Pinolero Churchill Review
(from previous forum)
Size: 7 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan sun-grown
Binder: Nicaraguan corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan (secret Fernandez family ligero)
MSRP: $9.00
Drink: water
The Pinolero is a Nicaraguan puro with a beautiful golden brown, smooth sun-grown wrapper having minimal veins. The construction is top notch and it’s rolled with plenty of filler. I could find no soft or rigid spots, and it had just the right amount of give. There were no discernible notes coming off the foot, to me, other than strong tobacco. My nose began to tingle a little, letting me know there were some peppery notes present, which happens whenever I smell ligero. The head is capped with a small pig-tail, which I easily removed with my guillotine cutter. The cold draw produced some nice notes right off the bat. There was a sweetness present, and also a very subtle fruit note, like dark cherries.
During the start of the first third, there was an immediate spice up front, with pepper at the back of the throat, but not overpowering. Also intertwined with this were cedar and leather, and a faint nuttiness. This stick produces a mouthful of smoke, and the smoke off the foot lingers pleasantly, so I began to take slower, longer draws. After this, I began to pick up a mix of sweet spice and a nice floral note, while the pepper took a backseat. At one point the flavors started to alternate randomly between retrohales (and you’ll want to retrohale aplenty) in a very intriguing way. I wish this pattern had lasted because it kept the smoke interesting. In addition to the flavors, the burn was a little uneven at times.
Going into the second third, the sweet spice and cedar are still present, backed up by some saltiness on the tongue. The smoke off the foot smelled great, as did the warm wrapper, both having the spice note. The floral notes are also still present in the retrohale, but some harshness starts to creep in, and a wood note appears near the end of this third. During this third, the light grey ash gave way just over the 2” mark and the burn became much better, although still not razor sharp. At this point the ligero kicked in and I was feeling a good nic buzz coming on.
Rounding out the final third, the cigar oddly lost most of its flavor. The floral and wood notes were subdued by a general tobacco taste. The harshness also kicked in more, and I began to feel a little queasy from the nicotine. A flame purge confirmed a good deal of tar present, but the smoke just wasn't the same as before. I decided to call it quits about 1.5” from the band. The total burn time was around 70 minutes.
My overall take is that this cigar is definitely worth a 5-pack purchase, which could easily turn into a box purchase down the line. If you like the Diesel UC, then I suspect you’ll enjoy this as well, although this is more towards the medium-full / full range. Because of the underlying smoothness, the full-bodied note really creeps up on you. I think that because of the strength and also the unremarkable final third, a toro or smaller is the best way to go.
