Byron 21st Century Elegantes (Siglo XXI)


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Note:  I have only seen CC reviews posted in this thread.  If there is a different place for NC reviews please let me know and I will put this review in that location.  Apologies in advance if this is for CC reviews only.

Cigar:             Byron 21st Century Elegantes (Siglo XXI)

Size                 6 1/8” x 55

Wrapper:       Ecuadorian

Binder:           Dominican

Filler:              Undisclosed, Peru

Origin:            Costa Rica

Factory:          Tabacos de Costa Rica

Mfr:                Selected Tobaccos S.A.

Blender:          Nelson Alfonso (not verified)

Synopsis:  This is my third cigar experience from Selected Tobaccos S.A. and this stick is said to have been aged for 4 years using cedar and French oak barrels.  This cigar is absolutely beautiful and it starts rich and creamy before transitioning to a woody smoke.  A couple of burn issues occur along with a momentary bitter flavor at one point.  I believe the official name of the cigar is listed as “21 Century”, but I have seen at least one older listing from 2016 that identified it as a Siglo XXI.

1st Third:  This Byron is firmly rolled with no blemishes. Very attractive. Cold draw is a mix of hay and light woods that venture towards a slightly nutty flavor with a mildly bitter finish if I draw deeply – something like when there’s a small bit of shell on a walnut maybe. First third requires touch up about 1/4″ in, but it has burned well since. Creamy and thick flavors that coat my mouth with transitions between some dry woody flavors, creaminess, and mild barnyard. Rich in texture, retrohales highlight some leather and there’s a slight bit of pepper on the finish sometimes. There’s an interesting umami flavor reminiscent of mushroom flavored envelope glue. I mean that in a good way. Very nice so far.

2nd Third:  As it burns through to the 2nd 3rd the wood flavors become the focus. The creaminess yields to a bit more of a light grass/greenish tobacco flavor. It’s right on the edge of green/bitter without going south which keeps it interesting and makes me smack my lips. The umami sensations also dwindle to the background as I pick up more minerals and much more wood. Inklings of white and black pepper come-and-go and the creaminess can still be found, but only on 3 or 4 puffs. Retrohales are less savory and move towards pepper and wood. The leather is gone as well. Burn is pretty good. The ash holds and clumps well before dropping in firm segments. The cigar is becoming dryer, but not in a bad way. Transitioning well so far with no fall off. 

3rd Third: As things start to wind down the burn issue returns on the same side of the cigar as before and it requires a medium touch up. The wood has started to fade as a more vegetal flavor becomes more pronounced. A couple puffs reveal a green bitterness that has a finish like envelope glue. After the burn issue is fixed, a smack of delicious and new nuttiness surprises me on one puff along with a couple subsequent puffs that bring back the wood. But then it moves back into a greener profile with mineral undertones. The last 1-1.5″ return to more wood focused flavors, but they are slightly sharper and different than the woodiness of before.

Upon removing the band I’m pleasantly surprised to find that the secondary band is attached to the primary band.  I love this because I hate trying to remove tiny bands. I’m still not sure what to think of the proprietary cellophane that doesn’t have a fold-over closure. I nearly dropped the cigar from the cellophane before remembering that it did not have a closure. This one has smoked for upwards of 1.5-2 hrs. I would smoke Byron again.  Is it worth $30+? It’s definitely not not worth $30+ and price is irrelevant in the absence of value. I feel this cigar has enough value to make me try some more selected tobacco sticks. But it may not become part of my regular rotation.  Smoke time was approx. 2hrs and some change.

Completely Subjective Non Standardized Score:  B/b+, 85-87 with major demerits for the two burn issues and odd vegetal flavor that became more pronounced. If the veggie bitterness were absent this would have been closer to 89/90 I think.  I like the band and the aesthetic appeal of the cigar.

 

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