Tag Archives: 1502

by CigarCraig | May 18, 2014 · 5:27 pm

Lancero Weekend! Herrera Esteli and 1502 Cigars

I decided this weekend would be Lancero weekend, as I recently accumulated several samples in that format. This is a size that everyone seems to want, but retailers say it doesn’t sell, so manufacturers don’t want to make a bunch. I guess that’s why they are usually released as special or limited editions. I like the size, and I have a bunch of them in the humidors. It’s an elegant size, and I really haven’t had the burn problems that they used to have years ago.

Friday evening I picked the new lancero from Drew Estate, the Herrera Esteli. This one was a little shorter than the traditional 7½” x 38 size, I want to say it was around 6¾” which is fine. I really like this line, and Willy Herrera was just promoted to head blender at Drew Estate, which is well deserved. Some of the best Herrera Estelis I’ve had were first thing in the morning at the Drew Estate factory, and the lonsdale was my favorite of the bunch. The line has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers. Will spent a year working on this and really did a great job. I think the lancero just replaced the lonsdale as my favorite. It was really nicely balanced, loaded with flavor and just really good. Thank you to John Brooke for sending this. It’s a dynamite smoke.

Saturday I decided to try tackling the new box pressed lanceros in the 1502 Cigars line. These were included in with a bunch of goodies the Gary Griffith of The House Of Emilio sent me recently. I really love the 1502 line, the Black Gold being my favorite, but all three are exceptional. I started with the Ruby, which has an Ecuador Habano wrapper. The Ruby falls in the middle of the strength range of the line, and I decided to start with that as opposed to the Emerald since it was after lunch and I wasn’t ready for a milder cigar. This is a flavorful smoke that burned very well. When you light your first 1502 you find that the foot has the wrapper leaf folded over the end. It’s not fully enclosing the foot, but just framing the filler tobacco. This gives you a little extra blast of wrapper flavor upon lighting. This is a really great cigar that’s loaded with rich flavor.

It was such a nice afternoon and I was not quite through sitting outside when I finished the Ruby, so I decided to light up the 1502 Black Gold Box Pressed Lancero. Like the others, this is a 7″ x 38 box pressed cigar with the partially wrapped foot. It lit easily and smoked well. It’s a little bolder than the Ruby, and has the signature flavor of the Mexican San Andrés wrapper. It followed the Ruby nicely, making a natural strength progression from medium to strong. I liken this cigar to semisweet chocolate with a little jalapeño pepper in it, which I don;t get to enjoy frequently enough! I was left with a feeling of satisfaction after finishing this, it was my last cigar of the day. One complaint I had was that the ash fell on it’s own, twice falling into my lap. It’s quite fortunate I was wearing pants at the time.

Today, after spending the early part of the day doing yard work, which partially consisted of disassembling a large brick patio, I decided to finish the trifecta of 1502 cigars with the Emerald. This is considered the mildest of the three, but it’s not that mild a cigar. Enrique, the creator of the 1502 line, calls this Fina Fuerte , or Fine Strong. This is listed as a 7″ x 40, but I can’t say I noticed a difference, nor did I look for one. I may have enjoyed this the most out of the three in this vitola, where as in the toro size I like the Black Gold the best, and the Emerald a close third. There was a nice hint of sweetness, and it held an ash a bit better than it’s siblings (it got a little chilly, so, again, I was wearing pants). Again, Enrique killed it with the lancero format! These are brilliant cigars, if you like lanceros, and you like cigars, you should like these. Thanks to Gary for sharing these with me and helping make my Lancero Weekend a success. While I enjoy lanceros, I wouldn’t want to smoke them all the time. I enjoy the smoother, rounder flavors that I get from a larger ring cigar.

