 Plus: Steals and Deals from Abner’s World, Famous Smoke Shop and Payless Cigars
Los Angeles, November 1 – Still recovering from its own presidential political scandal, CBS’s “60 Minutes” stayed away from the fight for the White House last night, but sent its bon vivant Morley Safer, to speak with California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, possibly the most popular Republican politician in the nation.
A highlight of Schwarzenegger’s tour for Safer of the Governor’s office suites in the State Capitol in Sacramento included the outdoor smoking tent, well received by Safer, who also enjoys a good cigar.
“This is the smoking tent,” said Schwarzenegger, with his familiar open hand pointing toward the courtyard outside his formal office.
“It’s wonderful,” opened Safer, looking like a man just granted permission to enter heaven. “It’s a pasha,” he exclaimed, looking a little overwhelmed and invoking an image of a luxury worthy of a Middle Eastern ruler of antiquity.
“I wouldn’t quite go that far,” responded Schwarzenegger, gently calming Safer, but obviously pleased with his appreciation of the well-appointed, but in fact fairly modest facility.
There was the obligatory scene on camera of the governor firing up a double corona, lifting a happy cloud of smoke into the air inside the tent.
About the more mundane issues raised by Safer, Schwarzenegger said:
> He got into politics because he was bored with his movie career and no longer enjoyed “jumping over car hoods at 3 in the morning and saying to people, ‘I’m back.’ Eventually, it gets old.”
> Recounting his highly-publicized fight with the California Legislature over the budget last summer, he called the State Assembly members and State Senators spending “addicts” and noted that it will take more than the one year he has been in office to fix the state’s financial woes.
> Schwarzenegger endorsed a constitutional amendment that would allow foreign-born, but naturalized citizens of the United States (such as himself) to run for President of the United States.
> Other than fielding comments from his wife, Maria Shriver, about their lowered income level (!), he noted “I am having a wonderful time doing this.”
Steals and Deals:
We found some nice prices on good cigars in our weekend update of our Comparison Shopper in our value-packed CigarWire service. All of the changes from update-to-update are color-coded, but we thought these were worth special notice:
Abner’s World:
Based in Philadelphia, Abner’s had two sales we liked:
• Ashton, which is rarely discounted:
> Coronas (5 1/2 inches by 44 ring) was $124.95, now available, 25 for $115.95.
• The entire Hoyo de Monterrey Dark Sumatra line:
> Ebano (6 x 45), was $75.95, now $69.95 for 25;
> Espresso (4 1/2 x 50) was $106.95, now $99.95 for 40;
> Media Noche (5 3/4 x 54), was $84.95, now $79.95 for 25;
> Noche (6 1/2 x 52), was $89.95, now $83.95 for 25.
Famous Smoke Shop:
Sometimes I think Arthur Zaretsky watches too much television. Our latest update makes me think he’s taking after that Wal-Mart happy face that smashes prices around the store:
• Big reduction on the Avo Maduro line:
> No. 2 (6 x 50), was $134.95, now $113.95 for 25;
> No. 3 (71/2 x 50), was $149.95, now $124.95 for 25;
> No. 9 (43/4 48), was $114.95, now $101.95 for 25;
> Belicoso (6x48), was $153.95, now $117.95 for 25;
> Robusto (5x50), was $145.95, now $97.95 for 25;
> Piramides (7x54), was $164.95, now $124.95 for 25.
• Baccarat Havana Selection:
> Baccarat No. 1 (7x44), was $25.95, now $19.95 for 10;
> Baccarat Churchill (7 x 50), was $27.95, now $19.95 for 10;
> Baccarat Luchadores (6 x 43), was $23.95, now $19.95 for 10;
> Baccarat Rothschilds (5 x 50), was $26.95, now $19.95 for 10.
• Bahia Vintage 1998, one of Tony Borhani’s best:
> Corona Gigante (7 x 54), was $127.95, now $107.95 for 20;
> Double Corona (8 x 50), was $124.95, now $104.95 for 20;
> Esplendido (6 x50), was $111.95, now $91.95 for 20;
> Robusto (5 x 50), was $103.95, now $83.95 for 20.
• Davidoff Limited Edition 2004, never on sale, but:
> Especiales “7,” was $130.95, now $99.95 for 10.
• Don Diego Aniversario:
> Lord Rothschilde (5x52), was $119.95, now $99.95 for 25.
• The Griffin’s:
> Robusto Tubos (5x50), was $113.95, now $89.95 for 20.
• Partagas Cifuentes Seasonal Blend: good prices, among the lowest we have found in this new release:
> Noviembre (6 1/2 x 45), 20 for $92.95;
> Octubre (6 x 54), 20 for $99.95;
> Septiembre (5 1/2 x 49), 20 for $89.95.
• Puros Indios, already among the best values in the industry:
> Rothschild (5 x 50), was $49.95, now $39.95 for 20;
> Toro Especial (6 x 52), a great value at $55.95, now $49.95 for 20.
Payless Cigars:
Especially good breaks for Perdomo fans, as well as on the new Diablo line:
• The lowest prices we have tracked on the new Diablo line:
> Caliente (5x50), 25 for $96.95;
> Gran Fuego (6x 60), 25 for $110.95;
> Picante (5 x 40), 40 for $110.95;
> Pimiento (6 1/2 x 46), 25 for $101.95.
• La Tradicion Cabinet Perdomo Reserve Champagne, featuring a complex blend and a Connecticut wrapper, the lowest prices we have seen yet:
> “C” (7 x 54), 25 for $97.00;
> “E” (6 x 54), 25 for $90.75;
> “R” (5 x 54), 25 for $84.00;
> “X” (7 x 54 torpedo), 25 for $107.00.
Rankings “Flipbooks” coming soon!
If you enjoyed our recent rankings of full-bodied cigars, you’ll love our new Rankings Flipbook!
It’s a 3-by-5-inch shirt-pocket-sized, flip-up guide to all of our rankings for mild, medium and full-bodied cigars, plus our top ten cigar “gadgets.” Just the thing to help you make the right choice the next time you’re in a walk-in humidor.
It’s a $6.95 value, but yours for free with a 12-month subscription to our value-packed CigarWire service for a paltry $24 a year ($2 a month!). Existing CigarWire subscribers will also receive a Rankings Flipbook, with mailing scheduled for the week of November 8.
~ Rich Perelman
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