Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra is between medium and dark brown and has some lightly raised veins present. The seams are smooth and the caps are well applied. There are two bands, both in a purple, gold and white color combination. The primary has some Chinese characters and the secondary band is slightly up from the foot and has some intricate artwork. The aroma from the wrapper is fire cured smokiness and some earth while the foot brings cedar, spice and some light smokiness. The pre-light draw brings cedar and some stone fruit sweetness along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra is lovely in appearance. The bands pop against the dark maduro wrapper. I love it when you have dark purple bands against a wrapper of this shade. It has a dark coffee bean coloring and is leathery and oily in texture. Aromas of rich earth, stone fruit, coffee, tobacco and cocoa powder.
John: The ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra comes in cellophane without a UPC sticker. The cigar features a primary band with Chinese characters that appear to translate to “green ink,” along with a secondary ornate purple and gold foot band just above the foot. The cigar weighed 18.2 grams, and I measured the humidity at 63.5% with the Humidimeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included musty tobacco, wood and earth. From the foot, I picked up sweet tobacco and wood.
Jiunn: The ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra has a Colorado Red wrapper shade. The rustic red against the purple really makes the wrapper stand out. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas consist of heavy cedar, some minerals and a general dirt soil dankness.

ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, earth, black pepper and some smokiness. At a quarter inch in, some mustiness joins the profile and the fire cured smokiness exhibits a lengthy finish between draws. At three quarters of an inch in, the mustiness and fire cured smokiness both increase a bit. The retrohale is toasted cedar, earth and mustiness with some light black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth and mustiness, with black pepper and smokiness in the back half of the profile. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third opens with cocoa powder, coffee beans and rich earth flavors. Bits of tobacco, stone fruit and rich spices are present as well. It’s a filling profile, and it has a long finish. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first third gets underway with mild earth and spices. Tobacco follows as the spices gradually build to medium-minus strength on the post draw, becoming more defined as cayenne. As the third continues, creamy sweet tobacco offsets the bite of the cayenne through the retrohale. A short while later, the cayenne recedes to light-plus and balances well against sweet tobacco and earth.
Jiunn: The first third has a great foundation of medium-full bodied milk sweetness and creaminess with just the right balanced dry red pepper spice and cedar. In addition, subtleties in minerals and ripe stone fruits. Retrohaling increases both the minerals and dry red pepper spice, but is never overbearing. The finish shows soft lingering cedar. Strength is medium-full.

ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper and smokiness have become very mellow. At a half inch in, the black pepper picks back up a bit. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, earth and mustiness with some lightly zingy black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth and mustiness, with black pepper in the back half of the profile and very light smokiness in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third has a rise in the spice notes from the first third. There are some mineral qualities as well. I am still getting a good bit of cocoa powder, stone fruits and rich earth, and the finish is of tobacco, coffee beans and rich spices. Like before, the cigar is medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with creamy wood and tobacco, with mildly tannic wood in the center of the profile. Spices return to the forefront and carry into the finish as the cigar settles in. Cocoa moves into the retrohale approaching the halfway mark, and earth joins the post draw shortly after, quickly moving up to medium strength.
Jiunn: The second third blends the flavors a bit more but at the same time loses out on some character. But because the foundation is still kept, I’m still enjoying the flavor profile. Furthermore, there’s now a lemon citrus component. Strength and body remains medium-full.

ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the earth increases to become even with the toasted cedar. At a half inch in, the black pepper becomes very light again. The retrohale is now just an even mix of toasted cedar, earth and mustiness. At an inch and a quarter in, the toast level increases a bit. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar and earth are even up front, with mustiness right behind and the black pepper and smokiness in the background. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third is in line with the second. Stronger spice notes with more mineral qualities present as well. Cocoa powder, rich earth, stone fruit and leather are present, and the finish delivers more coffee and tobacco qualities. Like before, medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The final third opens with creamy cayenne combining with tobacco and earth, with all flavor components at medium strength. Cayenne and earth define the post draw, with earth ultimately taking over at medium strength through the remainder of the cigar.
Jiunn: The final third reduces to primarily lemon citrus, cedar and minerals. I especially miss the dankness and sweet and creamy elements. Strength and body finishes the same medium-full.

ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times but never needed any intervention. The ash held on in inch and three quarter increments.
Seth: The burn was very good from start to finish. Not perfect, but nearly.
John: There was minor waviness through the first and second thirds. The final third began wavy and spontaneously went out, requiring a re-light.
Jiunn: The burn was nearly perfect. Just a quick touch-up needed within the second third to get the wrapper burn back on track.

ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra

Draw

Aaron: The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the experience.
Seth: The draw was perfect from beginning to end.
John: I measured the draw at 48 inches of water with the CigarMedics draw machine. Subjectively, I found it to be one notch toward the resistant spectrum, which puts it in the ideal range between open and resistant.
Jiunn: The draw performance was perfect, providing the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, earth, black pepper and some smokiness. Some mustiness joined in fairly quickly and then it increased along with the smokiness. The second third saw the black pepper and smokiness become very mellow. Later, the black pepper picked back up a bit. The final third saw the earth bump up to become even with the toasted cedar and the black pepper became light once again. The ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around the toasted cedar, earth and mustiness. The fir cured smokiness played a bit of a role in the first third, but nothing to elevate the profile. Overall, it was a fairly mundane profile that provided no excitement. I don’t see myself coming back to this cigar.
Seth: The ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra is a good cigar. I preferred it to the Dynasty. I thought the cigar had a nice richness and was filling from beginning to end. The construction was lovely, and the cigar kept my attention from beginning to end. It was not overly complex, but it had a solid core flavor profile. It’s a cigar I would come back to, but it is still rather expensive as well for what is delivered. Decent Connecticut Broadleaf release.
John: The ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra delivered a flavorful experience highlighted by cayenne spice weaving in and out, balanced nicely by sweet tobacco, earth and creamy wood. The second third was the most engaging with the addition of cocoa, while the final third lost some balance as earth began to dominate. With solid construction, aside from a single re-light, and an excellent draw, this was an enjoyable cigar overall. I will look for these on my travels to pick up more. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 21 minutes.
Jiunn: Was this the blend people were raving about at the trade show? I sure hope so because the Dynasty sure as heck wasn’t good. This ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra is a great broadleaf showing good body and a set of flavors that had good range and it kept me wanting to go for subsequent draws. I’ll gladly smoke more of these.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.50

Cost/Point

$3.27

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.72

Cost/Point

$2.68

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.62

Cost/Point

$2.72

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.72

Cost/Point

$2.68

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: ChiMolly Pioneer Robusto Extra