Cigar Info – El Artista Buffalo TEN Natural
Back in October of 2020, El Artista announced two new line extensions: Fugly Cheroots Claro and Buffalo TEN Natural. This new Buffalo TEN Natural is blended with El Artista’s own Ecuadorian-grown Habano wrapper, Indonesian Sumatra binder, and a proprietary blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican, and USA filler tobaccos. Just as the original, it comes in a single size 6 x 50 Soft-Box-Pressed Toro packs of 5 each that sell for $22.50 MSRP. It is also sold as single in a 40-CT Tray for $5.00. They available in North American, European, and South American retailers.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The original Buffalo TEN was a breakout for the company and rocketed them onto many top cigar of the year lists and scored a 93 in our blind tasting.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Indonesia Sumatra
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, USA
Factory: Tabacalera El Artista
Blender: Ram Rodriguez
Number of reviewers: 5 – Ryan H. (Ryan H.) Lauren S. (Lauren S.) Quinn (quinnpins269) Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard) Randy B. (randobush)
Price: $5.00
Age: 6 Months
Release Date: September 2020
Contributed by: El Artista Cigars
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“This 6” x unknown ring gauge is a beautiful box-pressed cigar, sporting a triple cap, with an open foot that displays rich-looking tobaccos. The color is a medium brown with auburn hue, and the seams are nearly invisible on this medium-firm packed cigar.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Aroma: 92
“The pre-light aroma was heavy on dried hay and woody notes.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
First Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“After toasting the foot I took my first few puffs. The draw was very easy with only a small amount of resistance. Immediately the dried hay and woody notes came to the front of the smoke. The smoke was very heavy and creamy but did not linger on the tongue very long.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
“First puffs bring a light creamy flavor. Slightly buttery the first third is incredibly mild. There is also not a lot of smoke production but that might be the result of a very open draw even though I only V-cut it.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Second Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Cigar is getting darker leaving the palate kinda dirty. Notes start dying off first the cream. The draw is perfect nearly effortless. The burn is ok. The ash is very weak. That sweetness on the finish is becoming identifiable with the other notes dropping off. A tar-like burnt sugar, it doesn’t sound like a good note but believe me it is.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Toasted baking spice with a citrus zest, and a bit of savory pepper spice resting on the palate in between draws, gives a full finish.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The home stretch of the cigar was burning great. The notes of hay had started to disappear. they were replaced by a graham cracker nutty combo. This was a nice change from the first two thirds. It brought a sweet and salty component to the cigar that was a pleasure.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
“Leather, cedar, very slight spice.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
Overall Impressions – El Artista Buffalo TEN Natural
Draw: 96
“My only real complaint about the draw was it did seem a bit too open so it did not produce the amount of smoke I usually like.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Burn: 91
“Ash fell in 1.5” chunks. No relights or touch-ups needs. Nice even slow burn.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Construction: 91
“During the pre-light, I had noticed few soft spots throughout the cigar. These did not prove to be an issue. The box press held its shape from start to finish and the wrapper never split or cracked at any time. The smoke stayed cool till the final inches, at that point I let it go out in the ashtray.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
Overall Strength: Mild-Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
El Artista Buffalo TEN Natural – Experience Overall: 90
“Had a few problems with profile itself, and the aroma definitely put me off, but I would buy a box if I could special order one without the bitter after taste.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“This is an extremely mild blend that was very consistent throughout. The construction and burn were both excellent. I love a cigar that can hold a long beautiful ash. I just wish there had been a bit more complex flavors within it. If you are someone who leans towards milder cigars this has a great creamy, buttery, and slightly nutty flavor and the construction makes it even more enjoyable.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
“This was an enjoyable cigar. The flavors were a nice mild to medium and never overpowering. The construction was very good and added to the overall smoking experience.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
“Great flavor throughout and very consistent. I enjoyed it a lot.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“Overall this cigar was a nice zesty flavor bomb, and fun to smoke. Complex flavors, subtle but noticeable transitions from start to finish. Carried a nice Med-full strength that was perfect after a meal.”-Randy B. (randobush)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 89
| Reviewer | Appearance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Ryan H. | 88 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 90 | 97 | 92 | 90 | 90 |
| Lauren S. | 95 | 92 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 95 | 100 | 97 | 90 |
| Quinn | 88 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| Joseph S. | 92 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 93 | 88 | 90 | 90 |
| Randy B. | 92 | 95 | 92 | 95 | 90 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 92 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.