Down to Herf Podcast

This episode we are joined by Juan Lugo, founder of Don Doroteo cigars. Juan and the boys sat down discussed the founding of the brand and Juan’s journey of the American dream from serving in our military all the way to founding an up and coming cigar brand that is putting out some of the finest aged cigars in the industry. This conversation was had while we got to review the all new El Alcalde th...

The boys are back this week with another dual interview. We are joined by founder of Fratello cigars Omar De Frias and VP of Marketing Jennifer True. Now back when father Caleb debuted a few weeks back and reviewed the 18th amendment they took a bit of a beating. Well Jennifer and Omar popped in to set the record straight and Jennifer kept reciepts. All in all we got a fun episode that cleared the...

On this episode the boys finally sit down with Pete Johnson founder of Tatuaje Cigars. Be ready this was a doozy. We talked about everything from Pete’s love of cars all the way to his habit of just missing out on being a famous musician. We ventured into some cigar talk and even went into the rabbit hole of comedy. Enjoy this one we sat down with Pete for almost 4 hours and got a real look at the...

The boys are joined this week by Aric Bey from Black Star Line Cigars. We discuss how Aric founded the company and how his journey from Chicago firefighter to founding an up and coming cigar brand. Aric talked us through his blending process and how his determination led to him working with some of the top industry factories Patrol gone wild is back this week with an MLB impersonator stealing hear...

This week the boys talk the upcoming holiday weekend for Cinco de Mayo and we are joined by 2 special guests one for May the fourth and another makes their return in time for patrol gone wild. During this episode the boys smoked the much delayed release from Tatuaje the TAA 2023! Patrol gone wild this week is brings us a deadly porno, a bowling alley brawl, and father Caleb is back to discuss a co...

On this episode the boys sit down for a Herf first and smoke the all new Hiram and Solomon “Heart and Soul.” We talked about some of the brand history and what they are about. Then we discussed the potential Tik-Tok ban and what we thought of it. We also discussed an issue that plagues all of us and companies are finally doing away with the self checkout! Patrol gone wild this week brought us a wa...

This week the boys are smoking the all new conceal carry 18th amendment from Fratello cigars. The boys sit back and discuss the controversy regarding the concept and how other industry folk aren’t exactly fans. During this discussion we had a guest debut to talk a little sense into the project. Then Caleb hit Jerry and Gio with a game of would you rather that had some very interesting answers and...

Jon Huber returns to the Herf to talk about the all new Coroneta from Crowned heads. We talk about the pitfalls of moving PCA to March and its effect on the shows success. Then we discussed our favorite parts of the show including a nice sit down we had with Jon where there was actually no cigar talk! Due to an electrical outage that delayed Jon’s arrival our segments are out of usual order. Patro...

This week the boys are back with with Skip Martin co-founder of RoMa Craft Tobac. We got to talk to Skip about the new blend and the process of changing the Cromagnon Blend from Connecticut to Pennsylvania Broadleaf! We also touched on how Skip has grown as a blender throughout his career. We also addressed a little drama with Privada Cigar Club that turned up over some comments that were made on...

Max Bichler from Rocky Patel returns to the Herf and Mike LaRiviere, also from Rocky joins us for the first time. They brought us a treat and we got to smoke a special unreleased vitola of the soon to be released Gold Label! The boys talked all things Rocky with the upcoming PCA releases including the year of the dragon! Max briefly delved into the controversy surrounding the recent Gurrka tradema...

This week we are joined by Erik Espinosa, founder of Espinosa cigars. We got the privilege to smoke the all new La Bomba Warhead X with Erik and after talk about a big year ahead for the company. The conversation took some interesting turns as we went from talking a little sports to how he got his start in the industry, all the way on down to his father’s cigar eating habits(yes you read that corr...

On this episode we are joined by Mike Szczepankiewicz from Powstanie Cigars and of course, Cigar Hustler. As a bit of a PCA pre-show we were treated with Mike’s new Powstanie Connecticut “Justice” a special corona gorda vitola with a very personal meaning to Mike. As we touched on what this cigar means to Mike the conversation took some turns to what drives Mike from everything in his cigar brand...

