Initial Thoughts
Surprise, surprise! Another 1502 review! Well, I wanted to ensure I covered a wide variety of their offerings that I received in the sample pack. Keeping that in mind, I wanted to make sure to review one of the perfectos that were sent. In this case, I chose the 1502 Emerald Perfecto.
As noted earlier, 1502 perfectos are available at their designated lounges (http://www.globalpremiumcigars.com/cigar-lounges for locations). To my knowledge, those are the only places where they can be purchased. While they are quite similar to the torpedo that is a regular production cigar, the cap end comes to a sharper point and the foot is completely closed, matching the cap. The lounges have a perfecto in each line, the Ruby, Black Gold, and Emerald.
This came as a sample provided to me by 1502 Cigars. The usual disclaimer: though I am grateful for the samples, 1502’s generosity will not play a part in how the cigar is evaluated.
Looks
To be honest, the 1502 Emerald Perfecto looks very dart-like. The cap and foot come to a very sharp point, with very visible seams on both ends. There is a small split at the tip of the cap as well. The barrel of the cigar is light brown and slightly box-pressed, with some veins and slightly visible seams. It is both elegant and rugged at the same time.
The band is the same as the Ruby and Black Gold except that it has an emerald green background and the name “Emerald” on it. Combined with the light wrapper color, it helps make the cigar look more elegant. It is pretty snug, but I am able to slide it off near the end without damaging the wrapper.
Function
So, the 1502 Emerald Perfecto is both beauty and the beast when it comes to appearance, so it should feel both rough and smooth too, right? The answer is yes! The barrel is mostly smooth while the cap and foot both reveals the rugged, raised seams. Squeezing the cigar reveals that it is well packed, feeling quite firm with no soft spots.
While the other samples I reviewed had a “cigar lock” foot, this one is completely closed. As a result, the barrel and foot aromas are the same. I detect a very faint grass and wood aroma.
I use my CRA cutter to clip the cap and the foot. I cut the cap at a 45 degree angle and just a small portion of the foot straight across. Afterwards, I test the pre-light draw. It is rather open, with notes of grass and earth.
Smoking
After clipping the tip of the foot, I get out my Xikar single flame torch to light it. I didn’t clip much off, so the lighting area is quite small. I figure that is why when lighting it, I also scorched a small hole a couple of centimeters above the burn line in the wrapper. Other than that, it lights up quickly and easily. The burn line quickly reaches the hole, which is a good thing! I was not able to get a good draw until it did.
Speaking of draw, much like the Ruby Lancero, it is very open. I must admit, I am happy that it is pen instead of tight. I tend to avoid torpedos and perfectos because many tend to have a tight draw. Not the case here! Yes, it causes it to burn a little fast, but not to the extent that the lancero did. I can live with it, but would’ve liked to have a little more resistance.
The burn was a bit fast, but stayed even for almost the entire smoke. I did have to relight it once in the last inch, but there were no other problems with it the rest of the time.
The most impressive burn quality by far was the ash. It was mostly tight, mostly white, and held on for about half of the cigar! You can see from the pictures that it lasted well into the second third, keeping the perfecto shape the whole time. It was very nice indeed!
Flavor
I have only smoked one Emerald before and was not crazy about it. It was a torpedo, and the draw was rather tight, so I didn’t get a lot of flavor. Since there was no draw issue on the 1502 Emerald Perfecto, I was looking forward to experiencing all the flavor it had to offer.
The first third starts off with a punch in the mouth! That punch is a strong white, floral pepper that is quite spicy. Though it remains pretty strong, it does mellow out enough to allow some wood and hay notes to emerge. I was hesitant to retrohale, but have to by habit! Yep! It was spicy all right! Near the next third, it had mellowed out a good bit, allowing more wood and hay to balance it out.
The next third has the same three notes, white pepper, hay, and wood. I also notice a sweetness that I am not exactly sure how to describe. It’s akin to honey or maple syrup I guess. It is difficult to name since it is so subtle. The 1502 website says vanilla, but I’m not sure I would say that. Near the end, there is a nut flavor that develops as well.
The final third sees the white pepper fade out almost completely, except on the retrohale. It has become more of just a floral note at this point. The wood, hay, and sweetness are still present, but the nut flavor has taken over. This continues until the very end, even after the relight.
The 1502 Emerald Perfecto is medium in strength, despite the blast of pepper on the front end. It is medium-full in flavor. I wouldn’t say it is a very complex cigar, but has enough variance to make it interesting. Smoke time was 1 hour 15 minutes, which I feel could’ve been longer with a less open draw.
Would I Buy It Again?
Most likely, though I don’t know what the MSRP is. Plus, I doubt I’ll be near one of the 1502 lounges anytime soon!
Is It An Everyday Smoke?
Not for me, but I would put it in the monthly rotation for sure.
Would I Buy a Box?
Not a box, but a 5 pack.
Conclusion
The 1502 Emerald Perfecto was an enjoyable cigar, especially for those who like white, floral pepper. It’s not the most complex cigar, but does have enough variance to keep my interest. My experience with the perfecto was definitely better than with the torpedo and has made me want to try other Emerald vitolas soon. If you can get your hands on one or another vitola, I say give it a try!
