At this 2024 PCA Trade Show, Artista Cigars rolled out their latest addition to their famed David Ortiz line of cigars. The HOF, which stands for Hall of Fame, is the latest release in the Ortiz Series and honors Ortiz’ induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.
Some Hall of Fame stats:
- First ballot: Ortiz was the first career designated hitter to be elected on his first ballot.
- Percentage of votes: Ortiz received 307 of the 394 votes cast, for a percentage of 77.9.
- Induction speech: Ortiz’s speech included thanking the Twins for teaching him how to compete and emphasizing the importance of supporting others.
- Hall of Fame member number: Ortiz is the 58th player to be elected to the Hall of Fame in the first year on the ballot.
- Dominican-born player: Ortiz is the fourth Dominican-born player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
As for the HOF by David Ortiz, it features a Mexican San Andres wrapper and a sweet Indonesian binder and a filler blend as powerful as Ortiz’ career.
The company notes:
“We offer HOF by David Ortiz in two formats, a regular production Toro 54×6 as well as a Limited Edition Figurado of which only 541 boxes will be made. Five Hundred Forty-One is an important number is Ortiz’ career, representing the number of home runs attributed to him during his professional career. Each Limited-Edition Box is hand-numbered, and a select few boxes will be autographed by Ortiz.“
- Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
- Binder: Indonesian Sumatra
- Filler: South American & Caribbean proprietary blend
The HOF by David Ortiz Toro comes packaged in 20-count boxes while the Limited Edition Figurado comes packaged in 10-count boxes. MSRP is set at $15.00/cigar for the toro and $16.00/cigar for the Limited Edition Figurado.
They are hand crafted at Artista Cigars in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
For this review, I sampled three of the HOF by David Ortiz Toros, which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Artista HOF by David Ortiz exhibits a light to medium brown wrapper that has significant tooth throughout. The wrapper has some marbling and a few veins. I did notice a few soft spots along the barrel, but overall a decent give. A triple cap finishes the construction.
A single band adorns the cigar. It boldly declares this as the HOF. On the right and left of the band, it pay tribute to David Ortiz along with 4 gold coins – Ortiz’ number 34, a mitt and crossing bats, a batting helmet and crossed bats, and finally the number 541 (the number of career homeruns).
Running the HOF along the nose, I picked up notes of chocolate and nuts off the foot while the barrel exuded floral notes.
I cut the cap straight across the shoulder of the cigar and gave it some cold draws that offered a slow growing nut essence joined with a slight peppery note and earthy undertones.
I used my dual flame torch to warm the foot to an orange glow an drew in the first notes of black pepper and fruit to start the journey. Follow along as burn this one to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Black pepper cracker and fruity jam start the journey
- Light grey ash forms on top of a thin, slightly jagged, char line
- Cracker notes maintain with a touch of malt moving through the first third
- Ash dropped early revealing a decent burn cone
- The billowing smoke fills the air with sweet nutty aromas
- Burn continues to be a tad wonky
- Cedar notes with sweet fruity undertones build moving into the second third
- Dry leather notes wrap the overall profile
- Ash is exhibiting flakiness through the burn
- Natural sweetness grows midway
- Pleasant cinnamon spice notes add to the experience
- Sweet berry notes bring it to the final
- Medium Plus in Strength
- Total smoking Time was 1 hour and 35 minutes
Final Analysis
The Artista Cigars HOF by David Ortiz Toro opens with an engaging combination of black pepper cracker and fruity jam, offering both spice and sweetness right from the start. A light grey ash forms atop a thin yet slightly jagged char line as the first third develops. Cracker notes hold steady early on, joined by a subtle touch of malt that rounds out the profile.
The ash drops earlier than expected but reveals a respectable burn cone. As the smoke begins to billow, it fills the air with sweet, nutty aromas—one of the more inviting qualities of the cigar. The burn, however, continues to show a bit of waviness as the journey progresses.
Moving into the second third, cedar notes emerge and blend with the cigar’s sweet, fruity undertones. The palate experiences dry leather notes that help wrap the profile together. The ash becomes increasingly flaky, as it continues to burn.
Midway through, the natural sweetness builds nicely, and a pleasant cinnamon spice joins the mix, adding warmth and complexity. The cigar eases into its final stretch with sweet berry notes and spice, delivering a satisfying and flavorful close. This worth grabbing a fiver of. If you are a Red Sox fan grab a box.
Point Deductions: (-1) Flaky Ash; (-2) Multiple off burns; (-1) Touch-ups required;
Bonus Points: (+1) Complex flavor profile
