Distinguished Ruffian

The Byron Poemas “Reserva 3 Anos”
The Byron Poems Reserva 3 Anos

Here we are friends and family a cigar that I have wanted to review for quite some time, the Byron. A cigar that I find to be monumental when it comes to quality and taste with so much history and a small portion of this history I will share with all of you in case you are not familiar with this cigar. I can assure you, for all you cigar enthusiasts out there, that if you have not had one already then you might just splurge on purchasing one because they are not cheap but so worth every puff. 

Many cigar factories produced numerous brands with Anglo-American names to attract UK and US markets which had tremendous demand for premium cigars at the time. Having said that, around 1848 the cousins created a cigar brand named Lord Byron in honor of the world renowned English poet himself. He was arguably the greatest author of romantic poetries of the day and more importantly pertaining to the brand, and avid cigar smoker and enthusiast. 

The brand Byron has roots to the 19th century when two cousins with roots in the Canary Islands owned a small cigar factory in the province of Havana on the island nation of Cuba. The cigars were made from two tobacco farms that they owned about 25 kilometers apart. Eventually the brand fell on hard times and was sold off to pay a debt. In 1998 the brand Byron was brought back by Nelson Alfonso who is well known for his input in the Cohiba Behike line and other Cuban cigars such as Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann and many more. 

Nelson Alfonso behind the rebranding of Behike wanted to deliver a cigar to the American market that was reminiscent of the Cuban brands from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. The result is a group of cigars that have been highly rated making them instant classics in the industry. It’s like smoking a piece of history! 

Each size of the Byron is a different blend to reflect a specific era of Cuban cigars. They are certainly considered luxury cigars and while intrigued about the Byron there is no website that will reveal to you the wrapper, binder, or filler; completely undisclosed! Of course I could sum up what I may think where tobacco comes from to make this beautiful cigar yet each palate is different and don’t want to speculate on anything; you can “draw” you own conclustions. I can say that this particular cigar has a deep oily chocolate maduro looking wrapper and smells absolutely amazing. The brand is now being produced in very limited quantities in a small Costa Rican factory. The price is anywhere from $20 to $25 or more depending on where you purchase. 

Just want to make a note to all of you that all of the information above is information that I gathered from various websites and combined information to give you the best historic viewpoint of such a worthy cigar. Giving credit where credit is due because this cigar demands respect just as I am going to provide you with an outstanding review on the Byron! 

The Cold Draw: Instantly picking up chocolate and espresso and that rich soil taste that gets my glands going to have that saline taste hit my mouth before I even light it up. 

The First Third: Dark chocolate with dash of black pepper hit the palate with a taste of sweetness and a dash of baker’s spice. Very smooth and almost creamy like. I mentioned black pepper because it does make your lips tingle a little and it explodes with flavor on your tongue; certainly reminds me of a well aged cigar. This in fact coincides with the number “3” on the label; because the number signifies how long it was aged for before being sent out to retailers. Continuing onward with this first third of the Byron I’m starting to pick up some vanilla essence as the black pepper begins to fade away; not as intense as the first light up. Molasses is starting to join the party while the sweetness remains the same like having raw sugar stirred in with a rich flavorful mocha. 

The Second Third: While dark chocolate, molasses, vanilla, and espresso are very strong within this journey starting to pick up some toasted nuts and even some cedar come into play. Still very, very smooth as I begin to taste a hint of dried figs which I pick up on my palate. The Byron is certainly getting better and richer in taste as it continues to burn. The construction is flawless with a very consistent burn thus far. Enjoying this cigar and smoking very slowly due to the fact that the flavor profiles are VERY prominent and exquisite that makes it represent a “Luxury” cigar. 

The Final Third: With the flavor profiles mentioned above they remain very strong; In fact, now because of the richness I’m picking up some leather notes and that essence of pepper is coming back. Here is where that full bodied cigar comes to define itself. Definitely started out medium body but now I have to slow it down even more because the strength of the cigar comes through even though the profiles are so remarkable that I want to keep puffing for that amazing taste I’m getting; super vibrant and distinguishable for sure with each profile. Still no burn issues, construction stayed intact, with a swirl of sweetness to blend it all together. 

Going to give this cigar a 5 out of 5 pints not just about the taste but the fact that it’s made in limited production, the price is a factor because it’s not a cigar I would have often and did I mention the taste? The Byron is a very exquisite cigar indeed which can be purchased on various sites and perhaps even at your local brick-n-mortar shops. There is no doubt I feel you should at least try one of these if you haven’t already. You may or may not pick up on the same profiles that I did yet with the way this cigar had been blended together I do feel you will enjoy the journey as much as I did!!

