1502 Blue Sapphire Cigar Review – Proudly Nicaraguan 

It has been a while since I spoke about 1502 cigars and today I would like to present a review of the 1502 Blue Sapphire Cigar. At this years IPCPR I caught up with Enrique Sánchez, owner of Global Premium Cigars and the 1502 brand. Before we get into the review I thought you may like to hear from Enrique himself as he walks us through the 1502 lineup.

 

Enrique Sánchez and Global Premium recently made the cigar news this past week with the announcement that the first lawsuit against the FDA and its recent cigar regulations has been stayed bringing the proceedings to a halt but not formally closing the case.  Enrique and his Global Premium Cigar company filed the lawsuit in June of 2016 and was the first in the industry. A later lawsuit by the IPCPR and CRA was also filed but has not been adjudicated as of yet.

The 1502 Blue Sapphire Cigar

At the 2016 IPCPR, Global Premium Cigars, LLC introduced the latest addition to the 1502 cigar lineup known as the Blue Sapphire. It is available in a single vitola – a 6 x 52 box pressed beauty. Like the slogan for company it is Proudly Nicaraguan with a blend simply described as:

• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

Yes, this a true Nicaraguan puro for sure.

The MSRP for the 1502 Blue Sapphire is set at $13.00 USD.

The Global Premium Cigars, LLC website describes this as Full Body (7.8/10 – 9/10) and uses the following graph to best explain the strength.

Pre-Light Examination

The 1502 Blue Sapphire has slightly toothy, chocolate-brown wrapper that has light sheen to it. It is light on veins with a touch of marbling and very well packed. The foot exudes a toasty bread aroma and the barrel offers a slight earthy scent.

The band on the Blue Sapphire pops with its rich blue and silver colors. Certainly a cigar that would catch your eye in a shop.

Once the cap is sliced, the cold draw was nicely restricted and had enticing notes of nut, pepper, and toffee.

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Cigar Review Notes

• Early pepper upon ignition blending with the pre-light toffee
• Toasted caramel and cedar finish
• A sprinkle of sea salt adds to the dimension
• Dark grey ash  on a medium char line
• Smoke is full and thick
• Fairly smooth retro-hale
• Notes of chocolate and raisin enter after an inch of solid burn
• Spicy walnut aroma
• This is starting out very well – think about your mothers chocolate, nut, and raisin brownies
• Ash gently fell after and inch and half
• Flat and perfectly centered burn cone
• Cedar grows into end of first third
• Nut aroma intensifies
• Dry cocoa note mid-way through second third
• Cedar maintains in the core
• Wrapper oils up well with a fine sheen above the burn line
• Toffee sweetness evolves midway
• Spice enters and builds through second third
• Did I forget to mention the amazing nut aroma
• Subtle nut and cocoa notes enter the palate start of final third
• Finished with a salty citrus
• Medium  to full strength
• Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes – a real slow burner!

Overall, the 1502 Blue Sapphire was a delectable and fairly complex cigar that consistently grew in strength. It had an error free burn and aromatic nut aroma. Although I paired this with water and it was the first cigar of the day, I would consider pairing this with well aged rum and some dark chocolate morsels.