Number Two Falls.

You think a guy has to be corrupt to hold
public office in New Jersey... what in the
world does he have to do to be a ref at a
Rutgers game? I have seen a lot of dodgy
things in the sports world, most of them in
the World Cup, but last night was off
the charts. Completing a fourth & 22 and
getting an offensive pass interference call
once the zebra saw the sticks?!?

Well, my hopes of a BCS blowup seem by the
wayside now. Once OSU gets through the
laughably terrible Big Ten, they (or
Oklahoma) will enjoy an LAPD style
beating at the hands of whichever team wins
the SEC or PAC 10. (Don't count out
The Old Balls Coach, though. The REAL
USC looks tough, and his plan is coming
to fruition week by week.)

So, what about cigars?

I think I'll have to temper my Bulleit pairings.
I learned a lesson for the 15,962nd time: whiskey
can get you drunk. Last night's smoking continued
the Oliva kick, with a Serie G Double Robusto and
some more Serie O small cigars. The Serie G remains
my favorite budget cigar. What more can a person
ask of a $4 stick than a silver ash, great
construction and appearance, and a medium
bodied, earthy Nica taste? I don't go for
that big of a ring typically, but it fits
with this cigar. Now, to the big boy:

The Casa Toraño
Maduro Lancero

Freaking madoooro!

If there's a hot cigar in my area, it is
unquestionably the Casa Maduro lancero (Toraño linked
above in the post title). This is a winner any way
you look at it.

Retailing at about $6, this rich ebony beauty has
all the characteristics of a cigar in the $10 range.
Think Padrón 1964. Don't think too hard on that,
there's a difference, but if you like one you'll
surely like the other.

Producing great stuff in the $5-7 price range is
what Toraño does best. Their Noventa is a great cigar,
but it doesn't match up with their Casa line in
universal appeal.

The construction on the CML is very good. Smokers
always seem a little worried that a lancero won't
draw well... usually nonsense, and if your lancero
doesn't draw, consider buying from a good cigar
company. There is one tiny nitpick: the pigtails
on the ends are inconsistent. Some of them spread
out on the head in Padilla like glory, others are
nonexistent. Once you cut it, that problem
vanishes.

The best way I can put it, and the specificity is
credited to Diamond Donnie of The Village of
Larry, is that it is like smoking a tootsy roll.
The flavor is rich and a touch sweet, and the
presence of cocoa is easily discerned. I liked
my CML quite well, but the reception among other
smokers is remarkable. At Centro Cigars we
got two boxes in on Monday and they were devoured
by Wednesday. Though my palate is pretty developed,
I'll accept the widespread judgment of smokers
whose taste I know almost every time.

The consensus says get 'em if you can, and you'll
probably want to pick up as many as possible.

Now, a Public Service Announcement

Just a quick mention to all you web savvy smokers.
If you have a cigar store within a reasonable
distance of your home (most people outside of
West Texas do) then please
don't contribute to their demise by buying online.

Is a website going to give you accurate and
personally tailored advice? Is a website going
to replace your plugged cigar or hand you a
freebie VSG because the foot got nicked and you're
a good guy? And what are the chances that
your state or federal government isn't going
to come down on online tobacco sales? Where
will you go when that happens? Not your local
store, because they have closed shop because you
had to be an asshole and save $10 a box.

Did you save $10?

At Centro, a VIP gets a 20% box discount, and everyone
gets 7%. We have weekly promotions and events that
the smart shopper can save up to 30 or even 50%. And
the state revenuers won't be knocking, because your
tobacco tax is paid when you purchase.

Most cigar stores will have options such as these
for a smoker on a budget. They'll also look at
that Colibri with ignition problems or replace
your Xikar if you somehow manage to break it.
If you don't get first-rate service, like you would
at Centro Cigars in Lawrence or Diebel's in
Kansas City, demand it and you shall receive.

It isn't getting any easier to be a smoker in
The United States, and it doesn't serve anyone
to undercut those who offer you refuge and
usually a place to sit and enjoy, say, a fine
Padilla 1932 Churchill, in peace or while
watching the Old Balls Coach throw his visor.

Come back into the fold. In a world of judgmental
jerk offs, the neighborhood cigar store provides
a solitude and fellowship you can't even get in
pubs these days. Even assuming you save a few bucks,
which you often don't when all is said and done,
what price would you put on these comforts in a
world gone mad?

Ponder it, then do the right thing and buy local.