I am still working on that contest, I’ll try to have something together this week. I’ve been lazy about scouring the humidors for cigars to include. I probably have enough set aside, but sometimes enough isn’t enough, know what I mean? Don’t forget about the FDA nonsense, if you haven’t left your comment, click on the blinky CRA graphic in the top right of the sidebar and make your feelings known in an educated and reasoned manner. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under Review

Tagged as 1502, cigar, cigars, drew estate, Emilio, Herrera Esteli, lancero

by CigarCraig | April 23, 2014 · 9:54 pm

1502 Black Gold, 601 La Bomba, Merlion and a Kentucky Fire Cured Cigar

Last time I said I was going to smoke some readily available cigars as opposed to the limited and discontinued stuff I was smoking last week. I think I managed to accomplish that, and smoke some pretty tasty cigars in the process! Sunday afternoon I lit up my last 1502 Black Gold Toro, a cigar I really like and will have to put some more in my humidor. I recently received all three 1502 blends in lancero format, so look for those recaps in the not too distant future! Anyway, I love the way they partially close the foot on these, I get a little extra blast of wrapper flavor on lighting. Always well made, the Black Gold is the maduro offering, and I dig the dark, rich flavors and excellent construction. This is a 99 on the CigarCraig rating scale, I need to pick up a few more to have on hand. The whole line is highly recommended and another winner distributed by the House of Emilio.

Monday my wife and I went out for a while, when we got home, I opted for a short smoke, so the new 601 La Bomba Sake Bomb was the cigar of choice. I received a pair of samples a week or two ago from Epinosa Cigar Co., and, quite frankly, I probably could have been more patient and let these rest a little longer. I really enjoy the La Bomba line. It’s one of my go-to cigars whenb I just want something satisfying and familiar. I’m partial to the Atom in this line, although I’ll happily smoke any of them. Anyway, the reason I said I should have waited was that the little 4½ x 42 Sake Bomb might have still been a little overhumidified from it’s journey. The draw was a bit more firm than I would have liked. Still, it had the great flavor that I expect from the La Bomba line. I like them because they are pretty strong, but really flavorful. The Habano wrapper is flawless, and, although I’m not a fan of footbands, the presentation is really cool. My example didn’t have the long fuse that it should have had, but we just cut that off, don’t we. I’ll revisit this in a few weeks, it’s a nice little size. Given that I don’t drink, I have no idea what Sake tastes like, but I’m quite sure there’s no flavor comparison. This is a solid 97 until I revisit it.

Monday evening I picked another smaller cigar, however, this one is a limited edition. It’s a currently available limited edition, so I figured it would fit with this weeks theme. The Merlion Sea Lion from La Sirena is a cool shaggy footed perfecto, measuring 5½ x 47 in a perfecto shape that tapers pretty severely, so that the 47 ring gauge is pretty meaningless. I prefer the La Sirena line over the Merlion line typically, but this blend made at the La Aurora factory was very good. The burn was perfect, the shape is really fun to smoke. These come in a box of ten, with one cigar bearing a maduro wrapper. Odd that I didn’t smoke that one first, I know, but I am afraid that I’ll really love it and I won’t have another. I wanted to make sure I liked the Ecuador Corojo wrapped version too. I smoked this to the tiniest of nubs, and this is another cigar that’s going to be hard to leave along. I look forward to smoking the maduro, and maybe I’ll smoke both wrapper varieties side by side one day to compare and contrast. Try one if you get a chance, it gets a 98 because it’s a cool looking and smoking cigar.

Tonight I decided to smoke a cigar that I’ve smoked before (although not in this size), but is popular and currently available. The My Uzi Weighs a Ton Kentucky Fire Cured from Drew Estate was released at last year’s IPCPR show and was highly anticipated. This cigar is made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory in partnership with Drew Estate, and features fire cured tobacco which gives it a distinctive campfire aroma. I personally am not a fan of this aroma in a cigar and samples I’ve had in the past, including a pre-release sample in Nicaragua, have left me wanting. This one was a nice smoke, perhaps the size works better for me, but I didn’t get the heavy smokey flavor. The burn was perfect, until it got to the band, where there’s a layer of the Fire cured tobacco on the head, not unlike the Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta made in the same factory. Like the Cabinetta, that tobacco on the head of the cigar doesn’t want to burn. While this wasn’t my favorite cigar this week, it was still pretty good, and I wouldn’t hesitate to smoke this again. It’s certainly unique in the world of premium cigars. I’m going to give it a 97 for construction and appearance.

