The Asylum cigars brand is a creation of partners Tom Lazuka and Christian Eiroa, and has build a loyal following and acclaim for pushing the boundaries of the large ring gauge cigar trend. While most cigar manufacturers typically stick to no more than a mere 60 ring gauge, the Asylum range of large cigars are distinctive, boasting impressive sizes, often reaching 70 to 80 ring gauge.
These are not gimmick cigars. They’re handcrafted premiums using tobacco sourced from Nicaragua and Honduras, and hand-rolled by some of the best torceadores.
Asylum cigars is a brand within the CLE Cigars portfolio, a company founded by Chritian Eiroa in 2012.
Christian was born the youngest of three children in Danli, Honduras in 1972. Just days after he was born, he was taken to the Jamastran farm. Christian grew up living with his family in a house that was converted from an old school. That very same house still exists today. As young as the age of 8 he was helping move tobacco around. It can be said that he was being indoctrinated to be in tobacco his entire life. It was in 1995 when Christian returned to Honduras to learn about tobacco and cigars.
In 2000 Christian made his mark with the launching of the Camacho Corojo. Although the cigar was extraordinary, it was the marketing behind it that made all the difference. He began to host all of his customers in Honduras where the entire process was explained week after week for seven years. When Camacho Cigars was purchased in 2008, Christian remained with the company for the duration of the transition until 2011 when he decided to venture on his own.
In July of 2012 Christian once again returned to the cigar industry with the launch of C.L.E. Cigar Company.
The Eiroa family farm is one of the most technologically advanced tobacco farms in the world. Adhering to strict hygiene and environmental standards set by the Bayer Company, Julio and Christian Eiroa still roam the fields together to ensure they are delivering only premium tobacco, grown in the best of earthly conditions. The Eiroa Family farm is located in the Jamastran Valley, and yields only Grade A tobacco. It is these fine leaves that go into Asylum cigars.
Each leaf was then filtered for color and consistency with the Eiroa brand to a total of 8,760 pounds and was then slow cured to perfection for 16 months before being rested for 36 months. The kick you feel in these cigars are from the Quinto Corte Medio Tiempo fillers that were grown in Lote 11 and the Fourth Priming Ligero tobacco from Lote 23. However, it is important to identify that the Wrappers are where the majority of the flavors are produced.
Special attention was paid to the aging of this tobacco especially since it is the first time in almost 100 years that Christian’s family has been confident enough in a cigar to use the Eiroa Family name as a brand.
THE FACTORY
The C.L.E. Cigar Factory is a landmark in Danli for originally being one of two theaters owned by Antonio Kafati, Christian Eiroa’s grandfather. The building was remodeled for the first time since the theater opened in 1975 and converted into the Aladino Cigar Factory where the Eiroa Cigars are made including Asylum cigars.
The manufacturing technique has been perfected by a small group of rollers where the tobacco is bunched in a way to guarantee perfect construction. This method, perfected by the Eiroa family assures the burn, construction and blend is exactly the same in every single cigar through every size. The manufacturing process is only the last step of a process that began five years prior to the very first cigar being rolled. The tobacco itself is truly the key ingredient because it was grown and fermented specifically for this blend in the Eiroa Cigars.
THE PROCESS
In 2007, after 6 years of changes and preparations, the Corojo farm, more commonly known as the C.L.E. and factory became certified by Bayer CropScience, the agricultural branch of the major pharmaceutical firm. The Bayer CropScience Certification was a natural transition for the Eiroa Family who always prided themselves in having extremely clean facilities and caring for not only their product and production, but also the people who produce it. “They began practicing better hygiene, having cleaner home environments, and more conscious of the output of waste”, notes Christian Eiroa. When the Eiroa family noticed the trends being taken home with their workers, they implemented site doctors available assist the workers’ health needs.
Bayer CropScience Certification stands to yield better output, utilizing less effects on the environment, and eliminating unhealthy additives.
As always, all our premium cigars including Asylum cigars are available for worldwide cigar shipping.
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