Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Corojo

Binder: Nicaraguan -Estelí & Condega, Mexican San Andres

Filler: Nicaraguan -Estelí & Condega, Mexican San Andres

Size: 6.5 x 52  “Torpedo”

Body: Mild/Medium-Full Flavored

Price: $6.80

Global Premium Cigars’ founder, Enrique Sanchez Icaza, first shot from the cannons is the 1502 line of cigars. It is made up of 3 blends: Emerald, Ruby, and Black Gold. The strength of the cigars rises in that order.

The company, from Nicaragua, blends Nicaraguan puros for the most part; except for the addition of the San Andres in this stick.

The name refers to the year Christopher Columbus discovered Nicaragua….I didn’t know it was missing. And to help things along, Emilio Cigars is distributing the cigars for Enrique. Enrique is very passionate about cigars and is extremely proud of this line. He looks like he is about to burst from pride in his photos. In an email, he told me “Phil, I don’t want to influence your opinion, my friend, but they are exquisite.”

I like a man who stands by his product.

That’s about all the biographical info I know about this cigar and probably all you need to know unless you’d like to visit his web site at: http://globalpremiumcigars.com/index.html

All three cigar blends are like brick walls. Solid. But with the amount of give you expect. Seams are extremely tight, very few veins, and a nice oily sheen. The wrapper color is sort of a Bambi brown…tawny. The bands are very classic and classy. It is difficult to tell but it looks like a triple cap but it is so well done, I’m not sure.

I do the sniff and detect honeysuckle. Oh my. I did not expect this. It takes me back to my childhood when we had honeysuckle plants in the front yard. The aroma they gave is just like this cigar, smaller dose, of course.

There is also a very sweet apricot aroma. Sweetness abounds. And citrus. Holy cow. I have never smoked a cigar with this combo. The cigar reeks of these aromas.

I V cut the cap and light up.

And on the first puffs, I am awash in sweetness. The draw is dead on perfect which initially gave me pause due to the solid structural nature of this cigar. Worries allayed.

I can taste the honey. And the apricot. And the citrus….orange zest. It exudes floral aromas and taste. There is finely rubbed leather. The body is mild. But the flavors are bold. I am digging the hell out of this cigar. The flavors embolden themselves all within the first inch. The char line is close to perfect.

The honey, the fruitiness, the citrus, and the floral and leather make for a very unique combination. One I’ve never had.

As it burns, a vanilla theme shows up. It envelops the other flavors and holds them dear. I hope this flavor bomb continues. I have a long way to go.

There are not a lot of reviews of this line yet and I have to make a statement. Most of the reviews are lacking in any useable information. But a couple did not like the cigar.

Now everyone has an opinion. But they didn’t like the cigar because it was “bitter and harsh.” The dolts were smoking it too early!! They probably reviewed it the same day they took the cello off.

Now I sometimes shy away from boutique blenders because they are always in such a hurry. And then we argue and I end up burning a bridge.

Enrique is a prince of a man. He understands cigars. I almost felt guilty telling him that we need to wait a few weeks…and he replied to take all the time I needed. He understood. You know how often I get that reaction? Zippo!

So now the cigar I am smoking has gotten a few weeks rest in my humidor and I am being rewarded handsomely with a wonderful host of flavors and character.

Dumb reviewers.

I move towards the end of the first third. Spiciness shows up. Red pepper that tickles my tongue. Some cocoa shows up. And then the cigar digs deep and develops some dark and rich earthiness. It makes you want to pick up the earth it was grown in and taste it.

The body is closer to medium now. I am now getting a bit of dark espresso. That earthiness brings it on. The cigar starts heading towards being very complex. The earlier flavors meld and form a unit. And at almost the halfway point, I get my creaminess. It lessens the vanilla impact but that’s OK. This stick is all about sweetness and diverts the mind from even caring about the body. This is the perfect cigar for newbies and aficionados alike.

The cocoa rises like a Phoenix. It swarms with sweetness and creaminess. The espresso turns into mocha latte. The creaminess is making me crazy. This cigar is a bona fide flavor bomb. The bombardment of flavors and richness and spiciness completely hide the strength of the cigar. When I saw that this cigar was on the mild plus side, I groaned. I don’t like mild cigars because that is usually their flavor profile as well. Not this baby. Enrique got it right. Make the cigar go down easy and knock the smoker off his feet with flavor.

I finish the second third and I have a huge smile on my puss. I found one online store that carries them: http://www.cigarboxpa.com/1502-cigars-by-emilio.

And I can’t wait to smoke the other two blends in which the body strength increases.

I consider myself lucky to have met Enrique. My friend, Luis Alvarado, put us together. Many thanks, Luis. You did me a solid.

I will review the other two cigars tomorrow and then the next day.

I take a swig of bottled water and the flavor of orange and honey slams into my palate. How the hell do they do this? Did Enrique start out saying he wants a cigar to taste sweet influenced by honey suckle, orange, vanilla, and apricot? Man, this guy has golden hands.

The cigar finishes out perfectly. No bitterness or harshness. It stays cool. The char line continues to be perfect and the flavors are huge.

I’ve already ordered some.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS