Last night, a sold-out crowd of 150 cigar-loving baseball enthusiasts attended the launch of J.C. Newman’s new Tampa Smokers cigars at the Tampa Baseball Museum. Many baseball celebrities attended the event, including former Tampa Bay Rays Managers Larry Rothschild and Joe Maddon.
“Baseball and cigars are two of America’s historic pastimes,” said fourth-generation owner Drew Newman. “It is only fitting to celebrate the new baseball season with a special cigar that honors Tampa’s first professional baseball team, the Tampa Smokers.”
A century ago, Tampa was known as the Fine Cigar Capital of the World. The 200 cigar factories in Tampa handcrafted more than 700 million cigars per year. In 1919, Tampa’s first baseball team was named the Tampa Smokers to celebrate its place as Cigar City. Many famous athletes played for the Tampa Smokers, including Al Lopez, who was the son of cigar workers and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Tampa Baseball Museum is located in Lopez’s former home in the Ybor City National Historic Cigar District.
Last night’s event coincided with the beginning of the 100th year of baseball spring training in Tampa. J.C. Newman will release Tampa Smokers cigars to 200 premium cigar retailers in the 29 other Major League Baseball cities next month in time for Opening Day of the new baseball season.
Tampa Smokers cigars are hand rolled in J.C. Newman’s iconic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa in two sizes, a 6″ x 52 toro and a 7″ baseball bat. A single master cigar roller hand rolls only 80 Tampa Smokers cigars per day with an Ecuadorian Shade wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and filler tobaccos from Latin America where baseball continues to be a favorite pastime.
All proceeds from the event were donated to support the Tampa Baseball Museum and its efforts to preserve and showcase Tampa’s baseball history.
