Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Buenaventura Maduro BV 500 is between medium and dark brown and has some light marbling along with some lightly raised veins. It has a bit of an oval press with seams that are smooth and caps that are well applied. The band is the traditional design for the brand. The aroma from the wrapper is earth and bakers chocolate while the foot brings wood, earth and light spice. The pre-light draw brings oak with a light earth/cocoa powder mixture along with a very mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Buenaventura Maduro BV 500 is not a great looking cigar. It’s rough in appearance and texture. Medium sized veins throughout with a coarse texture. Nice firmness. Fine gritty texture. Aromas of chocolate, earth, wood and tobacco.
John: The Buenaventura Maduro BV 500 comes in cellophane and has a UPC sticker with an integrated tear space to remain intact when opened. There is a single Buenaventura band and an artisanal complication of a firm box press to the cigar. I weighed the cigar at 10.0 grams and the humidity as measured by a HumidiMeter Pro was 61.9%. Aromas off the wrapper were barnyard, a faint fire cured type note and aged wood. The foot was more subtle with hay and tobacco.
Jiunn: The Buenaventura Maduro BV 500 has a near Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper tell of five spice and cedar. Aromas from the foot give cedar and nuts. Cold draws reveal nuts and slight metallic notes.

Buenaventura Maduro BV 500

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with oak, earth, bakers chocolate and baking spice. At a half inch in, the oak and earth are even up front, with the baking spice in the middle and bakers chocolate in the background. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth and zingy black pepper. At an inch in, the baking spice has transitioned to black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the oak and earth are even up front, with black pepper in the middle and bakers chocolate in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The first third was just above uneventful. Notes of cocoa, dry earth, spices, tobacco and wood. Really a departure from the last Buenaventura we smoked. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: My initial flavor impressions are chocolate, smoky tobacco and an earth and wood combination to finish. An acrid earth is present on the post draw with some minor delay. Sweet tobacco is present through the retrohale as it settles. Some time later, the acrid earth on the post draw has faded away.
Jiunn: The first third creates a combination of charred oak, minerals and baking spices. The retrohale only accentuates the charred notes. The finish has a combination of charred oak and tinny minerals. Strength is medium-full, creating a head spin and a slight gut punch. Body is medium.

Buenaventura Maduro BV 500

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper mellows a bit, the bakers chocolate departs and a light creaminess joins the profile. The retrohale is now toasted oak and earth with mild black pepper. At an inch in, the black pepper has become very mellow. As the third comes to a close, the oak and earth are even up front with black pepper and creaminess in the background. The strength dropped to slightly below medium.
Seth: The second third was fairly similar to that of the first. Dryer profile with some mineral and tobacco notes. Cocoa and spices on the finish. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: Creamy tobacco starts the second third with earth to follow and linger into the post draw. Chocolate comes into the retrohale with an earth and wood combination to finish. As the second third progresses, the profile becomes predominantly wood forward.
Jiunn: The second third shows no vast differences from the first third. It’s still highly charred oak, minerals and baking spices forward. There is more baking spice influence than minerals, but the charred oak is most dominant. The strength continues to be strong at a medium plus (body still medium).

Buenaventura Maduro BV 500

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper sees a slight increase. At three quarter of an inch in a vegetal bitterness joins the middle of the profile. The retrohale is now just toasted oak and earth. As the cigar wraps up, the profile is oak and earth even up front, vegetal bitterness in the middle, black pepper just behind that and creaminess in the background. The strength bumped up to medium.
Seth: The flavor profile was harsher than the second, but showing what was present in the first at the same time. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: Creamy wood greets me in the last third. A mild, creamy chocolate joins the retrohale as it continues with earth and wood on the finish. Dry wood is present on the post draw by the halfway mark.
Jiunn: The final third continues to show the same dominant charred oak, followed by minerals and baking spices. Strength and body remain medium-full and medium, respectively.

Buenaventura Maduro BV 500

Burn

Aaron: The burn line was a bit wavy and the cigar went out three times through the first half of the cigar, requiring re-lights.
Seth: Good burn throughout.
John: The burn begins relatively straight and the ash has a significant amount of flakiness to it. The burn becomes uneven as it continues and by the second third a touch-up is required to correct. No burn issues were observed for the remainder of the review.
Jiunn: Burn performance was perfect. Even burn, ample smoke production, tight ashes and cool burning temperature.

Buenaventura Maduro BV 500

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Draw was somewhat loose.
John: The draw is at most a 1/2 notch towards the resistant spectrum which still puts it in the ideal range between open and resistant.
Jiunn: Draw performance was on point, providing the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with oak, earth, bakers chocolate and baking spice. The baking spice transitioned to black pepper a bit later. The second third saw the bakers chocolate depart and a light creaminess join in. The final third saw a vegetal bitterness join in. There were three re-lights required through the first half of the cigar. The Buenaventura Maduro BV 500 started well, with a rustic and raw flavor profile, but by the second third, the profile dropped a level and remained that way through the remainder of the cigar. I’m not sure if I have a good handle on this cigar to determine if the three re-lights had a big effect on the flavor profile or if that was the natural progression of the cigar. With the low price point, it’s easy to want to come back to see if a better burning sample would provide a different experience. I’m interested in the experience of the others to see if they had better construction and what they report.
Seth: If there was a Buenaventura bubble, Aaron burst it. What John and I had going for that Buenaventura in 2022, it is long gone. This Buenaventura Maduro BV 500 was lacking in so many ways. It rode that average line for as long as it could, and it rode it hard, but eventually it was too much. That’s what she said. An affordable cigar, but not a great one. Had a core flavor profile that I was expecting, but a lot of the cons that can come with a cigar of this nature. Spend the extra bucks and smoke something better.
John: The Buenaventura Maduro BV 500 was consistently average through all thirds. While the flavor profile was not bad in any sense, the combinations weren’t engaging or interesting enough to elevate it above a sea of other offerings on the market. The draw was perfect while a single touch-up was required to correct the burn. This is not a cigar I would return to, even though the price point is fairly attractive. I would gravitate towards the BV554. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 1 minute.
Jiunn: Up until this review, Buenaventura made some of the most easy going (yet flavorful) blends in the market. But this Buenaventura Maduro BV 500 turned that entirely upside down and the company decided to go balls to the wall on not just the strength, but a bold flavor profile. Unfortunately, the flavor profile wasn’t pleasant so this is one of the few Buenaventuras that I can’t recommend.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.70

Cost/Point

$1.32

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

4.23

Cost/Point

$1.77

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$1.33

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$1.30

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Buenaventura Maduro BV 500