2019 PCA Magazine

22 PCA The Magazine | JULY-AUGUST 2019 PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG The Blend specially for a friend to use in fundraisers. “I wasn’t using the same tobaccos then, but that’s where I first made barber-pole cigars, in that barn,” the native Detroiter recalls. “So when we were getting the Asylum 13 brand started, I wanted to make some 7x70 barber poles just so I could keepmy friend supplied with his fund-raising cigars, and Christian said, ‘Let’s just launch it as a brand.’” Early production came in 5x50, 6x60, and 7x70 sizes. “It took us less than sixmonths from conception to cigars in hand, so things happened pretty quickly,” Lazuka says. “We are very fortunate in that we own our farms and factories. And we have some partners who had aged tobacco on hand.” (Leaf is frequently sourced fromOliva Leaf Co.) Lazuka says Asylum 13 takes care to ensure that their product is impeccably put together (one detail: “We make sure the cap is always Habano,” he says) and that it is well fermented in the factory’s escaparate —the aging room. TylerWalrabenstein at C.L.E. Cigar’s home office says, “Actually, in Central America, they use the term Cuarto Frio to refer to the relatively chilly roomwhere cigars are aged after production.” Then, just getting the cigars delivered to stores in perfect RETAILERS INTERESTED in adding the Ogre to their line up are advised to call C.L.E. Cigar headquarters in Miami, Florida, at 800.253.1429. You probably already have customers who would leap at the chance to take on an Ogre, even (maybe especially) in its most gargantuan vitolas. The track record suggests that, wherever the Ogre goes, devotees follow. shape presents challenges of its own—especially for the larger sizes. Cellophane can provide a lot of protection, but Lazuka says, “We didn’t like the way the big ring gauges looked in cellophane.” The decision was made to ship the large sizes without cellophane. But if left completely unadorned, the foot of a big fellow can get a tad frayed in transport. So the large ring gauges come draped in a tissue wrap on the foot. “That foot sleeve gives the cigar the extrameasure of protection it needs to survive the long trip to the retailer in perfect shape,” Lazuka says. JeffDeSandre, certified tobacconist and owner of Ambassador Cigars & Spirits in Troy, Michigan, reports that his customers are big Ogre fans, especially in the larger ring sizes. “There isn’t a lot of selection out there if a guy is looking for a really huge cigar, and a lot of the people who come in here are looking for big ring gauges. But beyond supplying that need, the Ogre line features fantastic construction and a flavor in themedium-bodied range. It is just all around an excellent and appealing product.” To do a large cigar justice requires that the smoker make an extended time commitment. This correspondent managed to chug through an Ogre 6x80 in a little over two hours (see side bar for experience). This was made all the easier by the blend’s medium-bodied creaminess, but still, two hours was really working it at a gluttonous pace. So a really big stick does not make for an every-occasion cigar. But when you want one, Ogre’s easy-going flavor profile and affordable price rangemakes a big Ogre an easy sell. These Nicaraguan puros have, so far, won fans in the U.S. and 20 other countries—and it’s the bigger sizes that have brought the line the greatest attention. Lazuka says the bulk of Ogre sales are in the 60, 70 and 80 ring gauges. Ogre is now C.L.E’s No. 2 selling cigar.