The original Lord Byron cigar brand was created in the mid 19th century by two cousins, Eusebio and Jose. Their parents were immigrants from the Canary Islands. These cousins owned a modest cigar factory near Havana and inherited two humble tobacco plantations from their parents.
In those days, premium cigars were in high demand in the United Kingdom and the United States. To attract these customers, a common practice was to manufacture brands with Anglo-American names. One such example is the Lord Byron brand, created by these cousins and named for the famed English poet Lord Byron. The cigar bands also displayed a rendering of the poet.
The Lord Byron line sold like crazy. So much so that after a few years, the cousins moved to a larger factory, this time in Havana. The brand would remain a success for generations. But, as the story so often goes, the party came to an end or at least hit a temporary bump in the road. Ricardo Alfonzo, one of the cousin’s grandson, was running the company when a series of financial hardships came knocking, and he was forced to sell the Lord Byron brand.
It would take 90 years for Nelson Alfonso, great-grandson of Ricardo Alfonzo, to revive the brand as Byron Cigars through his company, Selected Tobacco. The year was 1998, and the artwork on Byron Cigars would remain hauntingly similar to the original. This adds an enjoyable sense of history and wonder to the cigars.
If you don’t know the name Nelson Alfonso, chances are you’ve still seen his design work. Nelson has collaborated with Romeo y Julieta, Padrón, Cohiba, and more. A great example of Nelson’s design work is those wild-looking three-legged bright yellow Montecristo ashtrays.
The brand has returned to a modest factory, though this one is located in Costa Rica. And while many cigars sit in an aging room for two months, Byron cigars rest in these rooms for an entire year.
Byron cigars tend to be medium-full strength and have become quite popular in the industry. Among the best sellers is the Byron 19th Century, which uses an oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper to help deliver a complex, chewy smoke with notes of toast, black pepper, and milk chocolate. Then there’s the Byron 20th Century powered by a part Dominican, part Peruvian, and part is an undisclosed blend of long-fillers to serve up an incredibly complex experience ranging from notes of bread to bold spice. And of course, there’s the Byron 21st Century, which uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper leaf to produce a rich and creamy smoke you don’t want to miss.
Whatever your pleasure is, Byron cigars offer you a way to get that and more.
When a lost family heirloom finds its way back, it touches something human inside all of us. This is precisely what Nelson Alfonso did with Byron cigars. Grab some today to smoke a piece of history once lost to time.
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