HOF by David Ortiz Figurado

When it comes to cigars made for or with athletes and celebrities, it seems like a lot of the time, it’s a one-and-done situation. But that is not the case for David Ortiz, the slugging designated hitter of the Boston Red Sox who retired after the 2016 season and entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

In July 2016, a few months ahead of Ortiz’s retirement, it was announced that Ortiz had teamed up with Artista Cigars, a cigar company then known as Tabacalera El Artista. The first line used Ortiz’s nickname, Big Papi, and featured a silhouette of Ortiz in his signature post-home run pose pointing to the sky. A second cigar would come out in 2019, a whopping 7 x 60 gordo extra called Slugger that was blended to be stronger than the original. The Slugger would get a robusto in 2021.

Then Ortiz’s line of cigars became part of United Cigars’ Firecracker Series in 2022, with a variation on the Slugger blend used for the petit and potent cigar.

The latest cigar line to bear Ortiz’s name honors his induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the HOF by David Ortiz, which was announced in mid-March as spring training was underway, and which shipped in mid-September as the regular season was coming to a close.

The blend features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, an Indonesian binder, and an undisclosed filler that is described as being “as powerful as Ortiz’s career.” It is offered in two vitolas, the first of which is a regular production, 6 x 54 toro that is priced at $15 per cigar and offered in 20-count boxes.

The other size is a limited edition figurado that comes in a 6 x 36/60 size, meaning it has a 36 ring gauge at the head and a 60 ring gauge at the toot. The tapered body gives the cigar what is often referred to as a trompeta shape for its resemblance to a trumpet.

For the figurado vitola, just 541 boxes of 10 cigars were produced, with that number corresponding to the number of regular season home runs hit in Ortiz’s 20-year career in Major League Baseball. Each of those 541 boxes was hand-numbered, and a few were autographed by Ortiz. Individual cigars in the figurado vitola are priced at $16.

• Cigar Reviewed: HOF by David Ortiz Figurado
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Artsita Cigars
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Indonesia
• Filler: Undisclosed
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 36/60
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Release Date: September 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: 541 Boxes of 10 Cigars (5,410 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

In a world of toros, seeing this trompeta-shaped figurado is incredibly refreshing and interesting, as it’s a shape I don’t see all that often unless there’s a certain cigar or two I make a point to seek out. The band looks great, but for some reason, the design makes me think of something that should be associated with a firefighter more than a baseball player. As are common issues with tapered-body figurados, the bands slide around a bit, and the ends don’t line up evenly, so the point where the ends adhere isn’t particularly tidy. The measurements I take match up pretty spot on with what the company says, the heads all measure right about 36 or 37 ring gauge, depending on just where the measurement is taken, while the foot measures a fairly consistent 60 ring gauge. Speaking of the head of the cigar, it is quite flat, with two reminding me of some of RoMa Craft Tobac’s creations. Once clipped, the cigar’s head is very flat, with no shoulder to the cigar. The wrapper is generally dry—one cigar has oiliness—and textured to the touch, somewhat rustic looking with some prominent veins, including ones that interrupt the otherwise smooth seam lines. The cigars are all firm, not offering much give. The foot has an aroma of sweet, damp wood, not quite cedar but not far off. Supporting aromas include a light floral scent, a bit of bubblegum, and some lightly heated sugar, short of being either simple syrup or the top of a crème brûlée. The cold draw is smooth and slightly sweet, with a sweet wheat bread leading the way, followed by light creaminess and some carryover of the cedar sensation.

The HOF by David Ortiz Figurado gets things going with a dry woodiness that reminds me of rough-cut cedar, while a bit of creaminess contributes to the flavor but not the texture of the smoke in two of the three cigars. The first retrohales have a decent hit of pepper that stimulates my nostrils and then fades away fairly quickly. There’s a bit of charred wood emerging through the nose, which adds a secondary sensation, though it doesn’t come down to the taste buds, which are being treated to a creamier sensation than what was offered out of the gate. In the first half-inch or so, there’s an interesting flavor that starts emerging that I can’t quite place; it has damp wood but a very soft texture as opposed to the crispness of wood. There’s also a bit of soil or earthiness emerging, a subtle addition that is barely an accent but could be an indication of what might be yet to come. Flavor dances around the medium mark, body is medium and strength is fairly mild but shows steady increases as the cigar burns. Construction is very good thus far with no burn issues, good smoke production, an even burn line, and a thick first clump of ash.

