 |
| 1502 Nicaragua |
The 1502 Nicaragua is a cigar that will become the fourth release in Global Premium Cigars’ 1502 line. Global Premium Cigars one of the companies in the House of Emilio distribution arm. Over the past twelve months, one can make a case that the 1502 line has become one of the most successful within all of House of Emilio. In the case of the 1502 Nicaragua, this is a significant release because it marks Global Premium Cigars’ first Nicaraguan puro. Recently, I had an opportunity to sample a pre-release of the 1502 Nicaragua. Overall I found this to be a very different cigar compared to the other three lines, and one that should continue Global Premium Cigars’ forward momentum.
The 1502 is positioned as the company’s premium line and gets its name from the year that Christopher Columbus discovered Nicaragua. The company’s other blend include the: 1502 Emerald, 1502 Ruby, 1502 Black Gold. While each of these three blends contain tobaccos from Nicaragua, they are not Nicaraguan puros. The 1502 Nicaragua was designed as a tribute to company CEO Enrique Sanchez Icasa’s newborn son. The idea was for Sanchez’s son to never forget his roots.
Without further ado, let’s break down the 1502 Nicaragua and see what this cigar brings to the table. Since this is a pre-release cigar, we will default to our pre-review format to share our thoughts and perspectives. When this cigar is released to retailers, we will revisit this cigar and provide an assessment rating and score. As a disclaimer, this pre-review is based on a single smoking experience.
Blend Profile
The 1502 Nicaragua contains tobaccos from the four main growing regions of Nicaragua – Esteli, Jalapa, Condega, and Ometepe. A specific blend breakdown by tobacco component has not been disposed.
Vitolas Available
The specific sizes of the 1502 Nicaragua have not been disclosed at this time. The size we smoked was torpedo.
Appearance
The wrapper to the 1502 Nicaragua had a light brown color. I would describe the wrapper as “one of two shades” darker than a Connecticut Shade wrapper. There is some oil on the surface of the wrapper, and the surface was slightly bumpy. There were a few visible veins and a few visible wrapper seams. The footer of the cigar is partially covered around the outer part. Sanchez calls this the “cigar lock”. It is something seen across other 1502 lines.
 |
| Partial covered foot of the 1502 Nicaragua “Cigar Lock” |
The band to the 1502 has a white background with gold font. On the front of the band is the text “1502” in large gold font. Below that text is the text “NICARAGUA” in a smaller gold font, while the text “HANDMADE” in yet a smaller font sits on a third row. There are various gold adornments around the cigar. To the far right is the GPC logo (also in gold). There is gold trim along the top and bottom with a simulated gold rivet pattern on each trim.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Prior to lighting up the 1502 Nicaragua, I went with a straight cut through the tip of the 1502 Nicaragua Torpedo. Once the tip was clipped, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The partial covered foot still allowed for a nice draw on the pre-light. The dry draw produced a mix of wood and spice notes. While it wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw, I considered it to be satisfactory. At this point I was ready to light up the 1502 Nicaragua and see what the overall smoking experience would deliver.
Flavor Profile
The start to the 1502 Nicaragua provided notes of wood, earth, and white pepper. On the finish, I picked up a slight cedar note on the finish. The retro-hale produced more of the white pepper through the nasal passages. In the early stages the wood notes remained in the forefront and were joined by a floral note. The white pepper note was a secondary flavor while the earth also was in the background but diminished throughout the first third.
Throughout the first third, there were times there was a slight sourness with the wood and floral notes. This came and went from time to time a few times throughout the smoking experience. By the end of the first third, the floral note was primary and the wood diminished.
In the second third, the floral note remained primary. The pepper notes remained in the background with some earth notes. The wood notes were now replaced by a nutty flavor. As the 1502 Nicaragua moved through the second half, the nut and pepper notes increased and were the primary flavors by the last third. The floral notes significantly diminished while the earth notes held on. This was the way the flavor profile held until the end. The end of the cigar had some spice, but it was not overwhelming and not harsh. The resulting nub was ideal – firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
The burn performed stellar throughout the smoking experience. The burn line remained sharp throughout the smoking experience – requiring little in the way of touch-ups. The resulting ash was tight and firm. The color of the ash was more of a darker charcoal gray and black speckling. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.
 |
| Burn of the 1502 Nicarugua |
For a torpedo vitola, the draw was as good as it gets. It was a low maintenance cigar to puff on. While I normally would reach for a parejo over a torpedo, this really performed well in the torpedo format. The tip never got soft as I drew from it.
Strength and Body
The 1502 Nicaragua is not a powerhouse in terms of strength. I assessed the strength to be medium from start to finish. As for the body, there is some depth to the flavors, but this isn’t a cigar where it is going to weigh heavy on the pallet. I also assessed this cigar to be medium-bodied from start to finish. Both the strength and body balance each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.
Final Thoughts
Overall I found the 1502 Nicaragua to be a cigar that had some nice complexity in its flavor profile. The flavors this cigar delivers are going to definitely give this cigar a Nicaraguan feel to it. In terms of aging potential, it is definitely there. I personally think the best is yet to come with cigar. I believe aging will take care of some of the sour notes I detected. This isn’t going to be a cigar to produce a lot in terms of sweetness, but its going to produce plenty of other good flavors. This is a cigar I’d recommend to either the novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, it is one worth buying and certainly smoking again.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
References
Price: n/a
Source: Pre-release sample provided by manufacturer
Stogie Geeks Podcast: n/a
Stogie Feed: n/a
* Cigar for this assessment was provided by 1502 Cigars. The samples were received in order to provide feedback. Cigar Coop is appreciative for the sample, but in no way does this influence this write-up
