If you haven’t heard of J.C. Newman you have probably been living under a rock. They are perhaps one of the oldest cigar companies still in business. They have gone through many changes in their 126 year history from their founder, Julius Caeser Newman, rolling cigars for the local grocer in 1895 to the revamping of their historic Tampa, Florida factory El Reloj. They have been making cigars for quite some time but it is one of their original cigars that has again put them at the tops of lists and mentions that has them continuing to sparkle, “The American”.
Specifically, today I am going to talk about the Double Robusto size. The American is an all American made cigar made at El Reloj in Tampa that was first introduced in 1910 and was the first cigar brand ever rolled there. It uses 100% all American grown and aged heirloom tobacco. It has been reintroduced by Drew Newman, a fourth generation Newman family member who looks to carry the torch of the family business into the future.
This cigar was a no brainer for us on the list as it was one of our absolute favorites from the past two years. It is such a well made cigar with an unbelievable taste and smoking experience. We were fortunate enough to see some of these rolled at the factory when we visited in May of this year. In addition, every single part of this cigar is American made which includes the boxes, bands and cellophane.
Wrapper: Florida Sun Grown – Jeff Borysiewicz – Clermont, Florida
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf – John Foster – South Windsor, Connecticut
Filler: Pennsylvania Type 41 grown by Mennonite farmers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Connecticut Havana grown by John Foster as well.
While not extremely complex, the cigar still provides a lot of flavor and is very consistent. Its oily wrapper burns extremely well and has been a Smokin Tabacco staff favorite all year. These can be a little tricky to come by but ask your local B&M about their availability. The Double Robusto wasn’t quite as good as the Toro but still a great smoke for its size. A single cigar will run you around $15.75 while a box of 20 will cost $315.