At the start of this portion of the HOF by David Ortiz Figurado, there’s a very enjoyable peppery retrohale while the flavor begins to unfold its flavors from the creamy base note that starts off this second third. There are a few puffs that remind me of a mild tea with some milk, but then it’s quickly back to the dry wood sensation that sits between cedar and big-box store lumber. As it unfolds, the woodiness is clean and dry both in the nose and on the palate, giving the profile a bright top note. The resting aroma takes on a bit of a wood-based cologne sensation while the flavor picks up more black pepper that works the front third of my tongue. The profile gets a bit earthier by way of adding some damp soil around the midpoint while holding onto the creaminess and dry wood, making for the most complex flavor but also the one that shows the first touches of harshness as the flavor can get a bit pointed. When the wood isn’t pushing too hard, some black tea notes still poke through, producing impressive complexity and balance just past the midway point. Retrohales pick up a smokier, more stimulating black pepper that also lingers around just a bit longer. Flavor still hovers around medium, finishing this section more medium-plus and seemingly increasing as the cigar tapers. Body is still medium, while strength is getting closer to medium territory. The draw and smoke production are still very good, but the first cigar has a spot front-and-center that won’t burn and requires a touch-up. The second cigar develops an even more pronounced issue in nearly the exact same spot, while the third cigar avoids the issue. In the second third, the ash also begins to get flakier with puffs blowing off little flecks.

As the taper really begins to take effect and the cigar spends more time in sub-50 ring gauge territory, the intensity of the flavor picks up, as does some harshness and the strength of the cigar, as I can now feel some nicotine hitting my system. Not every cigar ramps up to an equal level, but when it does, the effect is quite noticeable. Retrohales are where the cigar shines and they show none of the oversteps that the flavor tends to make, instead picking up a smoky campfire sensation to complement the black pepper. In the first two cigars, the harshness begins to overshadow the flavors, but in the third cigar, the experience is much different and much, much better. There’s still some sweet woodiness, a dash of black pepper and some dry soil. While the creaminess has departed the flavor, the body of the smoke is still very smooth with just a touch of texture as it hits my taste buds. It’s the kind of sensation I was hoping the cigar both could and would deliver, giving me some renewed optimism that the HOF by David Ortiz Figurado can be solid from start to finish. Earth pushes into more of a lead role as the cigar continues to taper, and there’s a bit more nicotine strength, but in the third cigar, it is still a very enjoyable sensation. Flavor now sits between medium-plus and full, though the fuller expressions are driven more by harshness than flavor. The body is still around medium and strength is now medium, maybe even medium-plus.

Final Notes

• Artista Cigars grows some of its own tobacco, including a broadleaf varietal, and while I don’t know if that the tobacco is in this blend, it did have the same kind of distinct flavor profile that I’ve found in other Artista blends.
• I don’t know exactly what it is, but I have found that Artista Cigars has developed a signature profile aspect. It’s a flavor that is slightly sweet and juicy, while also being slightly earthy and peppery.
• While not exactly the same dimensions, the HOF by David Ortiz Figurado shares a similar vitola to the Naughty Goose, a cigar with an absolutely fantastic name that was reviewed for April Fools’ Day in 2014.
• This trompeta vitola also reminds me of the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Pyramide and the Foundry War of Currents Menlo.
• I wish I could isolate and build a cigar from a handful of puffs in the first and second thirds as the balance and complexity are just that good. In the case of the second third, there’s a frustration that sets in when I feel the wood trying to do too much and upsetting that balance, which in turn leads me to hope that a bit more time and rest will settle the wood’s exuberance.
• Beyond the 541 home runs that Ortiz hit in his big league career, he also hit 17 home runs in the postseason, three of which came in 14 World Series games.
• Those 541 home runs means Ortiz ranks 17th all-time in home runs. He’s ahead of Mickey Mantle with 536, and behind Mike Schmidt with 548.
• To put how exclusive the National Baseball Hall of Fame is, there are only 346 members, which include 273 players, 40 executives and pioneers, 23 managers and 10 umpires. Using Baseball-Reference.com, there have been 23,370 Major League players, and while that includes active players not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame, it works about to about 1.1 percent of players that get a plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y.
• The HOF by David Ortiz Figurado isn’t a terribly strong cigar until the final third, and then there’s some variance. That said, I think it would be a good idea to have some white sugar around in case the strength ends up being a bit more than is enjoyable.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The company lists these as a 6 x 36/60 figurado. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review. Given the taper, we didn’t bother measuring the ring gauge.
• Final smoking time was a bit varied, ranging from about an hour and 45 minutes to two hours and 40 minutes. The average smoking time ended up being about two hours and 15 minutes.