The latest addition to the 1502 portfolio is expected some time in the next two months. It’s called 1502 Nicaragua, an obvious tribute to founder Enrique Sánchez’s home country, the country where the company’s cigars are made and where all the cigar comes from.

It’s also likely to take on some moniker as 1502 white, due to the white band the cigar will carry when it ships to the U.S.

According to Sánchez, the cigar will feature tobaccos from Condega, Estelí, Jalapa and Ometepe, and like the rest of Global Premium Cigars’s offerings, it will be made at Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua.

1502 Nicaragua Robusto 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: 1502 Nicaragua Robusto
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A.
  • Wrapper: Nicaragua
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 5 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 50
  • Vitola: Robusto
  • MSRP: n/a
  • Release Date: June 2014
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

There’s a slight press to the 1502 Nicaragua with some very noticeable veins running down the rich rosado-colored wrapper. Also present is a fair bit of oils, particularly to the touch. Out of the cellophane the wrapper presents big aromas of fruit, some creaminess and hints of cedar. From the foot, I pick up pomegranate, damp cherry woods and a fair bit of spice. The cold draw is a mix of orange peel, a big perfume note and spice. 

A sweet cedar is the first flavor to emerge on the palate. It’s followed by spice, a muted cocoa and freshly chopped walnuts with a peculiar rubber note tone that dissipates after a few minutes. Sweet cedar and salty nuts continue to dominate the first third of the 1502 Nicaragua. A harsh pepper is found, although it’s mild and actually enjoyable as it cuts through the sweet notes. On the finish I get brandy and nuts.

1502 Nicaragua Robusto 2

The second third of the 1502 Nicaragua sees the saltiness die off. The sweet cedar is now accompanied more by nuttiness, although there’s new flavors—dry vanilla, cream and hints of creaminess. The green pepper is gone, although the harshness remains, which is not the most favorable. Smoke production was average through the first third, enormous right at the inch mark and peaking shortly thereafter. Other than a few burn line issues, which self correct, there’s no real issues with construction.

1502 Nicaragua Robusto 3

A cayenne peper emerges in the final third along with a really dark cocoa. There’s still a distinct nuttiness, as well as the harshness, the latter of which is becoming easier. The touches of creaminess remain, but it’s still a very minor note in the grand scheme of things. The harshness never becomes unbearable, but after over an hour of it, my palate could use a rest so I end the cigar before I probably have to.

1502 Nicaragua Robusto 4

Final Notes

  • The white band and somewhat golden wrapper are likely going to lead people to assume this is the mildest of the 1502 offerings, that’s not true. I’d place this medium-plus, definitely stronger than the 1502 Emerald.
  • 1502 is the year Columbus discovered Nicaragua.
  • My only word on the construction would be to make sure that you pay attention to the cigar in the first third, as the cigar might go out.
  • The 1502 Nicaragua features the cigar lock, a semi-closed foot. In this video, Enrique Sánchez I. explains the process and the reason behind the interesting finish on the foot of their cigars that they call the cigar lock.

1502 Lancero The Cigar Lock

  • 1502 is distributed by House of Emilio in the U.S.
  • Cigars for this review were sent to halfwheel by 1502/Global Premium Cigars.
  • Final smoking time was one hour and 10 minutes.
86 Overall Score

I smoked my first 1502 Nicaragua on the drive from Managua to Estelí in January. Perhaps it was the drive, perhaps it was that cigar, perhaps it was the amount of Flor de Caña I had consumed the night before—but that experience was better than the samples I smoked for this review. It leads me to believe, this cigar will do better with some time, but the harshness made this challenging to appreciate. If you simply removed, lessened or even shortened its prevalence, this is a thoroughly enjoyable cigar, but as of now, it’s hard for me to love. The beauty is, I know this can be better.

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.