It’s Stog o’Clock, and this time, I check out the El Artista Buffalo TEN. This budget focused cigar comes in a 6 x 50 box-pressed format and retails for only $4.50! It features a Mexican San Andres wrapper covering a Dominican Negrito binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Columbia, Nicaragua, and the USA.

Pre-Light
Pre-light, the cold draw gives flavors of oats and wine. The wrapper produces a leather and manure aroma while I smell dried fruit out of the foot. Once lit, I taste light hay, black pepper, and cocoa. Through the nose, there is a blend of sour earth and black pepper. The finish is full of body with cocoa and earthy leather.

First Third
Twenty-five minutes in, the first third comes to a close. On the draw, I find black pepper with bitter earth and sharp cocoa. Through the nose, burnt graham cracker mixes with black pepper. The finish offers leather and oak alongside floral notes. Strength and body settle in at medium-to-full.

Second Third
The second third ends around one hour and fifteen minutes. Sour earth takes over the draw with more cocoa. On the retro-hale, black pepper and spicy red pepper dance through my sinuses. The finish displays grass with light cocoa and more floral notes. There is no change to strength or body.

Final Third
The final third wraps up around two hours. On the draw, a salty cocoa attempts to cover underlying sour earth. Through the nose, pepper dominates with some added leather notes. On the finish, I pick up more cocoa and floral notes. Strength and body finish at medium-to-full.

Overall Thoughts
The Buffalo TEN by El Artista is an okay cigar. It didn’t blow me away, but it’s not terrible, either. This cigar displays some decent flavors with a few unpleasant notes, but for $4.50, it performs better than expected. I think with some lengthy rest in the humidor, the flavors will become more refined.
Construction of the Buffalo TEN is superior to most budget smokes and even better than a lot of higher-priced cigars. Again, for $4.50, this thing performed well. If you only smoke the cream of the crop, this probably isn’t for you. However, if you’re looking for a decent value cigar, it’s worth a try.
Smoke on!
-Noah (CutLightSmoke)