Wrapper – Unknown

Binder – Unknown

Filler – Unknown

Website: Good Luck Finding It

Rating: 5 out of 5 pints

  • William O’Connor, AKA Billy Kartwheels, is the Co-Captian of the Distinguished Ruffians NY Chapter. Billy has had an interesting life, going through college, being in the Navy and living on a submarine, he has visited 48 states (hitchhiking through 35) of them and even lived in a Hare Krishna monastery for some time. After having numerous brushes with death durring his travels he has decided it was best to take it easy and appreciate life to its fullest all while smoking a cigar at the same time. 

80th Anniversary By: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
80th Anniversary Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

Thursday was a BIG BIG day with the newly announced rule that the FDA is to exempt premium cigars from tobacco regulations that the agency put in place back in 2016. With that said; we are going to bring back our cigar reviews to share with all of you. Not that the FDA had any control over our website OR our reviews for that matter but it sure seems like a good day to get reviews going once again. 

To start it off; I am honored and felt privileged to have smoked this particular cigar and to share my review with all of you. The 80th Anniversary by DT&T is an absolutely delicious smoke that will bring happiness to your palate. Especially if you’re a Mi Querida or a Umbagog fan because the 80th Anniversary was made in the same factory (Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. NACSA). With an H2000 sun grown wrapper, a binder and filler all grown in Nicaragua – this cigar just gets better and better. 

I find that each cigar made by DT&T is in its own category, its own profile, unique and unlike any other cigar that outs there. Each one lives up to the known words spoken by Steve Saka himself “Cigars are more than just a passion for us, they are our life” and continues with “We want to create puros that pay respectful tribute to the long, vaulted history of handmade vitolas, and honor the dedicated works of all the vegueros, torcedors and artist who dedicate their labors to the timeless craft”. With those words – Steve Saka certainly dedicated a cigar alright, the 80th Anniversary was dedicated to Famous Smoke Shop for being in business for 80 years. The 80th was released in October 2019 and having the opportunity to enjoy such a work of art is a smokers dream and will be remembered with every puff I had. 

Hopefully my review will have done this cigar justice and enhance your awareness of this cigar in hopes that you to have the opportunity to enjoy such a cigar! 

The Cold Draw; Richness in flavor right off the bat with some mocha coffee notes, sweetness of molasses, picked up some toasted almonds with a tinge of vanilla cream. My glands opened up and my mouth started salivating ready to light up and begin the journey! 

First third, immediately transported to a chocolate factory, rich dark chocolate, the sweetness of caramel and molasses comes through, mocha, with a very small hint of cinnamon spice – like a Mexican hot chocolate. The intensity calms down as I continue to burn through the light up process yet the flavors are very much prominent on my palate. My glands are still producing saliva which naturally cleanses the palate and I pick up a slight saline taste, which isn’t bad by no means almost like having as piece of rich dark chocolate melt in your mouth. 

Burning right on into the second third, I am now picking up a little leather, the caramel & molasses sweetness remains and now the rich vanilla taste I picked up from the cold draw presents itself on my palate. Still have a hint of Mexican hot chocolate spice coming through. The leather notes drift away and a sea salted dark chocolate drives through the fast lane because even though I have been picking up chocolate from the beginning it seems that there is another level of goodness of chocolate making its way letting you know “HERE I AM” and there is nothing like sea salt and dark chocolate. What makes this journey even more enjoyable is that I’m starting to pick up a little white chocolate in the background. 

Burning the last third right down to the nub of this cigar I would say I only had one burn issue. It started to canoe just a little bit, but after a very slight touch up with a single flame torch that did the trick and continued to burn so nicely. Overly impressed with the construction, and how much flavor is coming out of this cigar. Flavor profiles swirl around like a tilt-a-whirl ride at the fair. This cigar is very satisfying and I’m eager to take the next draw. Wrapper does not get hot, the essence of the smoke is tremendous, the 80th Anniversary has all the right notes I truly enjoy in a cigar. Not super powerful either; rating it about a medium strength with a 4 ½ out of 5 pints. Consistent is key and I can say this is a rollercoaster ride that you’ll want to be on. Takes you forward, backward, sometimes throws a sidewinder in there, I mean with the various chocolate, spice, sea salt, vanilla flavors I picked up; tag teaming with some caramel and molasses; Steve Saka really created a cigar that gives full respect to Famous Smoke Shop. 

Comes in a Toro size (6 x 52), soft box press, in a box of 10 with an MSRP of around $15 per stick and certainly delightful to sit back, pour yourself a beverage, relax, cut, light, enjoy!

