Big Papi by David Ortiz is made by Artista Cigars with a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, a Dominican binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. These cigars are available in one Toro (6 x 54) size that's priced at around $14 per stick. Big Papi cigars were first blended in 2013. However, the cigars were not available to consumers until 2016, the same year that Big Papi David Ortiz (who was born in the Dominican Republic) retired from the Boston Red Sox. You can read more about this cigar at artistacigars.com.
The sample Artista Big Papi cigar had a peppery taste right from the first puff. During the initial 10 minutes, the pepper gradually tamed down a bit as a leather flavor became more noticeable. Within the next few minutes, leather became the predominate flavor with less pepper. In addition, a brief creamy taste joined in and made the smoke just a bit smoother. At the 25-minute point, the cream had faded but the pepper ramped back up, making for a a nice balance with the leather. The body was in the medium-to-full range throughout the duration of the smoking session.
After 35 minutes, I ashed the cigar for the first time. Up to this point, the cigar had an even burn, held a long ash, and had a good draw. The cigar's construction was excellent. About five minutes after the first ashing, a minor touch-up was applied to keep the burn perfectly even. I ashed the cigar for a second time at the 65-minute mark, when another minor touch-up was also needed. The cigar continued to maintain a nice balance of peppery and leathery flavors until it finally went out by itself with 2½ inches remaining, after one hour and 25 minutes of total smoking time. No relights were needed during the smoking session.
Cigars by celebrities have come and gone over the years, and are marketed as such to create more credibility to jump start initial sales. However, some of the better celebrity cigars have become staples in the humidors of discerning connoisseurs. One such cigar is Big Papi, which has been on the market since David Ortiz retired from the BoSox in 2016. However, he is still very much in the public eye and continues to be a baseball commentator for FOX Sports.
Being a Cleveland Indians fan, I am still rating the Artista Big Papi Toro cigar with a very good (and unbiased) 4 points on a 5-point scale. It would always be a great choice any time of year, but especially around the beginning of the baseball season. This cigar also pairs very well with a fine Dominican rum, such as Brugal Leyenda.
