Buenaventura Favoritos 56 Natural

Curivari

• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper:Nicaragua (Jalapa Habano)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 56
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $5.40 (Box of 20, $108)
• Release Date: October 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Original Score: 91

Every year in the cigar industry comes with multiple storylines, and one of the ones that stood out in 2024 was the proliferation of cigars with an MSRP around the $100 mark. Yet there were still plenty of good options on the other end of the price spectrum, notably this cigar.

Buenaventura is part of Curivari’s portfolio and has been positioned as the company’s value-oriented line, even though the company’s offerings are all what I consider the reasonable range of prices. The brand debuted in 2012, and in the years since the company experimented with blends that would make for a fitting addition, finally finding something that would merit a commercial release under the Favoritos name. The company released three blends, all using a Nicaraguan binder and filler. The Favoritos Connecticut uses an Ecuadorian-grown wrapper and features yellow accents on its packaging, the blue-banded Maduro uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, and this cigar features red bands, while the wrapper is a habano-seed leaf grown in Nicaragua’s Jalapa region. Each blend would get two sizes; in this case, there was also a 6 x 60 gordo.

We don’t factor price into our reviews, so this cigar didn’t score what it did in any way due to its MSRP. Rather, it earned its points and place on this list for delivering an abundance of clean flavor while staying well-balanced, managing its strength levels and showing some of the best construction I experienced in a year plagued with burn issues. While it might not have the multi-octave range of other cigars, it plays the notes it offers very well, reminding me that value goes beyond the price but also lies in a cigar being able to consistently deliver a solid performance. — Patrick Lagreid.