The Pinolero Maduro (2013 Release)
Manufacture: AJ Fernandez
Cost: (if you can find them) $7 to $10 per stick (based on US prices and speaking with a rep)
Size: 6.5” x 52
Shape: Torpedo
Wrapper: Maduro
Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan
Age/Storage Conditions: I do not have an exact age on this cigar as it was given to me by a friend for review. He estimates fall of 2013 is when he acquired the cigar and I would bet the cigar is a little under/over one and a half years old. My storage temperatures of the locker at my B&M stay pretty steady at about 68/69% RH and 70/71° Fahrenheit. This is according to the digital hydrometer that I have in there.
The cap of the cigar appears to be nice and neat with minor damage noted, this was likely caused by me when shuffling this stick around before I decided to smoke it.
This cigar has a beautiful construction with tight seems very minimal viens and a slightly oily/toothy feel. The aroma is very pleasant and welcoming with notes of hay and sweet tobacco.
The foot looks great with no damage noted, appears to have a nice pack with a very similar aroma noted as from the foot of the cigar. For as cheap as this stick is, I am impressed with the construction.
On the cold draw I am left with a perfect amount of resistance and a very bready/peppery taste with a bit of spice left on the lips. This bready/yeasty type flavor is not new to me but I have only ever noted it in a few cigars.
Time to brave the heat/humidty and set fire to this stick.
First Light (First Third): 9:26pm
Body/Strength: Medium with no strength
During the first light the initial flavors are complex but enjoyable. I am getting a black coffee, barnyard and dark chocolate flavor with a bready/yeasty like like wash of the palette during the finish. The smoke is oily in texture and light but plentiful. Retrohale is very spicy (almost too spicy) but not unbearable to me. So far this seems like a good cigar!
So far an almost perfect burn at about one half inch into the cigar. These flavors continue from the first light into the first third of the cigar but with a mild cedar present. Body remains at a medium and no discernable strength noted. The smoke output and texture remain the same. Nice flavor profile from this stick, it’s something a bit different from what I have been smoking.
Twenty minutes into the first third (about one inch down) the burn is a bit wavy but it’s not atypical for a maduro, in my experience. It’s self-correcting and does not need a touch up. Body remains at a solid medium with no strength noted.
Second Third: 9:54pm
Starting the second third of the cigar at just under 28 minutes into my burn, the flavors are about the same with a bit more of a sweetness noted on the finish. I would call it a general sweetness nothing of any note. The smoke output has, however, changed and is much more thick and chewy. The draw remains perfect and there is a bit of a strength detected matching the body at a medium.
About one inch into the second third (15 minutes in) the cigar seems like it wants to go out. The smoke output seems to have died back as more airy/light and is requiring a double puff to keep it going. Flavors shift at this point with only a bitter and slightly semi-sweet spice (cayenne or chili type spicy) and a faint leather and dark coco on the finish. I let it set for a minute as I do not want to overheat the cigar. Aside from the cigar nearly going out, it’s burning very well with a nice complexity of flavors.
Reached the halfway point at 10:18pm or just under one hour into the cigar and the cigar has gone out. I tap the ash and give it a light touch up and relight, no ashy/ammonia type tastes noted on the relight—seems like it’s salvageable! Flavors are the same but body has moved up to medium to full but the strength has dialed back to mild at best. The finish is a bit different and hard to describe… It’s still bready but it almost has a vegetable-like flavor to it, it’s not bad, it’s just different and as mentioned before I have only tasted this in a few different cigars.
Final Third: 10:37pm
The burn becomes a bit wonky starting the final third and requires a major touch-up. I was wondering if this review was going to end at this point considering about 15 minutes prior I to do a relight to get it going. After my corrective burn I let the cigar sit for a minute and all seems to go back to normal. Although, the final third is met with a big flavor shift and increase in strength/body. Body is now a medium to full with a medium to full strength noted. Flavors are noted as being a deep creamy earth and leather with a wash of dark chocolate and the bready/yeasty like flavor over the tongue. The finish is very long and carries to the next draw of almost a full minute.
There is also a toasty/nutty flavor combo which is going with the earthy/leather/coco which I find present in most cigars as you burn it down to the nub. This is what I call the sweet spot in most cigars I smoke. Black pepper is not present in the final third only a mild spice. The retrohale is much more pleasant with only that mild spice noted. The burn is perfect all the way down to the nub.
Final Thoughts: Finishing the cigar at 11:04pm or just over one and half hours I would say I would smoke this again. This was a good cigar which had a few annoying issues but it pulled through the battle and avoided the trashcan. The body and flavor profile were very pleasant and it never got too strong for me, even at the nub it was still smokeable. My final score on the cigar a 7 out of 10 as I did have to relight it and that’s usually were things can go south, but it remained pretty good all the way down.
