Burnt Offerings

A cigar once ranked among the world’s best meets a garage full of hot takes. Patrick, Ryan and Steven smoke the Espinosa 601 Blue Label Maduro Torpedo and play Overrated, Underrated or Properly Rated? Metallica, The Godfather, Chick-fil-A, Cuban cigars, late-night cereal, vinyl records, airline seats and more go on trial. The 601 Blue earns roughly 7/10 across the table, with praise for its toothy Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, smooth chocolate-and-spice profile and excellent burn.

Can a four-inch cigar survive a completely unedited podcast? In Episode 31 of Burnt Offerings, Patrick, Ryan and Steven light the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story and record straight through—no cuts, no cleanup and no research breaks. What was supposed to be a quick smoke becomes 55 minutes of Cameroon-wrapper tasting notes, garage banter, questionable stories, homegrown tobacco experiments and an argument about whether cigar plume is anything more than mold. The Short Story earns scores around 7 to 8 out of 10, but does the little perfecto leave us wanting more?

In Episode 30 of Burnt Offerings, Patrick, Ryan and Steven smoke the Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 1, an all-Nicaraguan collaboration with A.J. Fernandez. Cedar, fruit sweetness, white pepper, cream, wood and nuts accompany a conversation about why certain places feel different, whether people create that spirit, what happens when experiences are deliberately manufactured and why stewardship may matter more than ownership.

In Episode 29 of Burnt Offerings, Patrick, Ryan and Steven review the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua, a soft-pressed Nicaraguan puro created for Montecristo’s 85th anniversary. Tart berry, white pepper, earth, cedar and clean sweetness frame a Labor Day conversation about first jobs, Wendell Berry, the dignity of work, Genesis, Sabbath, career growth and the question of what our work is making of us.

In Episode 28 of Burnt Offerings, the guys review the My Father Blue, the García family’s first Honduran-made cigar. Raisins, cream, butter, cinnamon, sweet leather, oak, coffee and returning pepper frame a personal conversation about fathers, loss, divorce, faith, generational patterns and the things we deliberately choose to carry forward—or leave behind—as fathers ourselves.

In Episode 27 of Burnt Offerings, leadership coach Jonathan Reitz joins the guys to smoke the Padrón Dámaso No. 15, an Ecuadorian Connecticut-wrapped Nicaraguan Toro that may be the best Connecticut cigar they have ever smoked. Fruit, raisins, sweet cream, coffee, Cuban espresso, charcoal, roasted nuts and cayenne lead into a conversation about change, trust, humility, positive leadership, civil discourse and calling the best out of people.

In Episode 26 of Burnt Offerings, the guys smoke the Corona Cigar-exclusive Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro Quadrado and ask whether box pressing actually changes a cigar’s flavor. They break down the Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Connecticut Habano binder, Nicaraguan and Brazilian Mata Fina filler, chocolate, molasses, berry, pepper and cedar notes, then settle the important debates: box press versus round, draft versus bottle, hot versus iced coffee, regular versus Double Stuf Oreos and more.

In Episode 25 of Burnt Offerings, the guys celebrate one year of the podcast and America’s 250th birthday with J.C. Newman’s The American, a 100% American-made cigar featuring Florida Sun Grown wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, Pennsylvania and Connecticut filler, and Tampa craftsmanship from El Reloj. They talk black pepper, cedar, cocoa, citrus, orange-creamsicle sweetness, American cigar history, backyard tobacco growing, favorite moments from year one and Ryan’s new Cigar Buddy app.

In Episode 24 of Burnt Offerings, the guys light up the J.C. Newman Jose Gaspar, an $8 seasonal cigar tied to Tampa’s Gasparilla festival. They talk Cuban-seed Ecuadorian Havana wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and filler, pirate parades, Tampa cigar culture, Boveda humidity packs, pierogies and stogies, and why this may be the perfect walk-around festival cigar.

In Episode 23 of Burnt Offerings, the guys finish their two-part review of the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Double Corona. After nearly four hours with this Dominican powerhouse, they talk final-third flavors, boutique cigar brands, direct-to-consumer sales, CigarPage danger, internet boy math and whether this massive LFD stick was actually worth the marathon.