Asylum 13 Arabian Nights 54 × 6 Belicoso

Earlier this year, CLE Cigar Co. announced a new line under its Asylum 13 brand named Arabian Nights that was inspired by “One Thousand and One Nights”, a collection of Middle Eastern folk stories that were first published in the 18th century.

Christian Eiroa, co-founder of the Asylum brand, said that he used the stories to guide both the blend and packaging for the new release.

In April, CLE showed off the Asylum 13 Arabian Nights during the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show that took place in New Orleans. Typically, retailers are given samples of upcoming new items during the trade show, but that was not the case for Arabian Nights.

Instead, Eiroa said that the first time anyone outside the company would smoke the cigar would be at a launch event, which took place in Marrakesh, Morocco, in late May. In fact, Tom Lazuka, Eiroa’s co-founder in the Asylum brand, boasted that not even he had smoked the cigar until arriving in Morocco.

While the company describes the blend as “medium to full body” and has stated that the cigar incorporates a maduro wrapper, Eiroa declined to provide details about the tobaccos used. However, he did confirm that the cigars are being made at The CLE Factory in Honduras.

There were five different vitolas available at launch:

• Asylum 13 Arabian Nights 40 × 4 — $9 (Box of 10, $90)
• Asylum 13 Arabian Nights 50 × 5 — $15 (Box of 10, $150)
• Asylum 13 Arabian Nights 54 × 6 Belicoso — $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Asylum 13 Arabian Nights 60 × 6 — $17 (Box of 10, $170)
• Asylum 13 Arabian Nights 70 × 7 — $18 (Box of 10, $180)

“These cigars are sexy and awe-striking,” said Eiroa. “The packaging with the Dakar-inspired head band, the colors of the band and the boxes, will add to the sensation I am trying to transmit. Upon seeing and then lighting the cigar, a smoker will (hopefully) be embraced by what inspired me to make this cigar.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Asylum 13 Arabian Nights 54 × 6 Belicoso
• Country of Origin: Honduras
• Factory: The CLE Factory
• Wrapper: Undisclosed
• Binder: Undisclosed
• Filler: Undisclosed
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Release Date: May 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: Undisclosed
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Covered in gorgeous medium-brown wrappers that are quite supple to the touch with just a bit of toothiness, the Asylum 13 Arabian Nights Belicosos are one of the more attractive cigars I have seen recently. There are a couple of veins on each cigar along with some minor mottling, but while all three are firm when squeezed, only the second cigar has a soft spot located about halfway between the foot and the main band. A combination of creamy woodiness and dark chocolate leads the aromas emanating from the wrappers, followed by baker’s spices, sweet barnyard, dry earth and a generic vegetal note. Creamy nuttiness is the main scent coming from the feet of the cigars, along with earth, hay, dried tea leaves, leather tack, and light espresso. However, the cold draws are full of a variety of new notes, including strong citrus peel, cinnamon, cocoa nibs, dry leaves, creamy peanuts and gritty earth.

Starting out, the cigars each have a combination of light spice and pepper, combined with a small amount of burnt bread flavor. Gradually, the profiles shift to include main flavors of powdery cocoa nibs and coffee beans, a combination that reminds me of drinking a mocha coffee, albeit sans most of the sweetness. At various points, secondary flavors of aromatic cedar, roasted peanuts, gritty earth, sweet barnyard, sourdough bread and light cloves show up, and while there is a nice amount of spice on my tongue for the first two cigars, the third one has almost none. On the retrohales of all three cigars, there is some light black pepper, but the sweetness is a bit different: the first and second cigars feature a rich fudge flavor, while the third cigar has a light but distinct blackberry flavor. Flavor is full and by the end of the first third, both the body and strength land at just under medium. When it comes to the construction, my third cigar needs a quick touch-up to stay on track, but the draw resistance is excellent for all three cigars after straight cuts, and there is an abundance of thick, off-white smoke.

During the second third, the profiles of two of the three cigars go through some changes, starting with the main flavors. While the second cigar continues to exhibit the same powdery cocoa nibs and coffee bean combination that it had in the first third, the first and third cigars now feature a new combination of sweet cloves and creamy cedar that is no less enjoyable. Secondary flavors include creamy leather, toasted bread, chalk, roasted peanuts, dry earth and a touch of cinnamon, while a lemongrass note emerges on the finish of two of the three cigars after the halfway point. Retrohales remain consistent with what was present in the first third—rich fudge and black pepper for the first and second cigars, blackberry sweetness and black pepper for the last cigar—which is not a bad thing. Flavor is still at full, the body remains at a point just under medium and the strength increases to land at a solid medium. The burn line on my second cigar runs into enough trouble to warrant a minor correction with my lighter, but that is the only construction issue.

The final third features a new note on the finish of the first and second cigars, specifically a wonderful peppermint flavor that comes out of nowhere and sticks around for most of the section. The main flavors are now a combination of creamy cedar and rich coffee beans across all three cigars, while the secondary flavors include cinnamon, peanuts, leather tack, gritty earth, plain oatmeal and a touch of a floral note every once in a while. The rich fudgy sweetness has taken over the retrohales of all three cigars, and while some of the black pepper remains in place, it has been reduced noticeably compared to what was present earlier. There is more spice on my tongue for the first and third cigars as the final third burns down, but the second cigar never sees the increase in that note. Flavor ends at full, the body increases to land at a solid medium and the strength makes it to medium-plus, but just barely. There are no further burn issues for any of the cigars, and the draws and smoke production remain excellent.

Final Notes

• I actually think the possibilities are almost endless if CLE wanted to expand the line to include different blends based on the specific stories that make up the “One Thousand and One Nights” collection. For example, a new blend with seven different vitolas for “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor,” a new blend for “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp,” and so on.
• Being a child of the 1980s, it is perhaps no surprise that the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear “Arabian Nights” is the classic “Bugs Bunny’s 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales,” which I obsessively watched on VHS in my youth.

• I absolutely love the way the cigars are arranged in the boxes. As you can see in the photograph above, the five cigars on the bottom layer are laid out left to right, while the five cigars on the top layer are laid out front to back, and the “cross” pattern is held in place by four wooden posts, keeping everything snug. It is quite striking when seen in person for the first time.
• Charlie actually attended the launch event for the Asylum 13 Arabian Nights and the 1916 Tabacalera Eiroa Toro that was held in Marrakesh. You can see his coverage here.
• This is one of those cigars that gets bitter very quickly if you puff too hard or too fast, so my advice is to keep the puff rate as slow and steady as possible.
• CLE Cigar Co. advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• These cigars are listed as being 6 x 54 vitolas. Above are the measurements we took when we measured them.
• The final smoking time averaged out to one hour and 55 minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Asylum 13 Arabian Nights cigars, site sponsors Corona Cigar Co., JR Cigars and Small Batch Cigar sell them on their respective websites.

Asylum
Asylum 13 Arabian Nights
Asylum 13 Arabian Nights 54 × 6 Belicoso
Belicoso
CLE Cigar Co.
Honduras
The CLE Factory