Asylum 13 Ogre
- Origin Nicaragua
- Wrapper Maduro/Candela
- Binder Nicaragua
- Filler Nicaragua
- Strength Medium
Christian Eiroa of CLE cigars has a kind of side hustle in the cigar business. While he focuses most of his time growing his excellent CLE and Eiroa brands, he shows a bit of his dark side in a brand called Asylum. He created this brand as a separate entity from CLE/Eiroa with his longtime friend Tom Lazuka. Tom loved large, full body cigars and wanted to have a line that was all about those big ring beauties. Beyond that, when Tom traveled as a cigar salesman in the midwest, he noticed that big ring cigars were always out of stock and there wasn’t a large selection of them. When they created the Asylum line, they figured the bigger the better. They have cigars that go up to a gigantic 80 ring gauge. As the brand has evolved, they’ve added new versions of Asylum, and now they offer cigars as small as a 50 ring gauge too.
The Asylum 13 Ogre is a medium strength cigar crafted to Tom Lazuka’s palate. The Ogre name was chosen as its candela barber pole wrapper reminded him of watching the movie Shrek. It looks imposing because of its unusual look and stature, but deep down it’s just a good, pleasant smoking experience. The blend utilizes Nicaraguan filler and binder tobacco along with a dual Candela and Habano Maduro wrapper setup to give the cigar it’s distinct look. Tasting notes include flavors of chocolate, sweet cream and pepper along with hints of earth, espresso, and leather. Asylum 13 Ogre is the most popular blend in their portfolio and after smoking one, you’ll understand why.