Initial Thoughts:
Sometimes we smoke cigars that taste like they've just come off an assembly line. Other times, like today, we review a cigar that has a wrapper that's old enough to vote and pose in an adult magazine. Sporting an 18-year-old “undisclosed” wrapper, the 1502 XO Churchill Limited Edition is today's cigar for review.
Visually, the 1502 XO Churchill Limited Edition looked premium. It had a great label that gave the cigar a very limited edition or private label feel. The wrapper leaf looked like a wrinkly elbow, but that's not something to worry about. Rounding out the visuals, the 1502 XO had a semi-closed foot.
Regarding the cigar's aroma, it smelled really good.
The first sign of trouble came when I went to cut the cigar with my guillotine. The end was difficult to cut, perhaps due to a stem at the smoking end. Afterward, the cap seemed to unravel before my eyes. Not a great start, but I kept going. On the cold draw, the flavors were predominantly of wood, specifically cedar.
CigarScore:
Brand: 1502
Line: XO Limited Edition
Size: 7 x 48 BP
Cut: Guillotine
Light: Torch
Price: $24.00 – Luxury Cigar Club
Wrapper: Undisclosed
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Smoke Time: 75 minutes
Final Thoughts
After smoking the 1502 XO Churchill Limited Edition for about 75 minutes, I thought it was just okay. For a $24 cigar, this Churchill should not only smoke for longer, but it should taste better as well. There was some harshness in the middle, and that harshness came back in the final third.
At the end of the day, the flavors were just okay. The quality of the burn was just okay. And the smoke time was just okay. If this cigar was $13 or $14 the story would be different. But because there are better cigars out there for the money and vitola, the 1502 XO Churchill Limited Edition earns a CigarScore 3.
