Tag Archives: 1502

IPCPR 2017 – 1502 Cigars with Enrique Sanchez

1502_BlueSapphire_ToroAny time I have the chance to visit with my friend Enrique Sanchez from Global Premium/1502 Cigars is a good time, and I had to stop by and hang out with him at his booth at the IPCPR show. Don’t let anyone tell you stories about where the name 1502 came from, it’s because 1501 was taken, not the year that Columbus “discovered” Nicaragua. Enrique had a small booth adjacent to Island Jim’s booth, as he recently changed his distribution to the group handling the Leaf by Oscar, Island Jim, Oscar by Oscar and others. I managed to mooch a 1502 Blue Sapphire from Enrique at the show, which I smoked last night. One thing I noticed about this cigar that was difference from his Ruby, Emerald and Black Gold was the lack of his patented “flavor-lock” foot, where there is a fold of the wrapper covering the edges of the foot, it’s not a closed foot, but the wrapper leaf is somehow cut about an eighth of an inch longer and carefully folded around the foot. I’ll have to find some of these locally to see if the production cigars have this or not, and, after smoking the Blue Sapphire, I will be looking for more to have on hand. This is a 6″x 52 toro, which he calls Toro Gordo, but most Toros seem to be 6″ x 52 any more. It’s a Nicaraguan puro, and is a very tasty cigar. It’s similar to the others in the line in that it burns perfectly, but the flavor is quite different. It has some woody flavors, some cocoa and earthiness and is quite a nice smoke that builds in intensity. The other major difference is that this cigar is round, not box pressed like the rest of the line. Perhaps this explains the lack of the extended wrapper? I really enjoyed this, and will be picking up some more as soon as possible. If you ever get the chance to meet Enrique, do it, he’s cooler than the other side of the pillow, and he, with the help of his friends at Placencia, makes some great cigars.  Check out my short video with Enrique from the IPCPR show below, and “Relax and Enjoy” a 1502 cigar!

 

 

Don’t forget to go enter the contest to win some great Pulita 60 Anniversario cigars and goodies! I’ll announce the winners on Friday.

 

That’s all for now, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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Alec Bradley, 1502, Something from Leccia and Lars Tetens Cigars

Today is the first day of Spring and they are talking about snow!  That’s some crap, isn’t it?  Anyway, just like everyone else, I suppose, I smoked this years iteration of the Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan on Saint Patrick’s Day. I like the idea of snakes being banished as we have a couple in our back yard now that my wife is fond of photographing for what I figure is solely to terrify me. I. Don’t. Like. Snakes. As long as they stay outside, I’ll stay in and it’ll be OK, I guess, but I’m rooting for the hawks on this one, eat them slithery bastards up please.  Anyway, the whole Saint Patrick and snakes thing is BS anyway, but I appreciate the notion. I’ve AlecBradley_2016FilthyHooliganquite enjoyed the previous Hooligans, but this year’s version was a twist on the original, fairly literally. They took the candela cigar and applied a maduro stripe to it to create the barber pole effect. This manufacturing technique became apparent as I was attempting to remove the secondary band, which, like the primary band, was affixed nearly permanently to the cigar. I only mentioned last week how easy band removal enhanced the experience for me.  The one benefit to this was that I was able to smoke about an inch of the middle of the cigar as the original candela, and it’s rather amazing to taste how much difference that little strip of maduro makes in the flavor. the maduro takes the chlorophyll-like edge of the candela and smooths it out. I had been looking forward to trying this cigar, I like a candela once in a while, and I liked the similar looking Asylum Ogre line for many of the same reasons, the blending of the candela and maduro wrappers make a unique tasting smoke.

 

1502NicFriday evening we went out to grab a bite, and I stopped for a haircut afterwards and brought along a 1502 Nicaragua Churchill for the walk home.  I picked up a few of these when I saw Enrique Sanchez at the Wooden Indian for the 1502 XO launch event.  The folks at the shop told me it was one of their best sellers, so I figured I’d give it a shot. This is a Nicaraguan puro, a  tribute to Enrique’s young son.  The last time I smoked a 1502 Nicaragua I was underwhelmed. I think the Black Gold, the Ruby and the Emerald were so darned good, each in their own ways, that I didn’t originally “get” the Nicaragua.  Whether it was the vitola or just the cigar, I don’t know, but after a slow start of not “getting it”, it grew on me. It developed into a rich, sweet, dare I say “Cubanesque” cigar. The wrapper color reminds me of many Cuban cigars, which might have influenced that comparison, it burned MUCH better than a Havana!  This was another great smoke from Global Premium and Enrique Sanchez, keep up the great work, amigo!