Thanks for reading my review.
Manufacture: AJ Fernandez
Cost: (if you can find them) $7 to $10 per stick (based on US prices and speaking with a rep)
Size: 6.5” x 52
Shape: Torpedo
Wrapper: Maduro
Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan
Age/Storage Conditions: I do not have an exact age on this cigar as it was given to me by a friend for review. He estimates fall of 2013 is when he acquired the cigar and I would bet the cigar is a little under/over one and a half years old. My storage temperatures of the locker at my B&M stay pretty steady at about 68/69% RH and 70/71° Fahrenheit. This is according to the digital hydrometer that I have in there.
The cap of the cigar appears to be nice and neat with minor damage noted, this was likely caused by me when shuffling this stick around before I decided to smoke it.
This cigar has a beautiful construction with tight seems very minimal viens and a slightly oily/toothy feel. The aroma is very pleasant and welcoming with notes of hay and sweet tobacco.
The foot looks great with no damage noted, appears to have a nice pack with a very similar aroma noted as from the foot of the cigar. For as cheap as this stick is, I am impressed with the construction.
On the cold draw I am left with a perfect amount of resistance and a very bready/peppery taste with a bit of spice left on the lips. This bready/yeasty type flavor is not new to me but I have only ever noted it in a few cigars.
Time to brave the heat/humidty and set fire to this stick.
First Light (First Third): 9:26pm
Body/Strength: Medium with no strength
During the first light the initial flavors are complex but enjoyable. I am getting a black coffee, barnyard and dark chocolate flavor with a bready/yeasty like like wash of the palette during the finish. The smoke is oily in texture and light but plentiful. Retrohale is very spicy (almost too spicy) but not unbearable to me. So far this seems like a good cigar!
So far an almost perfect burn at about one half inch into the cigar. These flavors continue from the first light into the first third of the cigar but with a mild cedar present. Body remains at a medium and no discernable strength noted. The smoke output and texture remain the same. Nice flavor profile from this stick, it’s something a bit different from what I have been smoking.
Twenty minutes into the first third (about one inch down) the burn is a bit wavy but it’s not atypical for a maduro, in my experience. It’s self-correcting and does not need a touch up. Body remains at a solid medium with no strength noted.
Second Third: 9:54pm
Starting the second third of the cigar at just under 28 minutes into my burn, the flavors are about the same with a bit more of a sweetness noted on the finish. I would call it a general sweetness nothing of any note. The smoke output has, however, changed and is much more thick and chewy. The draw remains perfect and there is a bit of a strength detected matching the body at a medium.
About one inch into the second third (15 minutes in) the cigar seems like it wants to go out. The smoke output seems to have died back as more airy/light and is requiring a double puff to keep it going. Flavors shift at this point with only a bitter and slightly semi-sweet spice (cayenne or chili type spicy) and a faint leather and dark coco on the finish. I let it set for a minute as I do not want to overheat the cigar. Aside from the cigar nearly going out, it’s burning very well with a nice complexity of flavors.
Reached the halfway point at 10:18pm or just under one hour into the cigar and the cigar has gone out. I tap the ash and give it a light touch up and relight, no ashy/ammonia type tastes noted on the relight—seems like it’s salvageable! Flavors are the same but body has moved up to medium to full but the strength has dialed back to mild at best. The finish is a bit different and hard to describe… It’s still bready but it almost has a vegetable-like flavor to it, it’s not bad, it’s just different and as mentioned before I have only tasted this in a few different cigars.
Final Third: 10:37pm
The burn becomes a bit wonky starting the final third and requires a major touch-up. I was wondering if this review was going to end at this point considering about 15 minutes prior I to do a relight to get it going. After my corrective burn I let the cigar sit for a minute and all seems to go back to normal. Although, the final third is met with a big flavor shift and increase in strength/body. Body is now a medium to full with a medium to full strength noted. Flavors are noted as being a deep creamy earth and leather with a wash of dark chocolate and the bready/yeasty like flavor over the tongue. The finish is very long and carries to the next draw of almost a full minute.
There is also a toasty/nutty flavor combo which is going with the earthy/leather/coco which I find present in most cigars as you burn it down to the nub. This is what I call the sweet spot in most cigars I smoke. Black pepper is not present in the final third only a mild spice. The retrohale is much more pleasant with only that mild spice noted. The burn is perfect all the way down to the nub.
Final Thoughts: Finishing the cigar at 11:04pm or just over one and half hours I would say I would smoke this again. This was a good cigar which had a few annoying issues but it pulled through the battle and avoided the trashcan. The body and flavor profile were very pleasant and it never got too strong for me, even at the nub it was still smokeable. My final score on the cigar a 7 out of 10 as I did have to relight it and that’s usually were things can go south, but it remained pretty good all the way down.
Thanks for reading my review.
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