Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6

While cigar makers make cigars for consumers, they also make cigars for themselves, often a fine-tuned version of something that resonates with their palate or size preferences. While many of them remain with their creators, a lot of them will get turned into commercial releases.

For instance, the Tatuaje Black Label is said to be—or at least be based on—a cigar that Pete Johnson created for himself, while the Viaje Exclusivo was said to be the personal blend of the company’s founder, Andre Farkas.

This year, Tom Lazuka, the co-founder of Asylum, joined the club of cigarmakers to release his personal blend as a commercial release, lending his name to the new Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka line.

In a letter to retailers, Lazuka explained how the blend came to be:

While working in the ASYLUM SENSORIUM, there was one of the blends that came in a close second. I liked it so much that it is the cigar that I travel with and hand out personally. I just always wished I could make enough to share.

Finally, after receiving enough tobacco from Colombia, I can introduce you to the ASYLUM SIGNATURE SERIES. A beautiful, maduro cigar that tastes like nothing else you have tried before.

It is also the first time we make a Belicoso Maduro.

I look forward to your trying it and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Other than that, Colombian tobacco and the note about it being a maduro cigar, no details about the Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka have been disclosed. For reference, the Asylum Sensorium, which came out in 2023, is a Honduran puro.

The Asylum Signature Series by Tom Lazuka is offered in three regular production vitolas, with the 6 x 54 being the aforementioned belicoso:

• Asylum Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 50×5 — $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Asylum Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6 — $17 (Box of 10, $170)
• Asylum Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 54×6 — $18 (Box of 10, $180)

CLE Cigar Co. showed off the Asylum Signature Series to retailers at the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show, which happened in mid-April, and then began shipping the cigars to stores in mid-May.

• Cigar Reviewed: Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6
• Country of Origin: Honduras
• Factory: The CLE Factory
• Wrapper: Undisclosed
• Binder: Undisclosed
• Filler: Undisclosed
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 46
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $17 (Box of 10, $170)
• Release Date: May 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6 is a bit dry to the touch, immediately providing a tactile sensation right from the jump. All three cigars are generally firm, but I can find just enough give in the first cigar to say it’s not outright hard. The second cigar is softer and has a more consistent amount of give, while the third is notably softer in its lower half than the upper half. Visually, the three cigars are pretty evenly colored, don’t have much in the way of veins, and hide the seam lines pretty well. The foot has a first aroma that immediately has my mind thinking through its catalog of flavors to try and place it. The first thing I come to is a plain yet fragrant pipe tobacco, though that is only the top-level, first thought. There is a very pleasant sweetness that leans towards mixed fruit, with the second cigar leaning towards melons and bananas. There’s also a little creaminess in there that reminds me of a condensed milk drizzle on shaved ice. The third cigar is much more nondescript, making me think of a wooden box of tobacco leaves being moved around a cigar factory. All three cigars have great cold draws, while the flavor is consistently mild with creaminess, some nutty sweetness, a little sweet earth, and just the faintest amount of pepper in the background.

The first puffs of the Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6 are right where I like them in terms of flavor and intensity; familiar and approachable, yet still lively, dynamic, and offering me a bit of a flavor puzzle to solve. Some black pepper comes along next with varying intensities, an accent in the first two cigars and a spotlight-stealing stagecrasher in the third. There’s something in the profile that I can’t quite place, other than to say it’s like an Altoids peppermint wrapped in some light earthiness. It appears on retrohales as well, giving me plenty of chances to figure it out. Flavor is medium, body is medium and strengh is mild. Construction is great thus far, with none of the three cigars giving me any issues.

Retrohales at the start of the Asylum 13 Signature Series’s second third are more peppery than they were for most of the first third, filling my nostrils with a tingling sensation and a warm smoke. I also get a bit of a woody cologne aroma in the third cigar, which adds another unique layer to a profile that has already established itself as having something unique about it. That said, I find that the base notes are becoming both less distinctive and intense. There’s still some earth, but it feels like it’s turning into handfuls of plain, dry Corn Flakes. That said, the profile is still very good and it’s remarkably smooth. Flavor sits around medium, body is medium and strength is mild. Construction remains very good as well, and I have no issues with combustion or any other issues.

The final third of the Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6 starts by getting more earthy and a bit more robust overall. It’s a subtle change, but the pepper has been turned up ever so slightly, while I also get a bit of rockiness from the earth. However, it’s still a very smooth profile, as I don’t get any real roughness from the change, and certainly nothing irritating. From there, I get a bit of smokiness both in the flavor and aroma, much like a neighbor firing up a charcoal grill or a fire pit. The Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6 finishes with a bit more edge, ramping up its flavor intensity to a new high but also staying very palate-friendly. Flavor is now medium-plus, body is medium and strength is medium-minus. The construction is very good; the draw, burn line and smoke production are all solid and problem-free. In terms of combustion, only the second cigar struggles to burn in its final third, necessitating a relight, but it’s a minor problem I’m willing to tolerate.

Final Notes

• Lazuka had been giving this blend out at events and such. Those cigars were said to use the same blend but featured different packaging.
• I haven’t tried the other sizes yet, but I’d be intrigued to see how the ratios affect the more unique flavors in the profile.
• I like how the ring gauges were spaced out here, as I think those are pretty good steps to help with the above experiment.
• Back in 2014, Tom Lazuka was featured in halfwheel’s Portraits Series.
• My colleague and business partner, Charlie Minato, was invited to Morocco for a CLE & Asylum launch event for the 1916 Tabacalera Eiroa and the Asylum 13 Arabian Nights.
• There’s not much nicotine strength to the Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6. It rarely hit me with any strength, letting the flavor do all the work.
• CLE Cigar Co. advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The company lists these as a 6 x 46 corona gorda. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review. As you can see, two of the cigars were more like a lonsdale.
• Final smoking time averaged about two hours, though the range was from 90 minutes to two hours and 15 minutes.
• Site sponsors Cigars Daily and Small Batch Cigar carry the Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6.

Asylum 13
Asylum 13 Signature Series by Tom Lazuka 46×6
CLE Cigar Co.
Corona Gorda
The CLE Factory
Tom Lazuka