 

LecciaSaturday afternoon I sat down to watch the Flyers vs. Penguins game on the tablet out on the porch so I could smoke a cigar. For those who don’t know, this is a heated rivalry, us Flyers fans don’t much like the cross-state Penguins, and it’s usually a great game. I selected a cigar that Sam Leccia gave me when I saw him a few months back at Cigars International’s midget wrestling event. This was a cigar that Sam said he found a cache of aging in a factory somewhere (he declined to divulge any details), and was working on bringing to market. The shape of the cigar reminded me of the Cuban Partagas Presidente, the Cuban Vitola de Galera name of which is “Taco”, a 6″ cigar that tapered to around 48 ring gauge, then came to a perfecto foot. Whatever this was, it was pretty special, there were some sweet notes and it had a really clean tobacco flavor, obviously this had a great deal of age. If this cigar never sees commercial release by Sam, I’ll just assume he smoked them all, as I would be tempted to do, great smoke. Too bad the game wasn’t as good as the cigar, the Flyers turned in a lack-luster performance when they should have done the opposite. I still like Sam, despite his being a Penguin fan.

 

LarsTetens_SerieDSaturday evening I took a walk with a cigar that’s been intimidating me from the depths of the humidor for several months. Back in the fall I met Lars Tetens at the Smokin’ Goose Event at Goose’s shop in Limerick, PA. Going back 20 years or so, to the cigar boom of the 90s, I remember seeing (and smelling) the Lars Tetens cigars in my local shop. They were the precursor to the Acid line, and there’s some controversy over whether one had anything to do with the other. There’s no doubt that parallels can be drawn between the cigars, as well as the apparent eccentricities of Lars and Jonathan Drew. It’s not for me to judge, they both seem to have done well for themselves. Lars gave me a couple of cigars, one of which being this large Serie D. It’s a 6½” x 52 toro, and was the least scary of the bunch. The unlit aroma didn’t offer any hints of flavoring or infusion, as the “Tropical Candy”, “Brief XTC” and “1980” cigars did, they smell very sweet, and I’m nervous about smoking them. I believe Lars told me that the “1980” was rolled by him in 1980, which would be pretty amazing but the aroma off the foot makes me skeptical  (I wouldn’t expect any strong aromas off a 36-year-old cigar). The Serie D was a very good smoke, one I’d smoke again. It burned well, had a sweetness that I liked and was solidly medium bodied, despite the word “full” on the band. Once I screw up my courage, perhaps I’ll smoke on of the others in the coming weeks. Lars Tetens cigars are still out there, I’ve seen them in a couple of my local shops, and I know he visits Goose’s regularly. I hope to have another opportunity to hang out with him one of these days and pick his brain a little.

 

That’s all for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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La Aroma de Cuba, Undercrown and a 1502 XO Cigar Launch Event

LaAromaDe Cuba_MiAmourReserva_RobustoWe have a big day today so I need to get this written. We have tickets to a series of Philly Pops shows in the city (Philly, duh…), so we make a day of it, dropping by the Franklin Institute, grabbing a bite, maybe stopping in Holt’s to make sure it’s still there, that sort of thing. Today they art performing a Billy Joel program, should be good.  Anyway, once again, I found myself smoking spectacular cigars in the second half of the week, which started with a La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amour Reserva Maximo which I had picked up at Holt’s back in the fall when we went to the first in the Pops series, which was a Sinatra tribute.  This 5½ x 54 Robusto has a dark San Andrés Oscuro wrapper and what I have to assume is Nicaraguan fillers, although the website fails to provide such details. These are made at the My Father Factory which is reasonably evident on the first puff.  This cigar is right in my wheelhouse with a nice dose of strong black coffee notes, some earth and that spice right off the bat. I enjoyed the crap out of this cigar, probably just as much as I enjoy the regular Mi Amour line.