Wrapper – Nicaraguan Sun Grown

Binder – Nicaraguan

Filler – Nicaraguan

Website: www.dunbartoncigars.com

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 pints

  • William O’Connor, AKA Billy Kartwheels, is the Co-Captian of the Distinguished Ruffians NY Chapter. Billy has had an interesting life, going through college, being in the Navy and living on a submarine, he has visited 48 states (hitchhiking through 35) of them and even lived in a Hare Krishna monastery for some time. After having numerous brushes with death durring his travels he has decided it was best to take it easy and appreciate life to its fullest all while smoking a cigar at the same time. 

Joya Red: Joya Series Part 4 of 5
Joya Red

Here we have it folks, the Joya Red, the very first Joya within the Joya line released back in 2014, as a 100% Nicaraguan everything (wrapper, filler, & binder). The company Joya de Nicaragua describes the Joya Red as a “vibrant, classy, extremely pleasant, and was made for the modern smoker”. It’s been just about 8 years now since its release and not just the Joya Red but the whole Joya line has established a great foundation of pleasurable smokes. 

I’ve always been a fan of the Joya line since they were launched into the cigar industry and have been blessed with the opportunity to try each of them as they were released. While each has been a very enjoyable journey, the Joya Red stands out, after all it was the very first to be introduced. With this being my forth review within the JDN line of cigars (all of them receiving high praises and all enjoyed) I’ll get right to the review! 

Starting with a cold draw, first I pick up wood and spice which to me; makes everything nice! The richness of tobacco comes through and some light essence of floral notes gets my saliva going; I’m ready to light up! 

Just as I expected; right away as I light up, there is a rich coffee, cream, some toasted nut with some semi-sweet chocolate to top it off. Burning right into the first third of the Joya Red some red pepper joins the party. There is this spice with a zip of earthiness that encompasses the palate while all those other notes swirl around from front to back, back to front. Joya Red is very unique with how the palate catches the various profiles. Some cedar notes come through to drive it all home as, in my opinion, the perfect balance to start a great cigar! 

As I continue to burn into the second third of the cigar the red pepper spice calms down to a white pepper, the semi-sweet chocolate blends into a rich chocolate, kind of like a latte turning into a mocha. You get that creaminess just with a more rich mocha profile. Even though this is not a maduro cigar the combination of well grown Nicaraguan tobacco makes that richness come through. I am still picking up toasted nuts while some light leathery notes become present also. The burn is consistent, it produces plenty of smoke and the draw is really nice thus far. 

Burning down into the last third of the Joya Red, interestingly enough, some deep fruit profiles come through. Reminds me of dates and black cherries while the white pepper turns into black pepper, the mocha remains with that mocha sweetness taste, the spice remains yet this spice profile taste for me has a cinnamon essence and of course the toasted nuts still hold strong. Over all the Joya Red has great construction, well rounded burn, and lots of smoke. It’s amazing when you have had a cigar more than once, twice, or ten times, each time might be a slightly different experience; just like I have experienced here. I love being able to have a cigar that I have had more than ten times through my 20+ years of cigar smoking and this journey really made a difference with how I view this cigar. Remembering that I had picked up some of the profiles previously, at the same time I spent my time one on one with the Joya Red and what I picked up was far different than my previous experiences with this cigar. 

With the ease of locating, the affordability, and the flavor profiles I will most certainly rate this cigar a 4 out of 5 pints. There are plenty of choices when it comes to vitolas also; sold in boxes of 20 and individually of course; Joya Red Short Churchill (4 ¾ x 48) $110.99, Joya Red Robusto (5 ¼ x 50) $123.99, Joya Red Toro and a box press Toro (6×52) $131.99, Joya Red Canonazo (5 ½ x 54) $130.99 and if you enjoy the Cigarillos then Joya Red comes in those sizes as well (4×32) pack of 10 $9.25. [Prices will vary of course depending on location.] If you have never tried one yet, then it’s a must. Joya Red is a medium body profile with not a whole lot of strength so even if you’re a full body smoker or a mild smoker you will still be able to enjoy this delicious cigar! Cheers and Enjoy!!

Wrapper – Nicaraguan H. Crillo

Binder – Nicaraguan

Filler – Nicaraguan

Website: www.Joyacigars.com

Rating: 4 out of 5 pints

  • William O’Connor, AKA Billy Kartwheels, is the Co-Captian of the Distinguished Ruffians NY Chapter. Billy has had an interesting life, going through college, being in the Navy and living on a submarine, he has visited 48 states (hitchhiking through 35) of them and even lived in a Hare Krishna monastery for some time. After having numerous brushes with death durring his travels he has decided it was best to take it easy and appreciate life to its fullest all while smoking a cigar at the same time.