Big Papi Gets Big Humidor
A special humidor for a special baseball player and his cigar.
Tabacalera El Artista, located in the Dominican Republic, teamed up last year with legendary Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz to debut a limited-edition cigar called Big Papi, and now the company has created eight special humidors for the smokes.
Ortiz, nicknamed Big Papi for his heartwarming affability, grew up in the Dominican Republic before going on to play with the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox. A 10-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion, Ortiz was feared as one of the most powerful hitters of all time, slamming 541 home runs and 1,768 RBIs during his 20 seasons in major league baseball. Ortiz had a knack for the dramatics, too, as he had 11 walk-off home runs in his career, including two in the postseason.
Designed and produced by Dominican-based Zanwill International, the 100-count humidor is painted bright white and polished to a piano-style finish, with a Spanish cedar and okoumé wood interior. The top is emblazoned with the brand's logo, which is a silhouette of Ortiz pointing to the sky, his signature home run celebration pose.
Each humidor has been hand-signed by Ortiz and carries a suggested retail price of $2,500. The humidors won't come empty, however, but instead will be filled with 100 Big Papi cigars, which are made from a blend of Ecuadoran Habano claro wrapper, Dominican Criollo '98 binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Dominican Republic.
Already two humidors have been claimed, leaving six left. Tabacalera El Artista says it plans to raffle one away at the International Cigars & Pipe Retailers trade show, and the other five will be used as "part of a national promotional program for retailers."