 

undercrownFriday I got lazy and selected an Drew Estate Undercrown Toro Grande for my evening walk.  It’s no secret that I like to celebrate the end of the work week with a guaranteed winner,  I have to be in the right frame of mind to smoke a “new to me” cigar on a Friday, usually I want a tried and true cigar to relax and usher in the weekend. This particular cigar had suffered some wrapper cracking somewhere along the line, I might have dropped it, who knows, but it had some  tomes when it wasn’t as visually appealing as it could have been. While I certainly get some joy out of how a cigar looks when its burning, I overlooked it because I enjoy the flavor of the Undercrown line so much.  I still like the Corona Viva size the best, but the Toro Grande was a very nice smoke, hearty, savory and sweet, just about everything I was craving.  I can’t really decide if I like the Undercrown or the Undercrown Shade better, fortunately I don’t have to choose, they both have their time.
Take a look at the Kickstarter campaign I ran across for a unique cigar accessory, the Fanelli Cigar Rest and Bottle Opener. We’ve all probably seen similar cigar rests, heck, I made on out of a piece of bamboo years ago, but this one has a unique twist (that’s an unfortunate bit of wordplay), it has a bottle cap lifter concealed in the base. It’s aluminum, so it doesn’t seem like it would be too heavy, and because it’s aluminum it can be anodized in different colors, of which there is gold, silver and black proposed. I like the black version personally. I was offered a review sample, but I declined because, really, what’s to review? I can see from the drawings that it will accommodate up to a 64 ring cigar, and I haven’t had a need for a bottle opener in 25 years, but I trust that it works. If this is the sort of item you like to have, and you like supporting entrepreneurs, throw them some cash.

 

Enrique_CraigYesterday was the launch of the 1502 XO, fortunately the release party was held at the Wooden Indian nearby, so I made my way out there to see Enrique and smoke one of his very special cigars. The XO is quite special, as it’s made with tobacco aged 18 years, with the exception of the wrapper which is only about five-year old. Enrique explained that 18-year-old leaf is very hard to use as a wrapper, and I can understand that (although it’s been done in the case of the Partagas 150 from 1995…I have one around someplace and a few months ago I smoked a La Gloria Cubana that was the exact same blend and it was spectacular and the wrapper was 38 years old!). Anyway, I picked up some 1502s, grabbed some of the 1502XOLanceros in the Black Gold and Ruby blends, a couple of the 1502 Nicaragua Churchills, and a single XO (listed at 6″ x 50 with a box press, seemed shorter though..I smoked number 004147, nobody else on the planet can say that!), because $17+ a stick is outside of my comfort zone, but I was there with Enrique and it seemed like the right time. I smoked the cigar and it is a very good cigar, it has the signature Flavor Lock™ foot (snicker), it drew perfectly and burned reasonably well. It was indeed well-balanced, very smooth and pleasing to the palate, and there was a spice that came and went here and there that was hard to put a finger on,  something from the baking spice category kind of like cinnamon, but not cinnamon, know what I mean? I don’t have a great wealth of experience with  exotic spices as I’m not what you’d call an adventurous eater (picky eater is closer to the truth). It was entertaining, and I smoked it comfortably until nearly burning my fingers. I had to re-light a could times, but I was chatting with Dave, the owner, Enrique and several other patrons, so I’ll take 1502BGresponsibility for it going out.  Great cigar, Enrique is a terrific guy (he was hiding behind the stores wooden Indian when I came in, waiting to surprise me…) and the Wooden Indian is still the premier cigar shop in the area. When I got home I took a walk with a 1502 Black Gold corona that was a year or so old and it was dynamite! It was full of rich espresso and cocoa and everything I love in a cigar. It’s funny, 1502’s catch phrase is “it’s not a cigar, it’s a 1502”. When I pulled out this corona my wife commented “that’s not a cigar”, and I responded with “it’s a 1502!” She was commenting that it was a smaller cigar than I usually take for a walk, but I found it funny. It was a great end to a great Saturday.

 

That’s enough out of me for today.  Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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A Gurkha, a 1502, New Bolivar and Ramon Allones Cigars

Gurkha_CellarReserve_Platinum_HedonismThursday I dug into the sampler pack that Gurkha gave me at the trade show, and came out of it with the newest addition to their Cellar Reserve line, the 12 year aged Platinum in the 6″ x 58 Hedonism size. This is a nice perfecto shaped cigar with a Ecuador Oscuro wrapper (and I can’t guess what actual varietal that might be, couple be a Connecticut fermented to a dark color, or something else…hard to tell). The band boasts a “blend strength” of 98%, again, not sure what that means as it was a perfect medium in strength to my palate. It also has a Nicaraguan binder and 12 year old fillers from Esteli, Congega and Jalapa in Nicaragua. It’s made in the Dominican Republic. Aside from all the marketing buzzwords and vague information on the blend, what I found it to be was a very good tasting cigar. It was creamy and smooth and quite nice.  There was no shortage of flavor, it was by no means mild, and was probably my second favorite of the four blends in the Cellar Reserve line, second to the maduro Limitada with the Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. I owe the Edicion Especial with the Corojo wrapper another shot as I smoked one in New Orleans outside in hot, soupy weather and it wasn’t the best representation of that cigar I don’t think. There are quite a few Gurkha cigars I like, and this happens to be one of them.

