading the profile, while light baking spices and wood combine through the post draw. As the cigar settles in, nuts and hay emerge through the retrohale, adding texture. Light leather and nutty notes move into the post draw, while baking spices build to medium-minus strength, giving the profile a bit more presence.
Jiunn: The first third does a good job of the interplay between cocoa, roasted nuts, minerals and leather. Retrohaling gives a well mannered red pepper spice and minerals. The finish showcases a fairly lengthy cocoa and leather mixture. Strength is medium and body more towards the medium-full side.

CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft

Second Third

Seth: The second third shows no change or growth from the first third. This is one-dimensional and lacking. Notes of earth, mushroom, nuts and raisins. The cigar is still smoking at a medium level for strength and body.
John: The second third begins with baking spices at medium-minus strength paired with wood, with the spices lingering into the post draw. As the cigar progresses, the baking spices recede to light-plus strength, while nuttiness joins the post draw. By the halfway point, toasted earth enters the finish, shifting the profile toward a more grounded, slightly drier character.
Jiunn: The second third loses out on some complexities such that it’s now just cedar and leather. The missing cocoa and roasted nuts is a big one as these flavors really tied together the entire profile. Strength and body remains medium and medium-full, respectively.

CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft

Final Third

Seth: No change. Nothing to report.
John: The final third opens with creamy hay and wood, with earth joining in the finish. As the cigar progresses, mild bitterness enters and combines with the hay, adding a slightly sharper edge. Through the bottom half, earth becomes the primary driver, while the mild bitterness continues to linger on the finish.
Jiunn: The final third smoothes out, but in terms of flavors it’s still unchanged. Still being driven by cedar and leather, it still lacks the cocoa and roasted nuts to pull it together. Strength and body finishes the same as second third.

CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft

Burn

Seth: The burn is below par. Inconsistent with some unevenness.
John: The burn was straight through the first third, with ash holding in one-inch increments. It became slightly wavy and then uneven in the second third, and by the final third required a touch-up to correct.
Jiunn: Burn performance was on point providing an even burn, tight ashes, ample smoke production and cool burn.

CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft

Draw

Seth: I find the draw loose.
John: The draw measured 38 inches of water on the Cigar Medics draw tester. Subjectively, it sat at most one notch into the resistant spectrum, placing it comfortably in the ideal range.
Jiunn: The draw was great, providing ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Seth: The CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft is not a cigar I would come back to or recommend. It is massive and boring. There is nothing to the cigar, and I can’t see anyone spending the time on this cigar. I also don’t want to get into this being a yard cigar, because that is going to be a no for me as well. I sure hope this cigar is affordable.
John: This cigar opens with a balanced and somewhat nuanced profile, where sweet tobacco, nuts, hay and baking spices all contribute without any one element overwhelming the others. The addition of nutty and leathery accents gives the first third a sense more structure and complexity. As the cigar progresses, the profile begins to shift toward more generic territory, with wood and earth gradually taking over. The baking spices fade rather than evolve, and while the nuttiness lingers briefly, it doesn’t develop into anything more layered. By the final third, the profile leans heavily into earth and dryness, with a touch of bitterness that slightly detracts from the overall experience. From a construction standpoint, the cigar performs well. The draw is excellent throughout, and while the burn requires a minor correction late, it remains largely consistent. In the end, this CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft is a cigar that shows a bit of personality early on but doesn’t fully carry that momentum forward. It settles into a more standard wood-and-earth profile, delivering an overall average experience. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 22 minutes.
Jiunn: A great first third featuring balanced cocoa, roasted nuts, minerals and leather with a nice medium full body. Unfortunately, the cocoa and roasted nuts tapered off on the last two thirds which made the experience go from good to average. Hopefully this CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft is around five bucks so that I can just pitch it after the first third.

Seth Geise

SCORE

3.43

Cost/Point

$2.62

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$1.50

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.47

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: CAO Flathead Speed Shop V654 Crankshaft