In our new weekly series we will be sharing two to three minute video reviews about some cigars we can’t get enough of. The week we look at the Byron Distinguido which comes to us from Nelson Alfonso and Selected Tobacco. For those that don’t know. Nelson Alfonso makes his cigars in Costa Rica; but he also lives in Cuba where he does packaging and design for Habanos S.A.
(United States) United Cigar, exclusive U.S. Distributor of Nelson Alfonso’s Selected Tobacco Brands announced today that a new Byron size will be available at the 2016 IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas on July 25, 2016. The new size is part of the Byron Serie Siglo XXI (21st Century). Other Series include Siglo XIX and XX. The Byron Elegantes will measure 55 x 6.125”and will be sold in humidified cabinets of 25. Only 200 boxes […]
50 years ago, the most famous name in cigars was born, Cohiba. At Festival del Habano XVIII during the gala dinner, guests were given a box of 2 cigars. Encased in a felt sleeve, the lacquered boxes denote Cohiba 50 and were designed by Nelson Alfonso who also makes Atabey, Byron and Bandolero. Inside the cedar box are two cigars, one of which David Garofalo gifted to me. This limited edition cigar is not to be confused with […]
Byron. A cigar that not many have heard of, but those who know it have succumbed to its greatness. I will not hide the fact that Byron is one of the best cigars I have ever smoked. A brand I never heard of until I came to The Cigar Authority and Two Guys Smoke Shop. Owned by Selected Tobaccos and Nelson Alfonso the cigars are made in Costa Rica, but the blend is a closely […]
Vegueros is a Cuban brand that started in 1961 at the Francisco Donatien Factory in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba. In 1997 the cigar would be exported before falling from the marketplace. In 2013, Vegueros would relaunch at the Habanos Festival; however, it would take almost another year before the brand would be readily available. The cigar which got new artwork from the originals was redesigned by Nelson Alfonso the artist behind the re-branding of Cohiba and Behike. […]
At the 2014 IPCPR in Las Vegas, the Padron family unveiled a limited edition humidor designed by Nelson Alfonso who has designed Behike as well as Atabey, Byron and Bandolero stateside via Selected Tobacco. The original humidor which saw a price increase just before shipping was packaged with 50 numbered cigars and gave the owner the ability to refill the cigars at selected times, however the cigars would not be shipped to the consumer directly, […]
According to the Bandolero website; “Cigar history has followed a difficult path between crime and pleasure. Demonized on arrival to Europe, in which latter tobacco trade was monopolized. The success of the tobacco expansion is explained by the attempts of [being] controlled.” This past weekend Nelson Alfonso was a guest on The Cigar Authority where it was disclosed that the smaller the size, the stronger the cigar and David Garofalo told me to try the […]
The October Care Package is now in the hands of our faithful listeners and you can order next months package now. The first cigar from October is the Byron Cigar which we will smoke with Nelson Alfonso. Nelson Alfonso is the creative force behind Behike as well as his own brands Atabey, Byron and Bandolero. We will also recap the Two Guys 30th Anniversary event which happened on Wednesday night and Mr. Jonathan may join […]
According to the Byron Website, “In the mid 19th Century, Jose and Eusebio, cousins and offsprings of immigrants from Canary Island owned a small cigar factory with about 12 employees on Macías Street of Santiago de Las Vegas, a province of Havana. Their cigars were made from the leaves cultivated in two small tobacco plantations of their own inherited from their parents located 25 kilometers apart from each other. One was located in the town […]
If you have been a reader at The Cigar Authority or listen to our weekly podcast then you know the name Nelson Alfonso as well as his brands Atabey, Byron and Bandolero. The cigars are amongst the highest we have ever rated with Atabey getting a 100, and Byron getting a 98. At the IPCPR this year, Selected Tobacco released a new size of the Byron called Distinguido that is part of the 21st Century […]