 

1502_BlackGold_ToroFriday I wrapped up the work week with a 1502 Black Gold toro that I had in the humidor for a couple years.  This has always been my favorite in the 1502 range, it’s got a deep, dark maduro wrapper that I want to say is San Andrés from Mexico if I recall.  I like the way the wrapper leaf is folded around the foot off the cigar on all the lines, it’s a nice touch, and you get a little bit more wrapper flavor on the light. It has to add cost to the process though.  Anyway, it was 1502 owner Enrique Sanchez’ birthday Friday, so I thought it seemed appropriate to smoke one of his cigars. I had some trouble keeping this one lit for some reason, but it has the dark and dirty black coffee and earth flavor that I really like. All of the 1502 cigars are great smokes, this one, when it burns right, is always a favorite. Oddly, when I smoked the 1502 line in the Lancero size last year, I think the Emerald was my favorite, and the same with the coronas. Maybe the flavor I really like from the Black Gold wrapper needs to be tempered by more filler, too much of a good thing, you know.

 

Bolivar_550As usual, when I toured General Cigar‘s booth at the IPCPR show, I had no idea what to expect from their Foundry division. I knew that  Sam Leccia was working under that umbrella, but one never can tell what’s going on in the creative mind of Michael Giannini.  I was surprised to find that his latest project was the re-imagining of the Bolivar and Ramon Allones brands.  I sparked up the Bolivar first in the 550 size. This has an unfinished foot and a curly-q pigtail cap, and is a nice, dark cigar. As is the custom with Foundry, all we know about the blend is that it’s  six country blend. If FTC_Bolivar_LRI had to guess, I’d say this has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, based on the delicious and lush espresso/cocoa flavor. As you might guess, I really liked this cigar, it had the dark, bitter flavors I like, with a hint of sweetness.  It burned perfectly and that uncut foot gave a huge blast of wrapper flavor on the light. The box art is pretty sharp, featuring images of the bands that Bolivar has used over the one hundred or so years it’s been on the market. I am not over fond of the bands on the cigars, though, I am afraid it makes the cigar look like an inexpensive bundle instead of the fine premium cigar that it is.

 

Ramon Allones_550The Ramon Allones 550 shares the same sizes as the Bolivar line, but is a Nicaraguan puro, and that’s all the information available on the blend.  The presentation follows the same theme as well, with the Ramon Allones having a blue band where the Bolivar has red.  I will never forget the first Cuban Ramon Allones I ever smoked, a “Specially Selected” robusto back in the late ’90s. This cigar was so peppery that I could still feel the tingle on my tongue the next day.  I’ve had others since and never had that much pepper, but still enjoyed the cigars.  The new version Michael Giannini has put together has FTC_Ramon-Allones_LRnone of that. Once again, the uncut foot showcases the dark Nicaraguan wrapper upon lighting, and it’s a blast of what I can only associate with sourdough bread.  The sourdough flavor persisted throughout the cigar. Again, the construction was perfect, and it burned and drew great.  I have to say, I would lean toward the Bolivar if I had to choose between the two, I’m not a fan of the sour flavors, but there are those who are, and the Ramon Allones is a very good choice if that is your preference.  I look forward to trying both of these in the other sizes to see how they differ. Again, I’d like to see a classier band, but that’s just me, there’s no denying that they will stand out on the shelf.

 

One thing I’ve noticed as I’m writing this article is that companies are still slow to update their websites to reflect the new releases. It’s now almost two months after the IPCPR show where some of these cigars were released and the only information I can find are on media sites. I should think that should be a priority in 2015, and it’s not that difficult to expensive to do, like the old days when they would have to re-print a catalog or something. It’s just something that continues to befuddle me. On another note, since my wife is going to be selling books at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention near Baltimore this weekend, I am going to be looking for cigar shops to waste time in. The Humidour in Cockeysville, MD is first on the list, but if anyone is in the area please let me know, I will be down there Thursday, Friday and Saturday. That’s enough from me, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

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A 1502 Ruby Cigar, a MUWAT and a Merlion Sea Lion

1502_ruby_robustoCold and snow, but fortunately not any where near the snow that was predicted or our neighbors to the north got! I can’t complain too much about this winter so far.  It’s only really dissuaded me from taking my evening cigar and Macha walks a couple times, and the enclosed porch has been fairly comfortable.  If we can get through the next six weeks or so without too much bad weather I’ll be happy. I still look forward to basking in the warm sunshine with a cigar! On Sunday evening I came across a 1502 Ruby robusto and immediately wanted to smoke it.  I actually passed on watching the NHL All Star Game, who puts the game on at 5 PM? That didn’t fit my schedule! Judging by the score it wasn’t a good game for the goalies, so I don’t feel like I missed much.  I did enjoy the heck out of the Ruby.  I love the box press and the semi-closed foot on the line, and this was a stellar smoke. Medium bodied and rich in flavor.  It’s very hard for me not to smoke these when I run across them in the humidor. They are really very good cigars.

