Down to Herf Podcast

This week on Down to Herf, we’re rolling out the red carpet for a special in-studio guest! Miguel Schoedel, Vice President of Crowned Heads, joins the crew for industry insight, and the usual questionable conversations. We’re lighting up the brand-new Crowned Heads Starwood, an event-exclusive release inspired by Nashville’s legendary Starwood Amphitheater. We put this exclusive smoke to the test...

This week on Down to Herf, the boys light up the Espinosa Las 6 Provincias Miami and recap a packed weekend featuring Gio’s disastrous run-in with Mexican food, a friend’s wedding, and Caleb’s first trip to the new Highmark Stadium. Then somehow the conversation makes its way to a recent plague outbreak in Russia, because apparently that’s where we’re at now. Patrol Gone Wild brings a mother-daugh...

This week on Down to Herf, we light up the Black Works Studio Culture Vulture and see if this wild-looking release has the bite to back it up. With the 2026 NHL season getting underway and the MLB playoffs officially here, we break down the early action, make some predictions, and touch on the retirement of Justin Verlander. We also briefly discuss the case surrounding the Cornell 7. Patrol Gone W...

Episode 240 gets weird with the Tatuaje Old Man And The C Monster, featuring The Creature blend and a Culebra We catch up on football, the weekend, upcoming plans, and Jerry’s ongoing war with the economy — specifically whoever decided diesel fuel should cost this much. Patrol Gone Wild brings us Minneapolis PD OIS body cam, Sheriff Grady Judd announcing an absolutely vile arrest, and a civilian p...

On Episode 239, we’re joined remotely by Vance Taylor of Stoic Cigars to talk about the brand, the philosophy behind it, and what went into creating the Equanimity line. While we had him on, we smoked and reviewed the Stoic Equanimity Wisdom and found out whether a little ancient philosophy can survive an hour with us. Patrol Gone Wild features another suspect learning the hard way what a Taser fe...

This week on Down to Herf, we light up the Davidoff Puro Dominicano Perfecto and see how Davidoff’s newest Black Band release stacks up. We kick things off with a recap of the DTH Fantasy Football Draft, officially say goodbye to summer, and get fired up for the start of football season. From there, the conversation turns to the Lindsay Clancy verdict before we break down the absolutely ridiculous...

Episode 237 gets started with a recap of our PBA Golf Tournament event, our growing disdain for FedEx, and somehow a debate over the “Lake America” controversy before we light up the EGM Escudos and head completely off the rails. Patrol Gone Wild features a suspect who pulls something out of his pants in the back of a patrol car that absolutely nobody saw coming, an 85-year-old running an undergro...

Gio and Jerry are back from Louisville and the Bourbon Trail, and naturally there are stories to tell. This week we light up the West Tampa Tobacco Co. Barbershop and break down whether this new release deserves a permanent spot in the rotation. On Patrol Gone Wild, we’ve got a wild hit-and-run, a parent making some absolutely questionable decisions, and the unbelievable story of the Penn State fr...

Episode 235 turns up the heat as the guys sit down with the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sobremesa Tapa Negra and catch up on everything happening around the cigar world. Patrol Gone Wild goes completely off the rails with a Popeyes employee accused of doing the unthinkable to raw chicken, cocaine bricks stamped with Erling Haaland’s face, and an indecent exposure arrest that has to be heard to b...

This week we’re joined by Derek Matthews of Black Label Trading Co. to break down the highly anticipated 2026 Bishop’s Blend, celebrating the cigar’s 10th anniversary. We dive into the story behind the project, the updated blend, what went into this year’s release, and why Bishop’s Blend continues to be one of the most anticipated annual releases in premium cigars. In Patrol Gone Wild, we’ve got a...

The swamp is calling! This week, we’re lighting up The Creature from Tatuaje, the newest Monster Series release inspired by the classic Creature from the Black Lagoon. We break down the blend, debate whether it lives up to the Monster Series hype, and talk about where it stacks up against past releases. Joining us in the herf lounge is special guest host Adam Kalnitz, as we also dive into the upco...

Jake Sanders joins us for Episode 232 as we review the Oz Family Cigars Maracana and dive into some exciting news surrounding the Oz Family cigars and Crowned Heads brand. We also talk with Jake about his next chapter as he prepares for a major career move. Caleb somehow managed to oversleep and miss the entire show, leaving Jerry, Gio and Jake to hold things down. Patrol Gone Wild features Tony R...

