2fer Tuesday: Asylum

Launched simultaneously with CLE is the related brand, Asylum, founded by Kevin Baxter and Tom Lazuka. Both CLE and Asylum (and Wynwood) fall under the umbrella company Tabacaleras Unidas, but while CLE is a new outlet for Christian Eiroa’s creative flow and seems to mostly be about Honduran blends, Asylum is described as a “take no prisoners approach,” utilizing all Nicaraguan tobaccos, and delivering diverse blends at “approachable” prices. Unidas sent samples of just about everything to the Chattanooga Tweet-Up in August and I thought it would be a good chance to introduce myself and our readers to these cigars, which should start showing up in your local shops very soon if they haven’t already. Besides the two cigars I'm looking at today, Asylum also makes the Schizo, a mixed-filler, bundle-priced cigar.

ASYLUM
Torpedo, 5” x 54 ring gauge / MSRP ~$6.00
The size of the cigar I’m smoking does not actually appear on the company’s website. They list a 6” x 54 Torpedo, but this is definitely 5” and we had quite a few of them on hand at the Tweet-Up. It is the “Asylum Premium” blend and all that is said about it on the website is “Nicaragua” for filler, binder, and wrapper. The logo and band is an interesting mix of comic-book-type art for the wings, with a bit of futuristic, deformed skull outlined under Asylum...oh, and the skull’s head forms an almost-heart with a red fade in it. Strange. Memorable. The wrapper leaf was dark and oily with a bit of leather and chocolate aroma to it. The foot had an earthy note with more chocolate sweetness. I clipped the pointy end and got a great draw that had a purely Nicaraguan flavor of earth, cocoa powder and black coffee.

After lighting, the Asylum gave up flavors of maple, dark chocolate and espresso bean, all dark and earthy flavors with a good balance of bitter and sweet elements. There was a spicy finish and the retrohale was about as spicy as you would expect from a Nicaraguan puro. As the first third burned through (rather quickly, I might add...a combination of it being a relatively short cigar and it being an unexpectedly breezy day), I got an intensified coffee flavor, more wood notes and the continued sweetness of chocolate. The spice did not die down as often happens, but didn’t really increase, either...rather, it stayed at an even level that I liked.

In the second third, it seemed like the Asylum mellowed out a bit. I still had some spice, but the coffee died down and I tasted more of a bready sweetness, still with some chocolate influence in it, but not as strong. There was still a strong earthy undercurrent to the whole thing and a finish that had a note of raisins. Construction was very good; I experienced an excellent draw, solid ash and a fairly even burn line, even with the breeze that was blowing.

The Asylum turned out to be great all the way through the last third and I nubbed it to the end. In this third, the flavor turned even more earthy and dark, displaying a full body and a little bit of a nicotine punch as well, but not so much that it would be a problem for any experienced smoker. I was surprised and pleased by the amount of flavor this delivered all the way from beginning to the end and with the progression of flavors as it turned out to be a decently complex smoke as well. The only thing I could say against it is that it wasn’t the most unique smoke I’ve ever had...I couldn’t help but feeling that I’ve had this before at some point, but maybe that’s just because I’ve had so many Nicaraguan puros. At any rate, fans of Nicaraguan cigars are sure to be pleased with this one and the price is very friendly, too.

Body: 8/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10

ASYLUM 13
Sixty, 6” x 60 ring gauge / MSRP ~$6
Asylum 13 serves as a “sibling” brand to the regular Asylum brand. It is also a Nicaraguan puro, but is meant to meet the demands of today’s market for large ring gauge full-bodied smokes. It comes in three 3 sizes: 5 x 50, 6 x 60, and 7 x 70. I thought the banding on this was a little subdued as compared with the regular Asylum. No wings and the heart-headed skulls were small in size. It’s not a bad look, but I wonder if it will stand out well on a crowded shelf. The dark chocolate-colored wrapper was oily and a little lumpy; it had a rich smell of leather, chocolate and coffee, while the foot was richly earthy. The cold draw was excellent and had flavor notes of cedar, chocolate and coffee.

At the outset the Asylum 13 was mostly just earthy, with more muted notes of sweetness and cedar...a little bit of spice on the back of the palate, some leather and more spice on the retrohale. It would not be fair to draw a conclusion based on 3 puffs of a cigar, but comparing the much smaller ring gauge stick I had last night to this one...the smaller ring gauge one had more pronounced flavors right from the start. As I continued through the first third, the flavor profile did not vary much from where it started: fairly full bodied, but mostly just earthy with subtle other flavor notes buried in the blend.

In the second third, I picked up some dark fruit sweetness in the mix of the Asylum 13, probably raisin, but it was (again) somewhat muted so it was hard to pin it down exactly. There was also a lessening of the earthiness as the third burned through, revealing more black coffee flavor. Construction was good; the burn line was meandering and needed to be touched up a few times, but the draw was excellent and the ash was solid.

In the final third, I got some odd herbal notes that did not really fit in with the solidly Nicaraguan flavor profile I had experienced so far. It was still earthy at the core, but this latest addition did not add to my enjoyment. All in all, I have to say the Asylum 13 is a solidly good smoke, but it just did not fit in to my flavor preferences that well. I am sure there is a market, though, as the large ring gauge trend just does not seem to be dying. I found this to be full-bodied but not really any more full than the regular Asylum. It also was not any stronger to me. The price is easy on the wallet for the amount of smoke time you will get, though, and that makes it an easy cigar to recommend to those who enjoy larger cigars. (P.S. I did have a chance to try this in a smaller ring gauge after I wrote this review and I did like it better than this 6 x 60; but I still preferred the regular Asylum.)

Body: 8/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10