Today, we are reviewing the CAO Flathead Speed Shop Habano in V654 Crankshaft size, a box-pressed toro. The Speed Shop is the latest addition to the CAO Flathead line, a collection inspired by motor vehicles. General Cigar introduced this line in 2013; two years earlier, in 2011, it acquired CAO and appointed Rick Rodriguez as its head. Initially, the company faced challenges with its early releases under the General portfolio, such as OSA Sol and Concert. By 2013, pressure mounted to launch a successful product, leading to the development of CAO Flathead. Rodriguez said they made a last-minute blend change before release, which ultimately made it one of CAO’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful lines.
Flathead brought a retro theme around “cigars, cars, and girls.” It was so successful that CAO expanded the line in 2015 with the CAO Flathead Steel Horse, a motorcycle-themed release. While the original Flathead used a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Steel Horse used a Connecticut Habano line. There have been some limited–edition Flathead releases, but it had been more than a decade since Flathead saw a new core Flathead line. That changed in 2026 with the release of the Flathead Speed Shop. This one brought an Ecuadorian Habano wrapped offering with a retro fueling/repair station theme.
Without further ado, let’s turn our attention to the Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
In addition to the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, the Flathead Speed Shop Habano features a Mexican San Andres binder and a combination of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. Production comes out of the STG Estelí factory in Estelí, Nicaragua
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
- Binder: Mexican San Andres
- Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: STG Estelí
Vitolas Offered
Speed Shop Habano comes in three sizes. The V660 and V770 sizes are ones found in the original Flathead line. The V654 Crankshaft is a size unique to Speed Shop under the CAO umbrella. All three sizes are box-pressed.
- V654 Crankshaft: 6 1/2 x 54
- V660 Carb: 6 x 60
- V770 Big Block: 7 x 70
Appearance (*)
The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper on the Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft had a cinnamon color. I would describe this wrapper as silky. There was little oil on the wrapper. In addition, it had prominent veins and minimally visible wrapper seams. The box-press is a soft Cuban-style box-press with subtle rounding. The cigar is finished with the Flathead’s signature flat cap.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting the CAO Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft, a straight cut removed the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The pre-light draw had notes of earth, hay, baker’s spice, and a slight milky note. Overall, I found this cigar to deliver a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. Now it was time to toast the CAO Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft and see what the smoking phase had in store.
Tasting Notes
The Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft opened up with notes of natural tobacco, hay, baker’s spice, and a slight cherry sweetness. Early on, the natural tobacco emerged as the primary note. Hay, baker’s spice, and cherry settled in the background, joined later in the first third by white pepper notes. The retrohale showed white pepper with a slight mineral component.
In the second third of the Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft, the pepper notes increased, and before the midway point, it joined the natural tobacco in the forefront. Meanwhile, hay, baker’s spice, and cherry rounded out the flavor profile.
The final third saw little change. The natural tobacco and pepper remained primary. A slight harshness emerged. Meanwhile, the background notes of hay, baker’s spice, and cherry remained. This is the way the Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
When it came to the burn of the Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft, at times it had an uneven burn line. It was also prone to meandering on the burn path. This resulted in multiple touchups, more than I would have preferred. The resulting ash was on the loose side. The ash was silver-gray and prone to flaking. As for burn rate and burn temperature, both stayed within ideal ranges.
Draw
The draw on the Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft was on the open side, but not loose. If you have read my assessments, you will know I like a little resistance on the draw. At the same time, the open draw had no adverse effects.
Strength and Body
I found the Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft to be on the bolder side. The cigar opened with medium-strength, medium-bodied flavors that increased in intensity. Early in the first third, the flavors progressed to medium- to full-bodied, where they continued to increase gradually, falling short of full-bodied in the final third. The strength slowly increased as well, and by the second half, it crossed the threshold into medium-to-full territory.
In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained a significant edge from start to finish.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
For both the packaging and the bands of the Flathead Speed Shop Habano, STG did an amazing job. I love the white-and-red, retro-looking boxes. This might be the best box design I’ve seen on a CAO to date.
I also like the band design. The white, red, and silver retro-look is pulled off perfectly.
While it says “Habana” on the packaging, this is referred to as the Speed Shop Habano. The fact that this is mentioned suggests we may see more Speed Shop releases down the line.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
I’ve always been a fan of the Flathead line, so when I found out there was a new CAO Flathead I was excited. When I saw how good the packaging looked, I was even more excited. The story didn’t go as I expected once I lit the CAO Flathead Speed Shop Habano V654 Crankshaft. I was optimistic in the first third, but things declined in the second third. By the final third, this cigar was simply a disappointment. Simply put, better Habano offerings exist in the Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) portfolio, and this one isn’t one of them. I don’t see myself coming back to this cigar, or recommending it (except the packaging!).
Summary
- Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Hay, Baker’s Spice, Cherry, Pepper, Mineral
- Burn: Good
- Draw: Very Good
- Complexity: Medium Minus
- Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
- Body: Medium (Start), Medium to Full Remainder
- Finish: Fair
Rating
Value: Not Recommended
Score: 85
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
