Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Asylum Split Personality 40×4 is medium brown with some lightly raised veins. The seams are smooth and the head is well finished. The band is yellow and brown with the brand logo on front and brand and line names on the back. The cigar is a bit spongy from the foot to just below the band. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of chocolate syrup, bananas and cinnamon. The foot brings a boozy cinnamon and banana mixture with a chocolate syrup finish. The pre-light draw brings a light mix of cedar and banana, but my lips carry a boozy mix of cinnamon and banana that seems to be applied to the wrapper, near the head at least.
Seth: The Asylum Split Personality 40×4 is a cigar with a decent appearance and horrific aroma. My fingers felt greasy holding the cigar. Strong aromas of artificial vanilla, chocolate and banana. Faint aromas of what some would call tobacco are present as well.
John: The Asylum Split Personality 40×4 comes in cellophane with a UPC sticker containing cigar information and an integrated tear space so it remains intact when opened. There is a single yellow Asylum band. The cigar weighed 5.7 grams, and I measured the humidity at 63.9% with the Humidimeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper were an intense vanilla cream and banana combination, strongly replicating a banana split at medium-full intensity. From the foot, I picked up the same aromas but at a reduced medium-minus intensity.
Jiunn: The Asylum Split Personality 40×4 has an oily and even Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll very loose and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas provide intense and full sweet milk chocolate and banana.

Asylum Split Personality 40×4

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with lightly toasted cedar, construction paper and some very light earth. Following draws carry light hints of banana and the flavoring on my lips is very light. The retrohale is lightly toasted cedar and mild earth. As the third comes to a close, the lightly toasted cedar and construction paper are even up front, with earth in the middle of the profile and light hints of banana on random draws. The strength was mild-medium.
Seth: The first third begins with this strong vanilla, chocolate and banana profile. The artificial qualities are horrific, and it leaves the palate destroyed. Mild to medium strength and body.
John: The first third begins with a muddled combination of faint earth, tobacco, cream and banana, with cream and overripe banana leading into the post draw. There does not appear to be a sweet cap, which is a relief. As the first third settles in, the cream and vanilla become increasingly cloying. Hay moves into the center of the profile, while a neutral tobacco note exerts more presence later on. Mild bitterness develops on the finish as the cigar moves toward the halfway point.
Jiunn: My first thought is, I smell it but how come I’m not tasting it? There’s subtle sweetened chocolate covered bananas that coat the lips from the sweet tip. But the smoking experience is a linear bitter cedar with roasted mixed nuts. Retrohaling shows light cedar. The finish is odd, with lingering bitter cedar and a hint of chocolate covered bananas on the back end. Strength and body is medium.

Asylum Split Personality 40×4

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, some light burning paper bitterness joins the profile. At a quarter inch in, the toasted cedar and construction paper pick up a bit in fullness. At a half inch in, the burning paper bitterness increases a bit. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and construction paper, with a bit of the burning paper bitterness. At three quarters of an inch in, the cedar takes on a bit of a young note. As the third comes to a close, the burning paper note is now even with the earth in the middle of the profile. The strength remains at mild-medium.
Seth: Same. No change. Awful.
John: The second third begins with sweet vanilla and creamy tobacco, while a mildly bitter wood note shows up on the finish. Dry hay defines the post draw, starting at light-plus and building to medium strength. I find the profile unchanged for the remainder of the second third.
Jiunn: The second third’s flavor profile gets more harsh, especially with the bitter cedar. This also further diminishes the sweet chocolate covered bananas. Strength and body remains medium.

Asylum Split Personality 40×4

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the burning paper note is now just behind the toasted cedar and construction paper up front. At a quarter inch in, I’m getting some room aroma notes of banana, which just may be the wrapper burning close to my nose on draws. The retrohale remains toasted cedar and construction paper, with a bit of the burning paper bitterness. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar and construction paper are just ahead of the burning paper bitterness, with earth in the middle of the profile. The strength remained at mild-medium.
Seth: Why would anyone smoke this?
John: The final third opens with dry vanilla and tobacco as bitter hay drives the finish and post draw. The cigar rapidly heats up through the bottom half, further impacting balance.
Jiunn: The final third is the same as the second third. Harsh and bitter cedar with oddness in diminished sweet chocolate covered bananas. Strength and body finish the same medium.

Asylum Split Personality 40×4

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout and the ash held on in half inch increments.
Seth: The burn was perfect from start to finish.
John: The burn was straight through the first third, though it occasionally seemed like it wanted to stall. The burn continued straight in both the second and final thirds.
Jiunn: Burn performance was great, providing an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

Asylum Split Personality 40×4

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was perfect throughout the cigar.
John: I measured the draw at 38 inches of water with the CigarMedics draw machine. Subjectively, I found the draw to be one notch toward the resistant spectrum, which puts it in the ideal range between open and resistant.
Jiunn: The draw was a bit loose. I had to watch my draw intensity for the sake of burning too hot.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with lightly toasted cedar, construction paper and some very light earth. Some hints of banana were present on random draws. The second third saw some burning paper bitterness join in and the toasted cedar and construction paper picked up in fullness. Later, the burning paper bitterness increased and the cedar took on a bit of a young note. The final third saw the burning paper note bump up to just behind the cedar and construction paper. Construction was absolutely perfect. The Asylum Split Personality 40×4 started off average as it was just a combination of mild flavors of toasted cedar, construction paper and earth. Once the burning paper bitterness joined in at the beginning of the second third, the profile took a step down and remained at that level for the rest of the cigar. Other than some faint banana on random draws in the first third and sensing some of it from the room aroma, the cigar delivered virtually nothing that the pre-light aromas presented, which is a big disappointment for me. I couldn’t imagine smoking this in the 60 or 70 ring gauge offerings. It’s likely that the people around you will enjoy the cigar from the room aroma more than you will actually smoking it.
Seth: I hated the Asylum Split Personality 40×4. I have no idea why a cigar of this nature was created, but it was a dumb idea. You’re an idiot if you enjoy this cigar. I barely got through this review, and the family members who were around me for a brief period when I smoked this cigar commented on how bad it smelled.
John: The Asylum Split Personality 40×4 opened with some intrigue given the unique vanilla and banana aromatics, but the smoking experience struggled with balance and consistency. While the draw and burn performed admirably, the profile leaned heavily toward cloying vanilla and hay bitterness, with little evolution. A novel concept, but the overall delivery was underwhelming. I appreciated there wasn’t a sweet cap, but the overall profile isn’t something I’d reach for. Total smoking time was 41 minutes.
Jiunn: So yea, I’m glad I only smoked the little 40×4 for review because smoking more than I had to would dampen my mood. Obviously, I hated the acrid and harsh cedar wood, but looking back from the start of the cigar, it was a shame to not taste more of the smoke of the desert-like sweet chocolate covered bananas. In my opinion, this Asylum Split Personality 40×4 needs to go back into the lab for further testing. Pronto.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

4.68

Cost/Point

$1.39

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

2.92

Cost/Point

$2.23

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$1.13

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

4.53

Cost/Point

$1.43

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Asylum Split Personality 40×4