The boys are back this week and go over March plans. This led to a discussion about all the things that went on in a March in a comedic tone only Caleb can manage. We even discussed the upcoming March Madness tournament’s effect on the work force. Then we got to talking about how Miami officially “broke up” with spring break due to tons of issues with spring breakers. Lastly we briefly touched on...

This week we are joined by James Brown from Black Label Trading Co! James and the guys took a deep dive into what got James into the cigar game and how his unique approach has helped grow his company into a very acclaimed brand. James also delivered a heartbreaking reality check to Jerry’s cigar hoarding! This all went down while we smoked the Morphine LE Robusto Torpedo Boxpressed. This edition i...

Sébastien Decoppet, founder of Cavalier Cigars joins the Herf! This interview we got to sit down with Sébastien and talk all things Cavalier. He joined us remote from the factory in Honduras and we got to talk about how his passion for cigars turned into a successful business and brand. We talked about a man from Switzerland ends up in Honduras rolling cigars and learning this wonderful craft. Thi...

Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust’s Steve Saka joins the Herf for a remote interview. We sat down with Steve to smoke the Sobremesa Brûlée Wagashi. Steve explained the concept behind this cigar and its targeted smoker. After that we got into the crazy 2023 that Dunbarton had. We dived into what it was like to have so many acclaimed cigars and all the work his team put into it. Steve also explained the o...

On this episode Oliver Nivaud from United Cigars returns to the Herf! We talked about United and Selected Tobacco’s expanding portfolio. We got to sit down and smoke the newly released Alfonso Gran Seleccion. We also discussed some other upcoming releases from United, and their firecracker line adding a new Connecticut blend! Oliver also told us how United is positioned for a big 2024 with a cigar...

On this episode the boys open the show with a little talk about Ground Hog’s day! We decided to smoke the newly released Zombie antidote from Viaje. This cigar’s unique packaging led us down a conversation where we discussed a very important topic. How would/could the boys survive a zombie apocalypse! Patrol Gone Wild is back and brought to you by Dunbarton Tobbacco and Trust. This week we have a...

This week the boys are back with some talk on “Dry January” and news flash we don’t partake. The conversation took a left turn where the boys discussed the border stand off in Texas! The conversation took quite a few twists and turns but came to a consensus conclusion on the incident. Then we jumped to much more important topics, What celebrities would each of us want to kick their ass! This all w...

The boys are back this week and they are sick of winter! We give an update on how the storm effected us. We also give the winter storm survival guide D.T.H. Edition. The boys also discuss the recently released Halfwheel top 25 cigars of 2023! This all went down while we smoked the highly regarded My Father Don Pepin Garcia 20th anniversary Limited Edition! Patrol gone wild returns this week with t...

The boys are back with a very special interview for episode 100! Jon Huber, co-founder of Crowned Heads cigars joins us as we get to smoke the all new freshly released, Mil Dias Maduro! Jon sits down and explains how this blend came to be and how it differs from the existing Mil Dias line. After we discussed the line extension we also got Jon’s opinion on a conspiracy theory from a recent After He...

This week the boys are back with an encounter with a workplace cigar thief! Caleb also discusses how to match crazy with crazy against a public urinator at his job. The guys also touched on the potential new “Whiskey Renaissance” with the most distilleries ever on record and how it may affect the pricing on some highly sought after bottles! This all went down while we tried a new brand for the guy...

The boys are fresh off the holiday and back with a holiday hangover. The boys discuss the weird time between Xmas and New Years. We reflect on the year and all the exciting changes coming to the show for 2024. We also discussed our holiday get togethers and how they went! This also marks the first official episode that is brought to you by our sponsor Crowned Heads! Also tune in for a big announce...

The holiday season will soon be behind us and with 2023 coming to a close the boys reveal their top cigars of 2023. Make sure ya tune in to find out what cigar made number 1. While this went down the guy smoked the Limited edition 2023 Viaje Candy Cane Holiday Blend.   That’s not all the highly anticipated double giveaway from our new sponsors from Crowned Heads and Dunbarton Tobbacco and Trust wi...

This week the boys are joined by Foundation Cigar Company’s Nick Melillo. This was a fun interview and you’re not gunna wanna miss it! We talk about Nick’s humble beginnings and learn how Nick was “supposed” to be a lawyer but instead became one of the most esteemed blenders in the industry and even earned the honorary title of “Knight Commander of The Ethiopian Star of Honor” Nick also explained...