Asylum Ten 70 x 7

Christian Eiroa, Tom Lazuka, and the entire C.L.E. cigar family had a big year in 2022. It would mark the tenth anniversary of C.L.E. Cigars and the tenth anniversary of Asylum Cigars (it also would mark the 50th birthday of C.L.E. President Christian Eiroa). Milestones usually call for a special celebratory cigar, but in Asylum’s case, the company was already celebrating anniversaries. In 2019, the company decided to launch the Asylum Seven for its seventh anniversary, and ever since then, there has been an annual anniversary cigar release for Asylum. As a result, Asylum Ten would become the fourth annual installment of the anniversary series. The Asylum Anniversary cigar also serves a separate purpose. It is meant to be a more ultra-premium offering for the larger ring gauge cigar enthusiast. Today, we turn our attention to the Asylum Ten in the 70 x 7 – a Super Gordo size.

The following is a list of the Asylum anniversary cigars and when they have been released.

2019: Asylum Seven
2020: Asylum Eight
2021: Asylum Nine (*)
2022: Asylum Ten
2023: Asylum Eleven
2024: Asylum Twelve (To be released)

* Note: Asylum Nine also included a 90 x 9 vitola offering. This is the one size that has been offered more than once. The cigar has since been rebranded Asylum April Fools’ Day.

Without further ado, let’s turn our attention to the Asylum Ten 70 x 7 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

As far as I know, Asylum has not disclosed any details on the blends or the origins of the tobaccos. The cigar is produced at Christian Eiroa’s C.L.E. Factory in Honduras.

Wrapper: Undisclosed
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: C.L.E. Factory

Vitolas Offered

As with the other Asylum Anniversary Cigars, the 70 x 7 and 11/18 sizes are offered with the Asylum Ten. Each cigar comes packaged in an individual coffin, and the coffins are packaged 20 per box. A total of 1,300 boxes per size were produced for the Asylum Ten release.

70 x 7: 70 x 7
11/18: 6 x 48/54/48

Appearance

The wrapper of the Asylum Ten 70 x 7 had a medium brown color with a darker cinnamon tint. There wasn’t much in the way of oils on the wrapper. The surface of the wrapper had some toothiness to it. Any visible veins on the wrapper were on the thin side. In addition, the wrapper seams were also on the thin side.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

I really liked the aroma of the Asylum Ten 70 x 7. It had a baking spice quality to it that was quite enjoyable. The cigar experience commenced with a straight cut. I used an 80-ring gauge cutter for this 70-ring gauge cigar. Once the cap was clipped, it was time for the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a mix of earth, baker’s spice, and natural tobacco. Overall, this was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast the Asylum Ten 70 x 7 footer and see what the smoking phase would deliver.

Tasting Notes

The Asylum Ten 70 x 7 opened up with cedar, earth, floral, and natural tobacco notes. Early on, the natural tobacco and earth notes moved into the forefront. The floral and cedar notes settled in the background. I was quite pleased when a burnt berry note replaced the floral notes. Later in the first third, a white pepper note surfaced on the tongue. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of cedar on the retro-hale.

During the second third of the Asylum Ten 70 x 7, the natural tobacco took over as the primary note, with the earth notes settling in the background with the cedar, berry, and white pepper. The cedar and berry alternated as to what was the most prominent secondary note. Meanwhile, there was an increase in white pepper on both the tongue and on the retro-hale.

The final third saw the natural tobacco notes still grounded in the forefront. These notes were joined by the cedar notes. The background notes still had a combination of earth, berry, and white pepper – with the white pepper notes having a slight edge. This is how the Asylum Ten 70 x 7 came to a close. The cigar finished with a slight soft nub that was cool in temperature.

Burn

The Asylum Ten 70 x 7 required frequent touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. There was a slight amount of meandering on the burn path throughout the smoking experience. The number of touch-ups that were required was more frequent than I preferred. As for the ash, this was primarily silver-gray in color. This was an ash that skewed toward the loose side.

Meanwhile, the burn temperature was ideal. The burn rate was a little fast. I smoked each of these cigars in just under 2 hours 15 minutes.

Burn of the Asylum Ten 70 x 7

Draw

The draw to the Asylum Ten 70 x 7 was more on the open side. I usually prefer a little more in the way of resistance in my draw. While I realize this could be more challenging on a large ring cigar, the draw was still more open than I preferred.

Strength and Body

The Asylum Ten 70 x 7 started out with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. There was a gradual increase in the intensity levels of both attributes. By the final third, both the strength and body crossed the threshold into medium to full territory.

In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

The design of the Asylum Ten box, coffin, and band is quite similar to the other installments of the anniversary series. The black and silver looks similar to the Asylum Eight, but the difference is that Asylum Ten has more of a holographic effect to it.

Packaging of the Burn of the Asylum Ten (11/18 size)

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

One of the most outstanding 70-ring cigars to have ever been made was 2019’s Asylum Seven 70 x 7 – a cigar that landed as the #5 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year for 2020. Since then, the other installments of the Asylum anniversary series have yet to rival that cigar. The Asylum Ten 70 x 7 certainly falls into that category. It’s not a bad cigar, but it’s one of those cigars I wanted to score better in flavor, complexity, and construction. In the end, this was an ultra-premium cigar near an average level. At $25.60, it’s not an inexpensive cigar. It’s still good enough that I’d recommend trying a sample before deciding whether to buy.

Summary

Key Flavors Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Berry Earth, Floral, Pepper
Burn: Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Final Third)
Body: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Final Third)
Finish: Very Good