1502 – Black Gold

Made by Global Premium Cigars, the 1502 line comes in three different blends, each representing a different strength profile.  Enrique Sanchez says the company is proudly Nicaraguan.  And the cigars reflect the Nicaraguan heritage.  The Black Gold is the strongest of the three profiles and is indeed a ‘dinner’ cigar.  I first tried the Ruby and Emerald lines last year and recently was given a sample of the black gold.

When I first looked at the cigar, I was impressed with its nice dark wrapper and oily finish.  Being box pressed made for a nice feel and the box press was tight.  I punched and lit the cigar without problem.

The construction of this cigar is good.  It burned evenly and had a very open draw.  The ash was ok, dark grey with black specks.  Forty minutes of smoke without a relight made this a nice cigar.

Flavor was nice, but not complex.  For the first two thirds of the smoke there were notes of cedar and leather.  At the outset there was a slight nuttiness which faded.  That taste came back in the final third of the smoke.  This is a full bodied or ‘dinner’ cigar.  The final third of the smoke also had nutmeg and cinnamon hints to it.  The after taste lingered giving the cigar a fullness and heaviness that was rich and not unpleasant.

The cigar is not widely distributed.  When looking for retail prices I found few places that had the cigars.  Yet, they are available on line through the manufacturer website.  At around $6. per stick there is some value here as a nice everyday strong cigar.