Last year, Global Premium Cigars celebrated ten years of the 1502 brand. To commemorate the occasion, the company introduced a new regular production line under the 1502 brand – appropriately titled the 1502 Aniversario 10. It was Global Premium Cigars’ first new regular production line under the 1502 brand since 2016 (when the company launched 1502 Blue Sapphire). Over the years, 1502 Cigars have been produced at the Plasencia factory, but when it came to the 1502 Aniversario 10, owner Enrique Sanchez Icaza decided to venture out and made the decision to make this particular line at AJ Fernandez’s factory. Today, we take a closer look at the 1502 Aniversario 10 cigar.

As for the name 1502 Cigars, it pays homage to Nicaragua. In particular, 1502 was the year that Christopher Columbus sailed his fourth and final voyage to the New World. On that voyage, Columbus reached the area today known as Central America and explored the countries of Honduras, Costa Rica, and of course, Nicaragua. 1502 takes its name from the year that voyage took place. All of the 1502 Cigars have been made in Nicaragua, and incorporate Nicaraguan tobacco into the blends.

Without further ado, let’s turn our attention back to the 1502 Aniversario 10 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The 1502 Aniversario 10 features an Ecuadorian wrapper over a Mexican binder and all-Nicaraguan fillers from three AJ Fernandez farms. When 1502 Cigars launched in 2012 with the 1502 Emerald, 1502 Ruby, and 1502 Black Gold, they used wrappers from Ecuador, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Now 1502 Aniversario 10 pays homage to those lines by bringing tobacco from all three countries into a single blend.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: San Andres Mexican
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The 1502 Aniversario 10 is offered in one size – a 6 x 50 Toro. The cigars are presented in ten-count boxes. One note is that while Enrique Sanchez is known for his box-pressed cigars, the 1502 Aniversario 10 is a rounded vitola. The only other regular production line of 1502 that is all-rounded is the Blue Sapphire.

Appearance

The Ecuadorian wrapper of the 1502 Aniversario 10 had a medium brown color. The wrapper had a silky complexion to it. There were some visible veins. Any wrapper seams that were visible were minimal. The footer of the cigar featured 1502’s signature “cigar lock.” This is a footer partially covered by the wrapper near the circumference of the cigar. While the outer part of the footer is covered, the center is still open.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the 1502 Aniversario 10, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was detached, it was on to the pre-light draw phase. The cold draw delivered notes of earth, natural tobacco, cinnamon, and a slight citrus note. I judged this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to light up the 1502 Aniversario 10 and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The 1502 Aniversario 10 opened up with deep natural tobacco notes. This was complemented by earth and cinnamon notes, and shortly followed by cedar and citrus notes. Early on the natural tobacco became primary with the cinnamon, cedar, and citrus notes. Later in the first third, a slight amount of mixed pepper came into the background. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of cedar on the retro-hale.

The second third of the 1502 Aniversario 10 saw the natural tobacco and earth notes remain primary. The natural tobacco note seemed to have the edge in the forefront. Tannic notes replaced the cinnamon notes. The tannins, along with the ceda, and mixed pepper notes both increased in intensity.

By the final third, the tannins joined the natural tobacco notes in the forefront. The earth notes diminished into the background joining the cedar, pepper, and citrus notes in the background. Toward the end of the cigar experience, the cedar and pepper notes had more intensity. This is the way the 1502 Aniversario 10 came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

While there was some jaggedness on the burn line, the 1502 Aniversario 10 did maintain a straight path with the help of some touch-ups. The touch-ups kept things on track, but there were more touch-ups required with this cigar than I preferred. The resulting ash was on the firm side. This was an ash that was near white in color with some streaks of dark speckling mixed in. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were excellent.

Burn of the 1502 Aniversario 10

Draw

The draw to the 1502 Aniversario 10 was very good. This was a draw that had a touch of resistance to it – which is something that I prefer. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The 1502 Aniversario 10 opened up with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. During the first third, both the strength and body increased in intensity. By the second third, both attributes moved into medium to full territory. Throughout the smoking experience, both the strength and body balanced each other very nicely.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

I have always liked the bands of the 1502. When it comes to the core line, the combination of a cross with the color backdrop makes for an impressive-looking band that is easily identifiable in a humidor. In this case, I found it to work quite well with the cigar. In addition, I also really like the gold-colored boxes that the cigars are housed in.

Box of the 1502 Aniversario

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Overall the 1502 Aniversario 10 delivered a very nice experience. While I am not usually a fan of tannic notes, I found things worked very well with this blend. It delivered a cigar experience that was well-balanced, and it had enough in the way of complexity to keep me interested from start to finish. I also like that Enrique Sanchez is exploring new horizons – that includes working with a different factory and getting a very different style blend than maybe what that factory is known for. This is probably a cigar I would steer to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast. As for myself, the 1502 Aniversario 10 is a cigar I would buy and smoke again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Earth, Tannins, Cinnamon, Cedar, Citrus, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Finish: Very Good