I’ll see what other goodies I can scrounge up for the rest of the week! I think I better put my rating scale on the “about” page so it’s clear. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 1502, 601 La Bomba, cigar, cigars, drew estate, Emilio, Espinosa, Kentucky Fire Cured, La Sirena, Merlion, MUWAT, Sea Lion

by CigarCraig | October 27, 2013 · 10:05 am

IPCPR 2013 – Emilio Cigars and House Of Emilio, an AF2 and a La Musa

I’m getting down to the last couple videos from the IPCPR show, and I had, up until recently, no cigars to pair with them. That’s not entirely true, I have a selection of cigars from Gary Griffith’s Emilio line and various brands he distributes, but nothing new and exciting. That is until a box arrived in the mail last week with some new samples! Thanks Gary! Perfect timing! The House of Emilio handles a bunch of great boutique brands which all seem to fall in line with my tastes. Please watch the video with Gary and Nate as they explain both the Emilio line and the brands they distribute.

The cigar which immediately caught my eye, and looked like it would best fit into the time I had available was the Emilio AF 2 in the corona size. I’ve enjoyed plenty of this blend made, by AJ Fernandez, in the toro size, its a little brighter in flavor than the AF 1 which is also a terrific smoke. The corona size really made the flavor pop, it was so good, I didn’t want to put it down. It’s a solid, enjoyable cigar that most fans of medium to full bodies cigars can enjoy, I think. Can we look forward to the AF 1 in this size, or would that be too much of a good thing? Highly recommended if you enjoy exceptional cigars.

Yesterday, after enjoying a 1502 Black Gold toro (also a House of Emilio brand, and excellent!) I selected a cigar that I actually received at the end of last year, the La Musa Melete robusto. If the Emilio AF 2 is a brighter version of the AF 1, the La Musa Melete is the darker version of the original La Musa. The wrapper is visually darker, but I’m talking about flavor and the flavors are lush, deep and decadent. It starts with a nice spice and takes off from there. It smooths out and finishes off with the espresso flavors i find so enjoyable. The construction was perfect. The Grimalkin was an exceptional cigar, the La Musa (same cigar, different name) is exceptional, but the Melete is something very special. Kudos to Gary and the super secret factory that makes this (is it still a secret?)

That’s it for today. I may find myself at one of Gary’s stores in Delaware this afternoon, looking for more Meletes and coronas! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

4 Comments

Filed under IPCPR, Review, Video

Tagged as 1502, cigar, cigars, delaware cigars, Emilio, IPCPR, La Musa

by CigarCraig | August 21, 2013 · 6:11 pm

IPCPR 2013 – 1502 Cigars, the Black Gold and News

I have a weakness for the 1502 Black Gold, a beautiful Nicaraguan puro with a maduro wrapper. When I have these in my humidors it’s all I can do to not smoke them up right away. Something just hits me right about that cigar, and my only option is to smoke them. Both vitolas, box pressed Toro and Torpedo, have a partially closed foot, which gives a blast of tasty wrapper flavor right off the light. The Ruby and Emerald are great smokes too, but the Black Gold is my favorite! I smoked one the other night and enjoyed the heck out of it. Rich, dark, bold flavors in a full bodied cigar that doesn’t strike me as strong like the website would suggest, but well balanced and tasty.

