Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56 is medium brown and carries some well pressed veins. The seams are smooth and the caps very well applied. There are two bands, with the primary being the traditional design for the brand and the secondary is a solid red band slightly peeking out from under the primary to denote the variation of the line. The aroma from the wrapper is a light mix of cedar and earth while the foot brings cedar, stone fruit sweetness and light earth. The pre-light draw brings cedar and a faint stone fruit sweetness.
Seth: The Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56 is a decent looking cigar. Truly Natural in coloring, it has a dark antique brown color. There are faint oils present on the smooth wrapper, and it is a firm cigar throughout. Quite hard. Small veins are present throughout, and there is an aroma of spices, wood, leather and tobacco.
John: The Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56 comes in cellophane and has a UPC sticker with the cigar information and an integrated tear space to remain intact when opened. I weighed the cigar at 15.8 grams and measured the humidity at 64.6% with the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet bread, tobacco and raisin. From the foot, I was getting hay and tobacco.

Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with aged, toasted cedar, black pepper and earth. At a quarter inch in, the cedar gains a light dampness and the black pepper now shows a slight mix with baking spice. The retrohale is toasted cedar and earth with a mild black pepper/baking spice combination. At an inch in, the baking spice leaves the black pepper and the dampness that was with the cedar is now mustiness. As the third comes to a close, the profile is aged, musty toasted cedar up front, with black pepper a bit behind and earth a bit farther back. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third starts out with a nice blast of pepper. Red and black pepper notes, and it is paired with strong oak and tobacco notes. Barnyard qualities present as well with this toasted Brazil nut quality. Medium in strength and body.
John: The first third begins with tobacco, earth and wood, as the earth lingers solo into the post draw. A musty wood joins the post draw after a few puffs. As the first third settles in, some spices move into the retrohale at light-plus strength. Some time later, creamy earth is leading off the profile with spices making up the center. The cigar continues to evolve with sweet bread joining the retrohale and harmonizing with the spices already present. By the halfway point, the post draw earth has picked up to medium strength.

Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the toasted cedar becomes fuller and the mustiness is now an independent component of the profile. At a half inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and earth with light mustiness. As the third comes to a close, the aged, toasted cedar is up front, with the earth and black pepper in the middle of the profile and light mustiness in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third delivers those pepper notes with tobacco, oak and earth. Toasted Brazil nut flavor profile present still. It has this tobacco and creamy finish. Long finish. Like before, the cigar is medium in strength and body.
John: The second third opens with creamy earth and wood as a musty accent comes into the finish and lingers into the post draw. A few puffs later mild spices center up the center of the retrohale and combine with the musty wood. As the second third settles in, earth is dominating the post draw at medium strength with the mustiness providing accent notes. That profile remains consistent for the remainder of the second third.

Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the earth picks up a bit and the black pepper mellows a bit more. At a quarter inch in, a light walnut nuttiness joins the profile. The retrohale remains toasted cedar and earth with light mustiness. At an inch in, the toast level increases a bit. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar is a bit ahead of the earth, with black pepper in the back half of the profile and some walnut nuttiness and mustiness in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third delivers a lot of pepper notes with tobacco, oak and a mineral earth flavor. The tobacco notes are more present on the finish, not as much creaminess, but still some toasted Brazil nut qualities. Medium in strength and body. Maybe slightly above that level.
John: My initial flavor impressions in the last third are creamy, musty earth, joined by wood, both at medium strength. The earth has ramped up to medium-full strength on the finish and post draw by the halfway point. Earth is dominating the profile through the bottom half of the last third.

Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight in the first and final thirds, but a little wavy in the middle as it worked around the wrapper split. The ash held on through each third.
Seth: The burn was a little below average throughout.
John: The burn exhibited minor waviness in the first third, becoming uneven as it continued. The burn straightened out in the second third and was uneven again in the last third.

Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was good from beginning to end.
John: The draw was at most one notch towards the resistant spectrum which puts it in the ideal range between open and resistant for an amazing draw score.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with aged, toasted cedar, black pepper and earth. The cedar gained a bit of dampness pretty quickly and some baking spice paired up with the black pepper. The baking spice later departed and the dampness transitioned to mustiness. The second third saw the cedar become fuller. The final third saw some walnut nuttiness join in. The Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56 had an average flavor profile throughout. The toasted cedar was the driver and the earth built up as the cigar went along. Overall, a fairly average experience, but a very low price point makes it an easy try. Not something I’d see myself coming back to, but I’m looking forward to the Connecticut offering.
Seth: The Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56 is a solid cigar. The pricing on this is incredible, and it’s wild to say that after smoking the Connecticut. I loved the vitola on the cigar as well, and the larger ring gauge just worked out well. I don’t think I would have liked this as much in a smaller vitola. Would possibly be too much for me and destroy my palate. I still can’t believe this is under $6.00.
John: The Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56 had a promising start with earth based flavor combinations that were engaging and at times harmonized well. As the cigar continued in the second and last third, the earth component gradually took over, and by the last third was the primary flavor component. Both the draw and the burn were scored as amazing. I’m torn on whether I’d return to the Buenaventura Favoritos Natural. On one hand the price point is just over a third of the average cigar price on the market in 2024. But beyond the first third, I wouldn’t see myself continuing past the halfway point. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 55 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$0.96

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.22

Cost/Point

$0.87

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$0.89

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Buenaventura Favoritos Natural 56