Tag Archives: Florida Sun Grown

by Craig Vanderslice | November 17, 2024 · 8:50 am

A Quick Florida Trip, Part Two: The Drew Estate Florida Barn Smoker

Last Friday, after finishing up a long and excellent day at J.C. Newman, I hopped in my rented Polstar 2 and made my way to the Orlando area. Traffic sucked, and I never really got to see what that car could do. It was about the cheapest rental I could find, and I only spent about $22 charging it after driving it around all weekend. I forgot to mention in my last post about the “lunch” I got from the La Segunda Bakery a short walk from El Reloj. Not the healthiest choice, but the cinnamon rolls and apple turnovers were delicious, and filled me up for the day. The iced coffee was darned good too. I could do some damage there under different circumstances. Also notable was the park the Newmans have built across from the factory, the Cigar Workers Park. It was a beautiful place to pre-game before our tour. Now that I’m caught up, it’s on to the Barn Smoker. I left the hotel early, and got to the Florida Sun Grown Farm about two hours before the event opened, so I got a good parking spot. I managed to get in line with some folks who manage two of the CigarCigars shops in Sarasota, so we had some mutual friends. CigarCigars has a bunch of stores in my area. I’ve been to Barnsmokers in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, so I had an idea what to expect, and I’ve toured the FSG farm before. I went into this one to enjoy myself, and see some old friends. Amongst the friends I spent some time with were Rebecca and Jason of Ash Quarterly Magazine. I met them at the last PCA show I attended and Jason and I hit it off. I was very happy to be able to hang out with them for a while. As I’ve done in the past, I smoked the Liga Privada Serie Unico A, as I never have any faith that a cigar that long is going to survive the trip home. It was excellent, although t didn’t burn particularly well.

The grounds were set up nicely, with a lot of room to spread out. Of course, there was a big tent with tables (as per tradition, most of the ashtrays were stolen early). DJ Eli was playing music, too loud in my opinion. It always mystifies me that companies get 6-800 people together and drown out conversation with loud music. They had a live band playing later in the day. I made my way around all te activation stations early before they got crowded. There only seemed to be one educational portion, in the past it was very scheduled, with the crowd broken into several groups who rotated through several stations with various people, WIllie Herrera, Pedro Gomez, Jon Drew and usually the farm owner, giving talks on various aspects of the life cycle of a cigar. Another thing that was different from other events I’ve attended was the food. There was a buffet/food line after the educational portion in the past, this time they had several food trucks with coupons for each. This was a better way to do it, from my standpoint. Folks were free to get food at their leisure. There were also a lot of liquor stations, in which I was not interested. They did have plenty of water and soft drinks available at all times. The food was good, I sampled smash burger and some BBQ pork sliders with mac and cheese.

Only because I know somebody, I snuck in the back of the “Black Widow Saloon” for the tasting seminar that was going on. This was an inflatable, air conditioned structure for the VIPs (I was just a P). It was packed with people, and had a nice spread of cookies and brownies and assorted goodies. Rob Dietrich, the master distiller of the Blackened Whiskey, and JD were leading the tasting. Again, booze isn’t my thing, but I’m glad I got to see inside the saloon. This would be a nice place to cool off if it wasn’t so crowded. The baked goods were excellent.

I stayed until the end, my flight home wasn’t until 5am Sunday, so I didn’t have anyplace else to be. Traveling alone, I sometimes get bored, this time I knew and met enough people there to occupy my time. It was a good time, people were well behaved for the most part, almost surprising given the amount of booze available. Cigars were plentiful and delicious. Everyone should go to at least one of these events, remember to bring $10 to “buy” your pack of cigars at entrance. The swag was very nice (picture above), not over the top. I did have an interesting experience with the spray can lighter going through TSA, they had never seen anything like it before and it took much examination and scrutiny to get through. I would have surrendered it rather than cause any trouble, but it got through fine (the actual working lighter in my other bag went undetected). It will probably end up in the Christmas Givaway! Thanks to the folks at Drew Estate for including me. I wish communication would have been better between some parties, that would have made the weekend a 100% success. I spent the week smoking some of the cigars I got there, it annoys me that I like the 20 Acre Farm as much as I do, and the Blackened S83 has grown on me. There wasn’t a bad cigar in the bunch.

