For those of us who deal with the snow and cold, the winter blues have begun to set in. However, spring is right around the corner with pitchers & catchers only 65 days away at the time of posting this review. Today, the cigar we feature is the Big Papi Slugger which is the second cigar featuring the David “Big Papi” Ortiz name. According to a Press Release from El Artista the company behind the cigar, “We have hosted dozens of events with Big Papi since 2016 and gathered a lot of feedback from fans about what [this] blend should be like. Our Big Papi fans asked us to increase the power for the next blend; we not only increased the strength but made a bigger cigar packed with even more flavor. ” At a recent press conference David Ortiz quipped: “I wanted a cigar size that better fits in my big hands, something that is big like me.”
Cigar Review: Big Papi Slugger
Wrapper: San Andres
Binder: Dominican Republic Negrito
Filler: Dominican Republic
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 60
Size: Gordo XL
The Look: Packaged in white and blue boxes featuring a red silhouette of Big Papi himself, David Ortiz. The slugger sees some subtle changes to the packaging with blue accents versus the red of the original line. Inside, the cigars feature a band with the aforementioned silhouette, and blue pinstripes. On the back of the band there is the flag of the Dominican Republic and the shield of Tabacalera El Artista, the producers of this stick. The wrapper from Mexico has some noticeable veins and oils. For its size, the cigar feels light in the hands, but there are no voids of tobacco.
The Notes: Right off the bat this cigar is considerably different then the original release with the cold draw offering up a mouthwatering sweetness. There are notes of cherries along with a subtle cedar and caramel. The aroma off the foot mimics the cold draw.
As we light up The Slugger notes of black cherry are dominant with hits of nutmeg and maple. There is an abundance of pepper on the resting aroma of the cigar as well as the retrohale during the first half inch of this monster cigar. As the first third comes to a close the sweetness slides into the background with notes of maple and nutmeg closing things out.
The second third of the cigar continues offering a great flavor profile with notes of mocha which serve up the perfect notes of chocolate and coffee. In the background there is a hint of cinnamon and the combination of all three has me craving Churros, a popular later desert. The finish features hearty wood notes while the retrohale sees a subtle cream with a continued pepper that doesn’t overpower.
As we finish the Big Papi Slugger the notes take on a more woody profile with some cinnamon and coffee in the background with both appearing on the front end of the long finish which also sees the addition of leather that lingers between puffs.
The Finish: This cigar doesn’t smoke like a 60 ring gauge. For the most part the size doesn’t bother me, but there are a few brands out there where I can’t get passed the size. Smoking the Big Papi Slugger wasn’t one of them. Perhaps it was the fact that at 4pm I was having my first cigar of the day where I am normally on my 4th cigar. Regardless, as much as I hate to admit it being a Yankees fan this is a really good smoke with a lot of flavor.
Score: 92
Price: $12.69 / $224.99
Big Papi The Slugger Foot
Big Papi The Slugger Burn
