Selected Tobacco was back after missing the 2024 PCA trade show, as Nelson Alfonso faced some challenges traveling. But Nelson was in his booth, what some have described as a museum or a Lamborghini-type dealership. It is elegant, formal, dimly lit, and luxurious. More luxurious than El Septimo’s booth that’s for sure.
In the booth are several glass display cases all around with a different product inside, here is where the museum piece comes into play. But at the center is the largest display, often showcasing humidors and other larger scale products. That is what is doing this year with the new Byron humidor.
Byron 175th Anniversary Humidor
Selected Tobacco has frequently been on our list of companies expected to have a strong show. This announcement put them back on the list again and if it wasn’t for the fact they did not exhibit last year, that would have made these five shows in a row now. This humidor is a Turkish-blue according to Oliver Nivaud.
The humidor has a few chambers on it. Two sleek side drawers designed to house exclusive Byron accessories flank each side of the humidor. Inside the left is a three-finger cigar case and on the right a matching ultramarine ashtray. Up top has a top shelf, revealed by lifting twin Byron knobs, holding twenty cigars with concealed humidification chambers beneath and a secret lower chamber that unveils the remainder of the curated selection. On the front, a gold-accented front panel that discreetly conceals a hygrometer, temperature gauge, and locking mechanism. Each cigar inside also has a 175th Anniversary commemorative foot band
Each humidor includes an exclusive and carefully aged sixty-cigar collection:
- 15 Byron 1850 No. 3 (6 x 52)
- 15 Byron 19th Century Grand Poemas (6 x 56)
- 15 Byron 20th Century Habaneros (6 x 54)
- 15 Byron 21st Century Elegantes (6 1/8 x 55)
Every cigar inside has undergone Selected Tobacco’s meticulous five-plus-year aging process.
Bandolero Premium
Bandolero has been going through some changes the last several years and for the better in my opinion. Now we have seen the addition of the new Bandolero Premium – a slightly more upscale version of the line that puts it right alongside its brothers in the portfolio. These go through a three-year aging process in Madrid, Spain in Nelson’s aging room where they are exposed to five different kinds of cedar.
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua (Ligero) & Peru
- Sizes: Irónicos (4 1/2 x 50), Bravos (5 1/4 x 52), & Magnificos (6 x 55)
- MSRP: $24, $32, and $38
- Production: Regular Production
- Release Date: April 2025
Gift Sets
Selected Tobacco has released these gift sets in other variations before. This year they will feature the Bandolero and Nelson lines. Each comes with five cigars and a personal ash tray. Bandolero will come with five Serie C Colosales (6 x 54) in cosmetic tubes, with only 1,000 being made. The Nelson will also come in all the same aspects as well.
The Nelson line is a cigar that has been on display for a few years but not really talked about. There was an original plan for the brand that has since been scrapped and now the cigar is moving forward with its new production plan, and we were told we should see this between late summer and early fall. Its full-size boxes were also on display, and it will be available in five different sizes.
Check out our interview with Nelson Alfonso and Oliver Nivaud at PCA 2025 below:
