Cigar Review: Buenaventura by Curivari

Vitola: BV500 (Robusto)
Size: 5.25” x 50 ring gauge
Price $5.49
Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

Curivari is either very secretive or just has a lousy marketing department. Okay, so the consensus really is the former…and I’ve heard of few business (in or out of of the cigar industry) that have such strange practices. My local shop had to pursue the company for many months before they would really talk to the manager. Sticks kind of show up whenever they show up and in strange quantities. Re-orders are a bit of a nightmare because you never know when to expect them. Still..quality has been great and buzz has been kept high, so every time they show up, they sell through pretty quickly.

Buenaventura was released at the 2012 IPCPR show, so not exactly a new cigar. Except that I only saw it for the first time earlier this year. It’s reported to be a Nicaraguan puro, although their Curivari website states that about all their cigars…well, all the cigars listed…neither the Buenaventura nor the Achilles, released around the same time, are listed on the site, so I’m guessing it hasn’t been updated in two years or more. Other companies might have trouble staying in business long using the methods employed by Curivari…but the cigars are good and in demand, so their business doesn’t appear to be hurting.

I smoked two or three of these in the same size before I got around to this review sample. I bought all those at Burns in Chattanooga.

Prelight

The Buenaventura has the color of dark caramel, similar to what you might see in many Ecuadorian Habano wrappers. There wasn’t much oily sheen to the eyes, but touching the leaf, you could definitely feel it. There were a couple medium-sized veins and the cigar was softly box-pressed. The band is a plain, but classic-looking design using a little metallic gold ink and a dark burgundy, with white lettering. While not exactly “Cuban” in appearance, the band and the cigar it’s around definitely gave off a bit of that vibe of something that had been in production the same way since the ‘60s or ‘70s.

Smelling the wrapper, leaf, I picked up a sweetness with overtones of hay and a light fruitiness. The foot of the stick had sweet and ripe earthiness. The prelight draw was excellent and featured flavors of wood and earth, along with touches of sweetness and pepper.

Flavor

Once lit, the Buenaventura had a strong cedar flavor, along with something sweeter…maybe some hay, but something a little sweeter, too, like mild fruit. There was just a touch of earth and pepper on the palate, though the pepper came through loud and clear on the nose, along with a roasted nuttiness.

By the time the first third was reduced to ash and the second third was on its way to the same, cedar notes were definitely dominant, although roasted peanuts and mild sweetness still played supporting roles in the mix.

The final third was much the same with the addition of some extra black pepper and more heat as the burning end of the stogie got closer to my face.

Construction

Build quality on these, as on pretty much every Curvari I’ve smoked, was flawless. Straight enough burn line, great draw, and solid ash.

Value

Under $6 a stick and a great smoking experience? Of course it’s a great value!

Conclusions

The Curvari Buenaventura is a great smoke, especially for the bargain price. It showcases very well how Nicaraguan puros don’t have to be all about power, but can show off the flavor and complexity of Nicaraguan leaf. While there was a lot of cedar flavor, there were plenty of balancing notes to keep it from being overwhelming. I would call it medium to full in body and medium in strength. The price point, combined with a box size of only 10 sticks, makes this a very attractive box purchase for lovers of Nicaraguan leaf.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10