Prior to today, I’ve only smoked two Sinistro cigars. The first experience was way back in 2018 or possibly 2019, it was either at a Connecticut or a Kentucky lounge (I think) and the cigar was The Last Cowboy (I’m pretty sure). You see, the TNCC boys were wiped the fuck out after a long day filming in the tobacco fields and the cold beers couldn’t go down our collective hatches fast enough… so that memory is fuzzy at best and I have no recollection of whether or not I liked The Last Cowboy. Skip ahead to earlier this year when I purchased tonight’s cigar, Mr. Sinistro, for review. I also picked up another recent Sinistro offering, Mr. Desflorado, which was very enjoyable although the delicate wrapper began to crumble apart on me in the final third. I made a mental note to smoke another one down the line because when that cigar was good it was quite good. Now that you are up to speed on my personal history with the Sinistro brand, and I’ve met my required total word count, I believe that I’m ready to smoke #3. And let’s meet back here soon so I can tell you the story of my history with Perdomo cigars!*
 

THE CIGAR – MR. SINISTRO by SINISTRO CIGARS

Size: 6.5 x 56 (toro)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian habano
Binder: Pennsylvania broadleaf
Filler: Dominican Republic & Paraguay
Price: $11.50 (Running low on smokes? If so, you can head over to Famous Smoke Shop and use promo code TNCC20 to save $20 of your purchase of $100 or more!)

There’s some thick-ass veins bulging through the semi-oily habano wrapper. Let’s hope those are flavor veins! Is that a thing? Flavor veins? I don’t think so… just disregard that. Mr. Sinistro has a visible sheen to it and the cigar is very firm, damn near unsqueezable. It’s a leathery smelling cigar and the foot delivers a distinct floral aroma as well.

After experiencing a cold draw devoid of any discernible flavors, it’s time to light up. Gentle white pepper, must, and old leather appear simultaneously on the retrohale after a few puffs. Downstairs, the draw’s initial flavor offering isn’t as easy to pin down. There’s a medium woodsy, cedar note present and it’s backed by a touch of that same mustiness that’s active upstairs through the nose.

Mr. Sinistro’s draw has been a bit tight thus far, something I was worried about due to how firmly the cigar is rolled. I had originally punched the cap but I decide it’s time to utilize my cutter in an effort to bring in more airflow. Will this master-level audible at the 15 minute mark prove to be a game changer? Stay tuned to find out! Yes, cutting the cap did improve the draw and burn considerably. The overall flavor profile, however, does not change one bit.

A dash of mineral begins to develop on the retro and it’s working nicely with the must and diminishing pepper. Mr. Sinistro’s draw remains the same – dry cedar and must. At several different times now, my brain has demanded that this cigar be paired with a bottle of red wine. I wish I had another one of these cigars in the humidor to smoke and test out that theory later on but, sadly, I do not.

It’s barely 9:30 AM here in Central Texas and all I can think about now is popping open a nice bottle of Cabernet and sipping all of my problems away! Well that’s just great. It’s going to be a looong morning, folks. 11:00 AM can’t get here fast enough. Technically that’s noon EST and, before you judge, there’s plenty of nonalcoholics powerdrinking Long Islands at Applebees on their lunch hour every day. And nobody says shit to them so save your judgment for someone else. Well, I suppose those Applebees people’s families and friends would probably say something out of concern. And their employers would certainly say something… so it turns out people do indeed say shit to the Applebees day drinkers. Just disregard this entire paragraph as I was clearly taken out of context.

Mr. Sinistro’s band was apparently applied using Guerrilla Glue™ so tearing it to shreds is unavoidable. While the flavor profile’s specific notes don’t fluctuate or change here in the second half, everything does become more pronounced and clear. The draw’s woodsy, dry cedar is now in medium territory and that amplification greatly helps its balance in regard to the retrohale. It’s worth mentioning that ever since I cut the cap, Mr. Sinistro has been performing great from a construction standpoint.

Something very interesting occurs in the final third. A rich, vanilla cupcake frosting note shows the fuck up out of nowhere. On both the retrohale and the draw, there it is. What the fuck is happening here? Mr. Sinistro seemed bound and determined to stick to its highly consistent flavor profile all the way… and now this. More thick white smoke than ever before begins to pour out from both ends, it’s as if this cigar is finally coming alive. On paper, the addition of a vanilla frosting note to a flavor profile consisting of must, mineral, and cedar might not look like a winning combination but, for whatever reasons, it’s working for me. And Mr. Sinistro is working for me much better than ever before. I swear, if an espresso note begins to develop soon that would be just perfect… my faith and devotion to the Cigar Gods will be restored and I promise to skip the lunch wine and finally do something with my life. I really mean it this time.
 

THE NUB

TNCC Final Score = 90

If Mr. Sinistro delivered the flavor profile of its final third throughout the entire smoking experience, the score above would be very different. At its very best, it’s an enjoyable, somewhat complex, slow-burning cigar that’s well worth giving a shot. Just remember to use a cutter from the jump. Oh, and that highly desired espresso note never showed up so I’m going to open the bottle of wine and drink it right now.

* It’s a short story – I’ve never smoked a Perdomo cigar.

** Total Smoking Duration: 90 minutes, which means it is now 12:00 PM EST. Cheers!

*** It’s very difficult when reviewing a cigar that is named like a person to not slip up and refer to it as “him” rather than “it”. I had to correct my cigar pronouns several times while writing this ridiculously long review.

**** I can’t be the only one that can’t separate the Sinistro Cigars brand with the zesty supervillain Sinestro from the classic “Super Friends” cartoon.

And, speaking of nostalgic cartoons, if anybody has a lead on where I can purchase Sinistro’s Destro sampler box without breaking the bank please get in contact. I need that box in my possession ASAP. COBRAAAA!!!!