Here’s a video from last month’s IPCPR show with Enrique Sanchez of Global Premium Cigars telling us about his 1502 line. It was tough to get time with Enrique, as the entire House of Emilio booth was mobbed the whole show. I actually somehow missed meeting him at last year’s Delaware Cigar Festival, an obvious oversight on my part. Enrique is a great guy, and quite passionate about his homeland.

News

Cigar Federation, the cigar-centric social media site, which you should all check out by the way, is partnering with Brian Berman (Cigar Rights of America) to hold a raffle to raise money for Brian’s Project Mañana. Project Mañana is a charity Brian set up to help the impoverished in The Dominican Republic. Cigar Federation hopes to raise as much money as possible for this organization, and is holding a raffle to this end. You will get a raffle ticket for every $10 you donate, and some of the prizes are pretty darned good. Head over to their page and see. Give them a few bucks, you’d just spend it on cigars anyway, right? Did you miss the link? Here is is again.

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

CigarCraig

3 Comments

Filed under IPCPR, News, Review, Video

Tagged as 1502, cigar, Cigar Federation, cigars, Emilio, IPCPR, Project Mañana

by CigarCraig | March 6, 2013 · 7:11 pm

A 1502, a Partagas, a Liga Privada and a Bunch of News Items

I received a whole bunch of interesting announcements and news items this week, and, while I’m sure you’ll see them elsewhere in the blogosphere also, I feel compelled to include some of the more interesting items here today. The fist item comes from Abe Dababneh of Smoke Inn. I’ll be interested to see what they have up their sleeves. The press release reads:

JOIN THE CIGAR EVOLUTION

TRUST. This is the cornerstone of the foundation of Sindicato Cigar Group LLC (“Sindicato Cigars”). Sindicato Cigars was officially launched January 16, 2013 when a group of passionate cigar loving Tobacconists decided to extend their cigar knowledge and experience into making cigar brands. Their goal is to create a cigar company whose mission is to put the tobacco retailer and its customers first. The Tobacconist can trust that Sindicato Cigars will create quality brands that they can whole-heartedly support and that will never work against them. Consumers can trust that the collaboration of the country’s top cigar minds, who have listened to your words day in and day out, will create top quality brands based on the knowledge that those same consumers have provided. Today, Sindicato Cigars wishes to announce the hiring of Jim Colucci as the President/CEO of the company. Sindicato Cigars is very excited and honored to have Mr. Colucci, former Executive V.P. of Sales & Marketing for Altadis USA, at the helm of this new venture. Sindicato Cigars intends to exhibit its first 2 cigar brands at the IPCPR show this year in Las Vegas and looks forward to greeting all IPCPR attendees.

Please stay tuned for announcements regarding the release of Sindicato Cigar’s new brands and any behind the scenes action by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

facebook.com/SindicatoCigars

twitter.com/SindicatoCigars

instagram.com/SindicatoCigars

For all inquiries, please contact ask@sindicatocigars.com.

Thank you,

Sindicato Cigars

In other news, the folks at Stogie Boys are having a contest. I will be announcing a contest here sponsored by Stogie Boys Sunday, so there will be all kinds of chances to win stuff from them!

Contest Announcement

StogieBoys.com is hosting a contest! The contest will give 1 Winner, this prize package:

1 Burl 20 count Humidor

5 Erin Go Bragh Cigars

1 StogieBoys V Cutter

1 Digital Hygrometer

1 Humidisk

StogieBoys put together a great giveaway featuring some of their new products such as the Burl humidor and digital hygrometer. StogieBoys is also including the limited time stock of Erin Go Bragh cigars, these are Irish cigars dipped in whisky just in time for St Patricks day. The humidor even comes pre-seasoned and ready for use!

Contestants can enter by going to http://www.stogieboys.com/weekly-cigar-giveaway.html

StogieBoys created four ways to enter. First is to Join our weekly Deals and announcements newsletter. From there visitors can earn additional entries by liking StogieBoys on Facebook, following StogieBoys on twitter and joining StogieBoys daily deals and specials email. Each entry gives you an additional chance to win. Up to four chances can be entered each day giving visitors more chances to win.

