First Thoughts: Asylum 33

• Vitola: Corona Gorda
• 5.5” x 46 ring gauge 
• ~$10
• Provided by CLE/Asylum Rep

Background

For several years, I have tried to keep ahead of the game when it comes to reviews. My intention has been to schedule out my reviews and try to complete them well in advance of actual publication dates. That way, if the unexpected happens, it seems more like I did expect it…if the weather turns too cold to sit outside for reviews, if work gets too busy, if I get sick…all these things can happen (and have happened) and reviews still get posted on time. Time has caught up to me. I lost out on the battle to stay far ahead late last year and have been working somewhat on “just in time” reviews for January…and now I’ve got a cold. I cannot in good conscience publish full reviews of products where my senses have been hampered to a great extent (the review of the Davidoff Winston Churchill LE 2016 was done after the onset of symptoms, but before they got too bad…and the cigar cut right through everything, if truth be told). So I’m a bit stuck for the duration of this cold…at least the next week or so. I actually have a few review samples back in stock, after running out of reviewable cigars recently, but I can’t really touch any of them. Well, except for this one…which I’m going to write about as a “cigar preview” or “first impressions” type of piece, along with some background on the project. If I like it, I’ll definitely try to re-visit it later in the year for a full review, but in the meantime, I’ll just share with you some background and initial (and somewhat hobbled) tasty notes. (For other publication dates while I endure the ravages of the common cold, I will post other “cigar extra” posts or revisit some old topics.)

Asylum 33 is a project that Tom Lazuka and Christian Eiroa unveiled at last year’s IPCPR show. My understanding at the time was that the cigars were not really ready to go, so samples were embargoed at the last minute and everyone had to wait a month or two before they hit the shop before they could try them. The idea with the 33 project was to get people past the concept that Asylum was just a “budget brand.” I’m guessing this won’t be easy because they have practically been defined by their Asylum 13 7x70s that cost about $7 a stick, as well as the Insidious line that runs $6 or so for a big 7×64 sweetened cigar. The one time my shop got a more expensive offering from Asylum (Devil’s Night…which is in the review rotation…I’ll get back to it), it has sort of just sat there. So there definitely is a “budget” stigma about the brand…time will tell if it can be shaken successfully.

As released, 33 is the name of a program more than the name of a blend. Lazuka and Eiroa will be seeking out rare tobaccos and using them in a series of cigars that will all be released under the Asylum 33 branding. Whether they end up all just being called “Asylum 33” or if additional sub-branding will be added to subsequent releases is not known at this point, but my local rep assured me that there would be future blends that are different and he hinted that each blend would have different packaging. This initial 33 is a Honduran puro made at the El Aladino factory in Honduras, where other CLE cigars are produced. (Besides my own conversations with my local rep, some background information came from Cigar-Coop.)

Notes

The banding is definitely unique, with its use of dull silver foil and holographic silver foil, along with black ink and strategic embossing on a highly textured paper. The center of the band features a pyramid with the all-seeing eye from the back of the one dollar bill, as well as a symbol of Freemasonry. What does it all mean? Tom Lazuka is watching you? Scary thought…

The color of the wrapper leaf was toasted caramel with a little mottling, mostly along the veins. Although my nose was a bit stuffy, I picked up notes of hay and earth, along with a touch of leather. The cold draw had subtle sweet notes on it…something fruity, but indistinct…along with a touch of red pepper, earth and anise.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that Honduran puros seldom hit the sweet spot of my palate. This one seemed pretty good at the outset, with notes of earth and cedar up front, a muddied fruitiness coming quickly behind that, and a peppery finish.

Mostly the Asylum 33 was smooth and mellow, with a nice mix of earth, natural tobacco and cedar. There was a little sweetness and some pepper mixed in, but overall, I found this a very nice smoke that I would probably give an 8.5 or 9 to even with my sinus congestion. I will definitely put this on the list to find for a full review at a later date.