FriggatriskaidekaphobiaParaskevidekatriaphobia. Both are scientific words used to describe the fear of one particular day of the week that coincides with a specific day of the month: Friday the 13th.

While the legends surrounding the supposed day of bad luck—both in historical terms and in popular culture—are fairly exhaustive, what may be a little less known is that in the Spanish-speaking world the unlucky day falls not a Friday, but on a Tuesday. Known as martes trece, the superstitious event also happens to be the impetus for a brand new release from Asylum Cigars appropriately named Martes 13.

Announced in March, the new line is made up of two different vitolas—a 4 x 48 petit corona and a 6 x 54 toro gordo—both of which feature a blend composed entirely of six-year-old Honduran corojo tobaccos. Both sizes are limited to 2,500 cigars sold in five-pack bundles that were rolled at The CLE Factory in Honduras.

Asylum explained the Spanish version of the superstition in a bit more detail:

The superstition around Martes 13 is taken to a different level, to the point where there is a well-known phrase to encourage one from doing anything even remotely risky during said day:

“Ni te cases ni te embarques ni de tu casa de apartes”, which roughly translates to “Don’t get married, or travel, or even go far from home”.

Although we cannot recommend being so square, we do recommend that you try these cigars. Embrace MARTES 13.

There are two different sizes in the Asylum Martes 13 line.

  • Asylum Martes 13 48×4 (4 x 48) — $6.25 (Pack of 5, $31.25)
  • Asylum Martes 13 54×6 (6 x 54) — $7.50 (Pack of 5, $37.50)

  • Cigar Reviewed: Asylum Martes 13 48x4
  • Country of Origin: Honduras
  • Factory: The CLE Factory
  • Wrapper: Honduras (Corojo)
  • Binder: Honduras (Corojo)
  • Filler: Honduras (Corojo)
  • Length: 4 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 48
  • Vitola: Petit Corona
  • MSRP: $6.25 (Pack of 5, $31.25)
  • Release Date: March 2021
  • Number of Cigars Released: 500 Bundles of 5 Cigars (2,500 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Diminutive in size but heavier than it looks, the Asylum Martes 13 is covered in a mottled and rustic milk chocolate brown wrapper that is fairly smooth to the touch. There are a number of very prominent veins running up and down the cigar’s length and it is just short of rock hard when it is squeezed. Aroma from the wrapper and foot is a combination of generic wood, brewed tea, earth, cocoa nibs, barnyard, cinnamon and slight vanilla sweetness while the cold draw brings flavors of aromatic mesquite, leather, dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans, slight vegetal and licorice sweetness.

I am a bit taken aback by the blast of cotton candy sweetness that invades my palate from the first puff, but it quickly recedes, leaving behind main flavors of mesquite that seems to have been pulled over directly from the cold draw and creamy leather. There is also some significant spice on my tongue for the first 15 puffs or so—although it begins to wane after that—and the profile includes additional notes of gritty earth, hay, peanut shells, espresso beans and a slight vegetal flavor. The retrohale features both black pepper and vanilla bean sweetness, and while the former is much stronger than the latter at the moment, I can tell that the sweetness is increasing as the first third continues. In terms of construction, both the burn and draw are giving me exactly zero issues so far, there is plenty of smoking emanating from the foot. The strength level starts out fairly mild but manages to creep to a point a bit closer to medium by the time the first third comes to an end.

The cocoa nibs note that was a secondary flavor in the first third takes over the top spot in the second third of the Martes 13, while lesser notes of hay, espresso beans, earth, toasted bread, generic nuts, nutmeg and barnyard flit in and out in various amounts. In addition, there is still plenty of spice on my lips and black pepper on the retrohale, but both have receded enough to be a compliment instead of competition to the profile while the vanilla bean sweetness has morphed into more of a plum note. Construction-wise, the burn has become problematic enough that I am forced to touch it up once just past the halfway point, but the draw continues along its excellent path. In terms of strength, the Asylum has not seemed to change all that much and ends the second third about where it began.

Although the cocoa nibs flavor that topped the second third is still present in the final third of the Asylum Martes 13, it is eclipsed by a new note of Mexican hot chocolate, which is basically a combination of dark chocolate and cinnamon. Secondary flavors include the aforementioned powdery cocoa nibs, leather, earth, peanuts, vegetal and potato chips, while the spice, black pepper and plum sweetness have all receded noticeably, albeit not near enough to disappear completely. Thankfully, the burn has evened up nicely and the draw continues to be excellent, and while the strength does tick up a bit at the end, the nub gets a bit hot on me and I am forced to put it down with about an inch remaining.

Final Notes

  • At 4 x 48, the Martes 13 is the same size as another of the company’s recent releases, the Asylum 13 20 Minute Toms. In fact, it also uses the same band, meaning that the only way to tell them apart is by comparing the wrappers, which are thankfully different.
  • Speaking of the wrapper, the cover leaf on this cigar is more than a bit fragile, evidenced by the fact that two of my samples had small tears in them just from being carried around in my travel humidor. They were not bad enough to cause any noticeable construction issues, but it is something to be cognizant of nevertheless.
  • Interestingly, for a month to have a Friday the 13th included in it, that month must begin on a Sunday. Also, there cannot be more than three months with a Friday the 13th in any one year.
  • The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
  • Final smoking time for all three samples averaged 56 minutes.
  • If you would like to purchase any of the Asylum Martes 13 cigars, site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. has them in stock.
89 Overall Score

Small, rich and extremely flavorful, the Asylum Martes 13 hits on just about every level for me, with flavors of mesquite and Mexican hot chocolate topping the profile in the first and second halves respectively combining well with the close to medium strength level. In addition, there is a very nice cotton candy sweetness on the retrohale that—while not as strong as I would like—is persistent enough to have a noticeable impact on the overall complexity and enjoyment. With that said, each of the samples needed at least one touchup to avoid larger burn issues—and one sample needed one in each third—and the cigar does get a bit hot at the end meaning I had to put it down just a bit sooner than I would have liked. This is a great choice for a quick smoke if you are looking for a blast of flavor with a kick, and another example of how good Honduran puros can be.

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Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.