 

MUWAT_NightcrawlerMonday I took a night off, just wasn’t feeling it, so Tuesday I grabbed a  MUWAT Night Crawler. This cigar was given to me by Dave Lafferty of Drew Estate at an event several months ago, and I put it in the bedroom humidor and kinda forgot about it.  I definately favor the smaller sizes in the MUWAT line, I’ve enjoyed the 60 ring sizes, but they lack the punch I look for. This 4½”x 50 cigar had the punch.  You could tell it had a San Andrés wrapper, and it delivered big in the flavor department. This may now be my favorite size, second to the Digital Son 6 and the Baitfish. It was still smooth and rich and chocolaty, and had a perfect burn one expects from Drew Estate cigars.  Are these still made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory? Not sure, but it doesn’t matter as either factory makes great smoking cigars on a consistent basis. I’d smoke this again in a heartbeat.

 

I finally placed an order for a cabinet humidor so I can get out of the coolers which have been my mass storage solution for the last 15 years or so.  Of course, it’s back ordered, which is my fault for not placing my order back in December, but stuff like moving and the holidays happen. So far, my experience ordering from 1st Class Cigar Humidors has been positive, look forward to play by play in March when it arrives. I’m so looking forward to not having to rummage through the coolers and playing humidor Tetris trying to fit in new arrivals, and my wife looks forward to something more aesthetically pleasing than blue plastic.  My plan for now will be to use my Cigar Oasis in conjunction with the dozen traditional humidification units and see how it goes from there. I look forward to the adventure.  1st Class Cigar Humidors has been an advertiser here for a few years, and this is an item purchased by me. I shopped around and decided on this unit.

 

Merlion_Sea LionTonight I went with a Merlion Sea Lion from La Sirena Cigars.  This is a cool shaped cigar which is a lot of fun to smoke. It’s a 5½” x 47 perfecto of sorts, with a shaggy tail sticking out of the foot, making lighting quite easy. These are made at the La Aurora factory in the Domincan Republic, there were only 500 boxes of ten made, and one in each box has a San Andrés wrapper, and the remaining nine have the same Ecuador Corojo wrapper as the rest of the line.  In an odd twist, I still have not smoked the maduro, and I’d generally smoke that one first.  In this case, I’m quite sure I’ll never see another maduro, and I’m afraid I’ll love it. I’ll get to it when the time is right. Tonight the time was right for the Sea Lion and a great tasting smoke it was. Very smooth and creamy, and the shape concentrates the flavor more on the palate than the parejos in this line, I think, and it’s just a damned tasty smoke. As I said, it’s a fun shape, and a great size.  I don’t think I mention often that my favorite size might be the classic Corona Gorda, 5 5/8″ x 46, and this comes very close, but the shape causes changes in the flavor as the fattest part is near the beginning and as the diameter of the cigar narrows, the flavors intensify. It’s practically a cigarillo by the time it’s finished.  Try one if you see one on your tobacconsits shelf.

 

Quick little terminology refresher, since I was mentioned on last weeks Cigar Authority radio show (thanks Mr. J, if you don’t listen, you should, it’s a hoot!) as Dave Garofalo was confusing the term “vitola” with “parejo” once again.  I had pointed out to him some time ago that “vitola” is a generic term for the basic size of a cigar, robusto, torpedo, Churchill, perfecto are all vitolas. The Cubans have a list known as Vitolas de Galera, which give very strict definitions of what each shape must be. Where a Robusto can be just about anything from a 4½” x 50 to a 5½” x 54 or just about anything in between, in Cuba it’s ONLY 4 7/8″ x 50, a 5″ x 48 is a Hermosos No. 4, and so forth. “New World” cigars take liberties with the vitola names, so in our usage it’s a generic term for the size.  Vitolas are then broken down into two classes, Parejos, or straight sided cigars, or Figurados or shaped cigars such as the torpedo, diadimas, perfecto, etc.  Really a mater of semantics, but something that should be known when jerks like me through the fancy schmancy terms around all willy nilly.

 

That’s it for now, until the next  time,

 

CigarCraig

 

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