I recently had the opportunity to smoke the newest vitola of the American by J.C.Newman. This is a cigar made in the U.S. from all American tobaccos, here’s the information from J.C.Newman:
Handcrafted in J.C. Newman’s historic El Reloj cigar factory in the “Cigar City” of Tampa, Florida, The American is the first 100% all-American cigar. This new vitola (5.5” x 56) is the thickest The American cigar to date. It is packed in boxes of 20 with a suggested retail price of $17.50.
“The United States has a rich tradition of cigar making dating back to the first crop of tobacco planted in Virginia in 1612,” said Drew Newman, fourth generation owner of J.C. Newman. “Cigar tobacco was grown in every American Colony and many Founding Fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were tobacco farmers.”
The American is rolled with an exclusive Florida Sungrown wrapper, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and a blend of Connecticut Havana and Pennsylvania Mennonite filler tobaccos. With a thicker ring gauge, the Double Robusto has an extra leaf of Pennsylvania ligero tobaccos, making it the strongest The American cigar. All of the packaging, from the wood in the cigar boxes, to the paper for cigar labels, to the cellophane that protects each cigar, is made in the United States as well.
Cigar enthusiasts who visit J.C. Newman’s 111-year-old El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa can see The American being rolled and learn about the history of American cigar making in the J.C. Newman Cigar Museum.
This is not only a cool project by J.C. Newman, but I have a personal attachment to it because some of the tobaccos are grown not twenty-five miles from where I live now, and only a few mile from where I used to live. I can remember driving past the fields of tobacco 20 years ago. Of course I’m a big fan of Connecticut Broadleaf, and I have an affinity for the PA leaf, it has a special flavor. I smoked a couple of the Double Robustos, which are a really good size for me. The Florida Sungrown wrapper has a mottled appearance, and the cigar starts with a bit of a sourness, but sweetens and has an earthiness throughout. the construction was very good. I only have one robusto to compare to, but I do think this was stronger, owing to the extra ligero, although it wasn’t excessively strong, it was very well balanced. Pennsylvania ligero can be very strong in my experience. This was an excellent cigar, many thanks to J.C.Newman for sharing these with me.
That’ all for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
