Indian Tabac Super Fuerte: The Reckoning

Last night I tried my fourth Indian Tabac Super Fuerte robusto, expecting to keep up the winning streak.

All good things must come to an end, it would seem. The fourth Indian started out with the same brassy flavor I anticipated, but began losing steam halfway through. The flavor diminished and became somewhat muddy, though still acceptably pleasant, and the burn rate increased rapidly. I was hoping for the stick to open up in a final burst of flavor, like cigars often do. But this one opened up WAY too much: The tobacco was so loose I could practically feel it rattling around beneath the wrapper. Soon it was drawing as if there were a hole in it. One of Rocky's rollers must have fallen asleep on the job.

I put the stick down for a rest, and when I picked it up a minute later, it had gone out. I thought about re-lighting but didn't. This baby was just too loose for another roll in the hay.

Takeaway wisdom? A box of good-tasting 2-dollar cigars is a gift from God. But that gift comes at a price: The occasional dud. One out of nine, in this case, because the other three I smoked were great, as were reports back on the five that I passed out to my cigar-chomping buddies at work. As Meatloaf would say, eight out of nine ain't bad.

If you want an absolute, 100-percent guarantee that every cigar will be as reliable as the last, buy yourself a box of Aston Virgin Sun Growns for 250 bucks. Otherwise, buy a box of Indians. If you get an occasional dud, toss it out and move on to the next. At 40 bucks a box, you can afford to.

I've still got two of these babies left. I'm guessing the dud rate is going to drop to 1 in 11. My faith and optimism are unwavering.