Description
Few cigar brands can tell a story that stretches across three centuries. Byron can.
Created in Cuba in the 1850s by brothers José and Eusebio Alfonso, Byron was named for the celebrated English poet George Gordon Byron. Today, sixth generation descendant Nelson Alfonso continues that family story through Selected Tobacco S.A. in Costa Rica. To commemorate the marque’s 175 year journey, Alfonso created something fittingly ambitious: the Byron 175 Tribute Set.
Inside the presentation case are four distinct cigars, each dedicated to a different chapter in Byron’s history.
The 1850 No. 3 measures 6×52 and looks back to the origins of the brand. The 19th Century Grand Poemas expands to 6×56, honoring an era when Cuban cigar culture flourished. At 6×54, the 20th Century Habaneros represents a century of transition, while the 6⅛x55 21st Century Elegantes brings Byron firmly into the modern age and reflects the work being done today under Alfonso in Costa Rica.
The significance of the collection goes well beyond its four blends. Every cigar is rolled in Costa Rica with an Ecuadorian wrapper and a selection of Dominican, Peruvian, and Nicaraguan tobaccos. Once rolled, each spends at least four years undergoing Selected Tobacco’s proprietary aging process. During that time, precisely managed changes in humidity and the use of several cedar varietals allow the tobacco to mature slowly, giving each cigar the time required to develop its final profile.
Each cigar is then individually protected in a cosmetic grade aluminum tube before being arranged together in the commemorative display case.
There is also a true element of finality to the release. Production is strictly limited, and once the original allocation has been claimed, no additional production runs are planned.
For the serious Byron collector, the 175 Tribute Set captures something that cannot be recreated with a single anniversary cigar. It tells the complete story of the marque through four generations of expression, connecting its Cuban beginnings with the work of Nelson Alfonso today.
One collection. Four eras. 175 years of Byron.
