The 1502 Emerald cigar is part of Global Premium Cigar’s (from hereon referred to as GPC) blended selection of cigars. From what I’ve read, most of GPC’s cigars are primarily comprised of Nicaraguan tobacco. The one that this review is dedicated to actually has a little bit of Mexican tobacco included. The 1502 Emerald is part of a line that also includes cigars with jewel themed names, such as the 1502 Sapphire and the 1502 Ruby. Out of the bunch, the Emerald is the mildest. While GPC is not on the same level of selection to Drew Estate or other large cigar companies, the quality of their cigars can certainly match up to any of the big name brands.

The name of the brand refers to the year that Christopher Columbus “discovered” Nicaragua.

OVERVIEW

VITOLA: Robusto
SIZE: 5″ x 50

ORIGIN: Nicaragua
FACTORY: Plasencia Cigars S.A.

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Corojo Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Mexican (San Andres) and Nicaraguan (Esteli and Condega)

STRENGTH: Medium

SOURCE:
Global Premium Cigars

ENVIRONMENT

WHERE:
Habano Cigar Lounge, Davenport, IA

WHEN:
Mid-Afternoon

DRINKS:
Water

WEATHER:
72°F inside, 45°F outside

HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3

PRODUCTION

RELEASE TYPE Regular Production

ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE 2012

TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 20
Production Totals: Unknown

VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Robusto (5″ x 50)
o Corona (5-1/2″ x 42)
o Toro (6” x 50)
o Conquistador (6″ x 56)
o Perfecto (6-1/8″ x 52)
o Torpedo (6-1/2″ x 52)
o Lancero (7″ x 40)

BAND DESIGN

Simple but classic band. Because this is the Emerald cigar, the majority of the band is a green color, accented by shiny gold. 1502 is proudly displayed at the top, with Emerald at the bottom of the band. The symbol in gold in the middle is reminiscent of Christopher Columbus’ coat of arms, accented with gold detailing. With the robusto cigar, the band is slightly large, but it would fit quite well with the larger sizes such as toro or torpedo. The band is also not too tight to the cigar, allowing easy removal at any point of the smoking process.

PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS

CONSTRUCTION
The construction on these cigars are pretty good. There is a light oily sheen on the smooth surface. The surface itself, while smooth, is broken up by the veins of the tobacco leaves, which are prominent. The cap was fine for the first two cigars I tried. The third cigar’s cap stuck out slightly but retained its integrity when I cut it.

AROMA

The initial aroma brought a sweet smell to my senses, somewhat like a vanilla or chocolate type of sweet. Underneath that was the smell of earth, which strangely enhanced the sweet smell. All in all, very pleasant.

COLD DRAW

A hint of spice, earth, and something that reminds me of green tea.

SMOKING EXPERIENCE

LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: V Cut
Fire: Vertigo Cyclone Lighter

The first draw had notes of wood and leather, with a hint of spice hitting at the last moment.

SMOKE

The smoke was creamy and full. While at rest, a light smoke continued to emit from the burning end, even if I left it alone for a while. With each cigar I only had to relight it once or twice while actively smoking.

FIRST THIRD
>> Leather, Grass, Wood

The first couple of puffs are overwhelmingly leather. At about the 4th puff, spice comes through to enhance the leather flavor. As the smoke leaves my mouth, there is an aftertaste of something woody and grassy. At different points, the grassy taste also starts to remind me of citrus. The sweetness that was present when I first smelled the cigar is there, but definitely not strong enough yet for me to be able to identify it. As the end of the first third starts to appear, the grass switches to citrus permanently. The body becomes more robust as well, raising the strength of the cigar slightly. The leather remains, while the other flavors evolve.

SECOND THIRD
>> Leather, Citrus, Floral

The strength of the cigar is definitely coming closer to being medium bodied than it is mild. The leather becomes a pleasant aftertaste on the palette while the citrus and floral notes infuse the actual smoke itself. The floral is a little strong, which is something I personally am not too fond of. Spice starts to make more of an impact, lingering with the leather to leave a strong aftertaste. Getting to the final part of the cigar, the floral and citrus die down and morph into earth and wood. The profile of the cigar is definitely in the medium territory.

FINAL THIRD
>> Leather, Earth, Spice

The final third of the cigar is stronger than the 1st third and middle. The spice is definitively pepper, and the heat is becoming more prominent and emphasizing the pepper. The leather holds its ground and rounds out the flavor profile of the cigar. It ends with strong notes of the leather and pepper. Unfortunately I had to stop because the heat drowned out everything else.

RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS

FLAVOR PROGRESSION

The cigar changes flavor as its smoked, which matches its progression from mild plus into a solid medium at the end. Leather retained its presence throughout the entirety of the cigar, grounding the flavor and leaving a sort of consistency. The grass changing into citrus and floral notes was a lovely surprise until the floral got just a little too strong, but that’s just me personally. It wasn’t like smelling an actual flower, but just like a hint. Some mild cigars tend to be one note, but since this one not only changed flavors but strength as well, it was a pleasant change to other mild cigars I’ve smoked.

BURN EXPERIENCE

The cigar is well constructed, leaving an even burn while I smoked. The ash was a nice white and grey mottle.

RATING BREAKDOWN
0.80 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
6.60 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.40 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment

COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES

DIFFERENT FROM YOUR AVERAGE MILD CIGAR

I definitely enjoyed smoking this cigar. The flavor progression made it interesting, and it was different from other milder cigars that I have had. I wouldn’t say that this cigar would be for someone just starting in the cigar world, but its a great option for someone wanting something different or wanting to slowly graduate into stronger cigars. The 1502 Emerald is tasty enough that I would want to start trying the other cigars in the 1502 line, that get progressively stronger. For a smaller company, this is a fine addition to the cigar world.

SIMPLY STOGIES RATING: 8.8 / 10.0

Cigar Review: 1502 Emerald Robusto by Global Premium Cigars