Nothing says summer quite like choking on wildfire smoke, avoiding contaminated lettuce, and arguing about which snake can kill you the fastest. This week we’re firing up the limited edition Knuckle Sandwich Chef Special 2026 and giving it the full Down to Herf treatment. Along the way we break down the World Cup results, vent about the Canadian wildfire smoke that wrecked our weekend plans, dive...

Episode 230 is here, and this week we’re smoking the OZ Family Cigars World Cup 2026 Limited Edition—a cigar with more countries represented than the United Nations. Before the ash even settles, Jerry and Gio recap surviving the second phase of their promotional exams. Then, because no episode ever stays on track, Jerry somehow turns the show into a Jurassic Park documentary by proving he knows an...

This week we’re joined by Crowned Heads’ Jon Huber for a remote interview as we light up the new Moonflower, the latest addition to the Crowned Heads portfolio. We talk about the blend, discuss what’s coming down the pipeline for the brand, and get Jon’s thoughts on PCA returning to Las Vegas next year and how the show went for him this past April. Patrol Gone Wild is packed with another round of...

Episode 228 is here, and this week we’re lighting up the CAO America 250th Anniversary to find out if this all-American blend lives up to the hype ahead of Independence Day. We also discuss Discord’s recent crackdown on cigar communities, our Fourth of July plans, Europe’s record-breaking heat wave, and some of the biggest recent Supreme Court decisions making headlines. Patrol Gone Wild delivers...

This week, the guys smoke the AVO Expresivo Toro and welcome Garrison Davis from AVO Cigars for a remote interview. With Davidoff returning to PCA for a 2nd year in a row and AVO rolling out an ambitious new release campaign, there was plenty to discuss. Garrison shared his path into the cigar industry, gave some insight into what’s happening behind the scenes at AVO, and the conversation wandered...

Lure’s Lou Cross joins us remotely this week as we review the new PCA-exclusive Wahoo Kingfish and get an inside look at what’s been happening with the brand since the trade show. We discuss the proposed New York generational tobacco ban, the fallout of the UFC card at the White House, and Lou’s thoughts on both. Patrol Gone Wild features a wild identity theft case, a burglar caught thanks to a ch...

This week we’re lighting up the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Year of the Pausers Tom’s Blend, a limited release honoring one of the cigar world’s most recognizable personalities. Does Steve Saka’s newest tribute cigar live up to the hype, or is it destined to be remembered more for the story than the smoke? We also dive into the controversy surrounding the recent Los Angeles mayoral primary, disc...

This week on Down to Herf, we're lighting up the brand-new 601 Blue 20th Anniversary from Espinosa Cigars and seeing if this celebratory release lives up to the legacy of one of the most beloved blends in the 601 portfolio. We also make our official picks for both the Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals before diving into France's controversial nicotine pouch ban, which now includes penalti...

This week we fire up the brand new Powstanie Sumatra for a full review. The boys dive into the insanity surrounding the Enhanced Games and whether the future of sports is about to become chemically supercharged entertainment. We also break down the latest NHL playoff chaos, the ongoing Carter Hart controversy and media fallout, plus the disturbing details surrounding the recent White House shooter...

This week we’re lighting up the HVC La Decoración, a Cuban-inspired release from Reinier Lorenzo that had us talking classic flavor profiles, medium-bodied balance, and whether the industry is finally shifting away from the “stronger is always better” era.  We also break down the recent NHL playoff chaos leading into the massive Game 7 showdown between Buffalo and Montreal, the fallout after the b...

Episode 221 of the Down to Herf Podcast is here and this week we fire up the brand new Notorious Cigars Unapologetic from Conor McGregor’s cigar line. We break down the bold blend, flashy presentation, and whether this celebrity-backed smoke actually delivers in the humidor or just talks a big game. We also get into a wild weekend in combat sports after Sean Strickland shocked the MMA world with a...

Episode 220 of the Down to Herf Podcast is off to the races as we fire up the brand new Drew Estate Undercrown El Tigre Dominicano, one of the standout releases from the PCA 2026 Trade Show. We break down the blend, first impressions, and whether this Dominican spin on the Undercrown line lives up to the hype. From there the conversation shifts into the wild world of current events as we recap the...

Episode 219 of Down to Herf comes in hot with a mix of sports, controversy, and a cigar that punches above its weight. We break down the ongoing NHL playoffs and how the matchups are shaping up, get into the chaos and surprises from the NFL Draft, and take a hard look at the recent controversy surrounding the Southern Poverty Law Center. In between all that, we light up the RoMa Craft Maquette El...