Hi AT,
No … it would have nothing to do with “inferior” latex since all the latex you are likely to encounter would be a high quality and durable material. As you can read in the post I linked … if anything blended Talalay would be more durable than 100% natural Talalay latex in lower ILD ranges.
If your latex was poured in a mold then the holes would be perpendicular to the layer although they may not go all the way through the layer (see post #2 here).
There are some types of continuous pour Dunlop latex that are poured in thinner layers that don’t have any pincores in the latex (they are poured in thin enough layers that they don’t need pincores for curing the latex) or where the pincores are “punched” into the latex after they are poured.
I would need to know the specifics of all the layers and components in your mattress to be able to speculate more about why it seemed to be sleeping warmer for you.
Phoenix