Byron

Byron is the classical side of Selected Tobacco, and its name comes from an old brand Nelson Alfonso chose to revive rather than invent — a practice that has become common among houses seeking to place themselves in a continuity.

Where Atabey plays finesse, Byron plays breadth: wide formats, denser blends, an aromatic of leather, cocoa and precious woods. The range is organised by "periods" — each series refers to a century in the history of the cigar, with tobaccos and methods meant to match.

That theatrical stance is consistent with its author's path: Alfonso came from image and narrative, not from agronomy, and his brands tell you something before they are smoked. That said, the content follows — the construction is faultless and the volumes stay tiny.

Like Atabey, Byron sells at prices that place it at the very top of the market, in a handful of shops per country.

Range Depth

• Byron Siglo XIX

  Wrapper Undisclosed blend · Strength Medium-Full

  The series that refers to the nineteenth century. Leather, cocoa, precious woods — breadth where Atabey plays lacework.

  Toro

• Byron Siglo XVIII

  Wrapper Undisclosed blend · Strength Medium

  An older register still, with plainer formats. The range is organised by periods, and that is as much the point as the taste.

  Corona Gorda

🥃 Pairings

• Very old rum

  Spirits

  Breadth calls for breadth; a young spirit would be inaudible here.

• Tarrazú coffee

  Coffee

  The great local growth, with a cigar made in the same country.