This great contest ends 03/12/2013 at Noon EST.

Last but not least, if you happen to be in Vegas in April, look into this event benefiting Cigar Rights of America, brought to you by Stinky, of Stinky Ashtray fame:

Liberating Cigar Night

– Dinner & Cigar Socal:

Join fellow cigar aficionados for cocktails, dinner and fine cigars at the House of Blues Foundation Room. Celebrate your freedom to smoke cigars at this exclusive, members only, private club while taking in the exceptional panoramic views that the pinnacle of Las Vegas night life has to offer.

View and select your dinner entree and dinning time with the pull-down menu before placing your reservation.Your dinner reservation also includes:

* the Cigar Social event from 5:30 to 10:00 PM

Please Note:

Only one person per reservation. If you have a guest(s), place your reservation in the shopping cart and make your additional reservations for each person in your party. Use the “Reservation Name” field for your guest name.

Take your best shot on a winning bid at the silent auction:

• superb cigars by renowned makers

• premium cigar accessories

• gourmet dinners • premium liquors

• golf outings

• spa treatments

• rare sports memorabilia

All proceeds support your right to enjoy cigars via our champions at the Cigar Rights of America organization.

Your Dinner Reservation includes the Cigar Social:

Friday, April 12, 2013

• 5:30-10:00 PM

• House of Blues Foundation Room

Seating is Limited – Reservations & Prepayment Required.

Make your Reservations Now.

All Proceeds Benefit: Cigar Rights of America www.CigarRights.org

Event Location in the House of Blues Foundation Room:

Mandalay Bay Resort – 62ndFloor

3950 S Las Vegas Blvd

Las Vegas, NV 89119

http://www.stinkycigar.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=61

Enough of the news stuff, let’s get on to the cigars! Sunday I took a walk with a 1502 Black Gold. I was overly impressed with this when I smoked it back in October, and my opinion hasn’t changed. This is a big, box pressed torpedo with a dark, rich maduro wrapper. This manufacturer wraps the wrapper over the foot of the cigar so when you light it you get a blast of flavor. This is a neat little touch that sets this cigar apart. The dark, rich flavors also make this stand out. It’s a terrific smoke. If you see these for sale grab a couple. I know of a few shops in my general area that have them, and I’m sure Enrique Sanchez, the owner of this brand, can point you toward a retailer. He can be found on Twitter at @1502Cigars.

Monday evening my wife and I had a nice dinner at Outback. Sirloin and shrimp, with a little rice and broccoli to chase it down. When I got home I pulled a Partagas Petit Corona Especiale out of the “good” humidor. I figure I need to smoke something out of this humidor once in a while to make sure the cigars aren’t drying out or anything. I bought a box of these a few years ago and have enjoyed many of this little Mareva sized cigar. These are “old school” Havana Partagas, they have a distinctive flavor that you don’t often get in non-Cuban cigars. For a $5 cigar, it’s a treat. Sure, it burned crappy and I had to touch it up a few times, but it was a great smoke after a nice meal.

Tuesday I came across a Drew Estate Liga Privada T52 Belicoso that Steve Saka threw at me at the 2010 IPCPR show. I was astounded when I lit this up and was hit was a flavor reminiscent of Monday evenings Partagas! Remember I said the Partagas had a distinctive flavor? Well it does, but I ran across this same flavor in the T52. which made my day, quite frankly. This shape really was a nice presentation of the T52 line. It was perfectly made, and tasted great. It had a nice long finish that, like the Partagas before it, lasted well into the evening. I really can’t decide if I like the T52 better than the No.9. Know what? I don’t have to decide, because I can like them both the same for different reasons! That’s a beautiful thing about cigars! this T52 was an awesome smoke that I enjoyed until it was about a ¾” little nub.