BG Meyer Gigantes 52

Following the debut of Standard Issue at the 2014 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show and Slackers in September 2014, BG Meyer Co. announced its next brand earlier this month. The new cigar, named Gigantes, debuted in four different vitolas that are sold in boxes of 20 and all of which are 52 ring gauge and above: 4 x 52, 5 x 54, 6 x 56 and 7 x 60. The 4 x 52 vitola in the line retails for $10, with boxes of 20 selling for $200.

“The new BG Meyer Gigantes pays tribute to those towering spirits that have lead us to action by example,” said Rob Weiss. “Titans of character. Fearless pioneers. Those legends that influence our lives. Inspire our own personal journey. They are giants that walk among us and we celebrate them.”

Blend-wise, the Gigantes are composed of a Nicaraguan habano wrapper from 2007, a Brazilian mata fina binder aged at least six years and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic that are at least six-years-old. All of the cigars in the BG Meyer Gigantes line are rolled at the AgroIndustrias LAEPE, S.A. factory in Danli, Honduras.

The BG Meyer Co. brand is under Camacho’s umbrella, one of three members that make up the Board of Bold, along with football coach Mike Ditka and Room101’s  Matt Booth. Brand owner Rob Weiss has served as a producer and writer on HBO’s Entourage, How to Make It in America and Ballers, and B.G. Meyer Co. is named after his Rottweiler, Big Meyer.

• Cigar Reviewed: BG Meyer Gigantes 52
• Country of Origin: Honduras
• Factory: AgroIndustrias LAEPE, S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
• Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
• Filler: Nicaragua and Dominican Republic
• Size: 4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Petit Robusto
• MSRP: $10 (Boxes of 20, $200)
• Date Released: April 15, 2015
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

The BG Meyer Gigantes is covered in a very dark espresso brown wrapper that is quite toothy to the touch and features quite a few noticeable veins running up and down the length. It has very little give when squeezed and a tiny amount of oil is visible. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination of strong leather, peanuts, oak and espresso, while the cold draw brings flavors of strong orange citrus, gritty earth, dank cedar, barnyard and grass with a touch of indeterminate sweetness.

Starting off, the BG Meyer Gigantes features a strong combination of earth and sweet berries as the dominant flavors, along with lesser notes of leather, hay, black licorice, dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans. I am picking up some slight red pepper heat on my tongue and on the retrohale that goes nicely with the sweetness present on the palate. There is quite a bit of black pepper on the retrohale to start, but it recedes quickly to more manageable levels after 10 puffs or so. Smoke production is massive off of the foot, and both the burn and draw are excellent so far. The strength in the blend kicks in early, and easily hits a medium mark by the end of the first third.

The berry sweetness from the first third of the BG Meyer Gigantes remains at about the same level as the first third, but the pepper on the retrohale has receded noticeably by the halfway point, although there is still enough to make an impact on the profile. The dominant flavor remains the sweetness and gritty earth combo, but a new tart citrus note becomes noticeable on the retrohale, along with other flavors of hay, dark cocoa, coffee, bread and oak. Smoke production has increased slightly and both the burn and the draw remain excellent. The overall strength has increased, but not by much, and is still in the medium range by the time the final third starts.

Coming into the final third, a creamy oak note has taken over the dominant spot with the earth and berry sweetness close behind. Other flavors include roasted peanuts, hay, anise, dark chocolate and espresso, while the black pepper on the retrohale has increased slightly. The tart citrus from the middle third is still present, but much reduced, and it totally disappears by the end of the cigar. Construction-wise, the burn has become a bit wavy, but is not bad enough to touch up, and the draw is still excellent. The strength hits medium plus by the time I put the nub down with less than an inch to go.

FInal Notes

• I really love the understated but memorable packaging, and everything matches up perfectly: the main bands, the foot bands, the boxes and the insert inside the box, which features a silhouette of Weiss and his Rottweiler, Big Meyer, whom the brand is named after.
• In fact, I have enjoyed how each of the bands for the three releases so far have had their own identity.
• The inside of the band has same silhouette as the box insert as well as Weiss’s signature.
• I find it interesting that Weiss has chosen to use the name Gigantes when most sizes are well under what are usually considered to fall in that realm. The name obviously relates to “those towering spirits that have lead us to action by example,” as mentioned above, but I knew nothing about the brand but the name, I would assume it was full of 60+ ring gauge cigars.
• The cigars smoked for this review were sent to halfwheel by B.G. Meyer Co./Davidoff. Camacho and Davidoff have both advertised on halfwheel in the past year.
• The final smoking time for all three samples averaged one hour and 25 minutes.
• None of halfwheel’s sponsors have the BG Meyer Gigantes cigars in stock at the moment, but JR Cigar, Atlantic Cigar, Emerson’s Cigars, Serious Cigars and Stogies World Class Cigars are all BG Meyer retailers.