Cigar Info
The 1502 Nicaragua is the only cigar in the 1502 line that is 100% pure Nicaraguan tobacco. The 1502 Nicaragua epitomizes this birthright, as it is made from tobacco from all four regions of Nicaragua: Esteli, Condega, Jalapa, Ometepe. “This cigar was created for my newborn son. So that he never forgets his roots – 100% Nicaraguan,” said Enrique Sanchez, President of Global Premium Cigars. It is described as a medium to medium-plus cigar that is stronger than the 1502 Line's Emerald. The cigar is only available in the Robusto vitola, measuring 5 X 50, and in boxes of 30 cigars, box pressed.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A.
Blender: Enrique Sanchez Icaza
Number of reviewers: 5—–Jiunn (jliu) Dan (Danfish) Gregg (McGreggor57) Jack (Jack_H) Dave (mdwest)
Price: $6.50
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: June 2014
Contributed by: House of Emilio
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“A velvety natural tan brown wrapper. Cigar has an appealing soft box press with no major veins or soft spots. Head is well encased with a triple cap.” –Jiunn (jliu)
Aroma: 91
“Bread and baking spices are very distinct and bold in both the aroma and the pre-light draw.” –Dave (mdwest)
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“First third gives fairly rich flavors of sweet cream, black pepper and cedar. There is an underlying bitterness that is prevalent especially on the finish. Strength and body is at a solid medium.” –Jiunn (jliu)
“The smoke is a bit edgy, but flavors are bold with lots of bread and pepper on each puff.” –Dave (mdwest)
Second Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The second third is much the same as the main flavors of the first third, but with less complexity. Wood is very much the predominate flavor with less pepper and no sweetness at all. Very one noteish.” –Dan (Danfish)
“Some faint cedar is adding another layer of sweetness with the nutmeg. There is still a bit of pepper on the retrohale while the coffee seems to be fading, taking away the richness. Although the flavors work well together, this third is begging for something else.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Final Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“More cedar is noticeable and the return of dark roast coffee is keeping the brightness in check. A bit of oak is developing, creating a more woodsy profile. The balance between the flavors is spot on.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“The final third may be the most interesting but also the hardest to put my finger on. The strength and completely sits right in the middle of the spectrum. I get a more earthy character and some more peppery spice.” –Jack (Jack_H)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 97
“The draw was awesome, totally awesome, not much more I could say.” –Jack (Jack_H)
Burn: 91
“Despite smoking on a windy day, the burn line held true. Plenty of smoke and a solid ash.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Construction: 89
“Other than the tunnel issue at the end, I have no complaints on the construction. The cigar has a fantastic draw and produces plenty of smoke.” –Dan (Danfish)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 88
“Subpar experience for me. I was really hoping the extraordinary looks of the cigar would correlate to the smoking experience. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The flavors of sweet cream, pepper and cedar are all great foundations of a good cigar but the bitterness absolutely killed it masking the other flavors. Easy pass for me.” –Jiunn (jliu)
“This cigar was a shoulder shrug for me. It wasn't unpleasant, but there wasn't enough complexity to keep me interested and wood flavors aren't my cup of tea. If the sweetness and spice that were present initially had stuck around for longer, I would have stayed much more interested. As it is, this cigar would be OK at a cheap price as a yard gar. I won't be buying any but I wouldn't refuse one if given to me.” –Dan (Danfish)
“This cigar was on the stronger side of medium and delivered some solid flavors. There was a nice mix of natural sweetness with the cedar and nutmeg while coffee and oak added a richness to the profile. The middle was a little lacking once the coffee disappeared, but the remaining flavors were still good. I would definitely smoke this one again.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“This is an incredibly interesting and very complex cigar that was always difficult to pin down all the flavors. If you are looking for something that is boutique with uncommon flavors and solid construction you have come to the right place. This is worth a 5 pack try at least because these would be really interesting with age.” –Jack (Jack_H)
“Overall, a decent smoke. It was a little bit stronger than I was expecting, ending up on the high side of medium, and a little one dimensional, but the flavors were nice, and I'd certainly give it another try at some time in the future.” –Dave (mdwest)
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Smoking Time (in minutes): 66
| Reviewer | Appearance | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiunn | 97 | 85 | 85 | 83 | 83 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 83 |
| Dan | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 85 | 100 | 85 | 90 | 88 |
| Gregg | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 90 | 90 |
| Jack | 90 | 95 | 92 | 90 | 92 | 95 | 92 | 90 | 92 |
| Dave | 92 | 92 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 83 | 85 | 88 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
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