I’ve opened up the annual CigarCraig.com Secret Santa, if you want to join in, here’s the link: CigarCraig’s Secret Santa 2024. We’ve had a small, but high quality, group in the past. Jump in, it’s a lot of fun sharing your favorite cigars with people! That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

😃+

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Filed under Events, Trip Report

Tagged as Barn Smoker, cigar, cigars, drew estate, El Segunda, Florida, Florida Sun Grown

by Craig Vanderslice | December 4, 2022 · 7:00 am

El Reloj Cigar Factory Tour and FSG Farm Visit

Friday I found myself in Tampa, Florida, my first time visiting this area. I came down for the Cigar Heritage Festival on Sunday, but I really wanted to visit J.C.Newman’s El Reloj factory. They have spent the last few years remodeling the building, and it’s beautiful. The entrance has a company store, the mechanism for the clock in the tower for which the building is named, and a museum. We went upstairs and had some coffee and pastries for breakfast (delicious), and a vintage Diamond Crown Robusto No. 2. This cigar brought me back to the first time I smoked one in 1998 at a cigar party in Vegas. The cigar had held up well, for a Connecticut Shade cigar. We then got the tour, they have some treasures in the basement, old packaging, cigars, and a “vault” filled with a selection of boxes of cigars from the company’s history. They also do some of the long filler tobacco preparation in the basement. We went back upstairs to the production floor, where they manufacture and package machine assisted cigars on antique machines. The difference between machine assisted and machine made is that the former, used here, involve the operator placing a leaf on a die, and using pedals to advance the machine. Machine made cigars are more of a “push a button and a thousand cigars start spitting out”. I saw similar operations at General Cigar’s facility in the. DR. It’s mesmerizing to watch.

On the third floor they have a gallery for hand rolling cigars. This is where the American and Angel Cuesta are rolled. We saw wheels and wheels of Angel Cuesta cigars in the basement aging room, they are hoping to ship them in the coming weeks. We watched a gentleman, also named Angel, finishing salamones, amazingly skilled hand work. This looks like it will be a wonderful cigar.

The next step on this tour involved going to visit the Florida Sun Grown farm, where Jeff Borsyiewicz greeted us. I skipped the bus ride and rode with Kevin and Jessica (CigarProp/TrashPanda, etc.). After a delicious Barbecue style lunch, we checked out the farm where tobaccos in the American, and other cigars is grown. Jeff gave a very informative talk on all the trials and tribulations of growing tobacco in Florida, as he’s the only one doing it. The leaf in the field looked beautiful, and we saw the barn, with some more vintage machinery. It was a beautiful day, sunny and 80, a nice break for me from the fall weather back home. We ended the day stopping in to Corona Cigars in Tampa. Nick Perdomo was there doing an event, and we ran into some friends from home, in town for the weekend. It was a good day. Thank you so much to Sydney, and everyone at J.C. Newman for a great day! If his were the only reason I came on this trip, it would have been worth it.

Today is the Cigar Heritage Festival in Ybor City. I’m not sure what to expect with this as it’s my first time, but I expect to see a few people I know. More on that in the next post. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under Events, Review, Trip Report

Tagged as cigar, cigars, El Reloj, Florida Sun Grown, JC Newman

by Craig Vanderslice | August 11, 2021 · 9:35 pm

The American Double Robusto by J.C. Newman

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

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Tagged as American, broadleaf, cigar, cigars, Connecticut Broadleaf, Connecticut Havana, Double Robusto, Florida Sun Grown, J.C.Newman, Pennsylvania Broadleaf

by Craig Vanderslice | May 23, 2019 · 11:00 am

News: J.C. Newman Announces the Launch of The American

There’s going to be a lot of news items over the next few weeks leading up to the IPCPR show at the end of June, so hold onto your shorts! J.C. Newman has been working on this release for along time, almost as long as the Diamond Crown Black Diamond! I’m excited to try it!

J.C. Newman Cigar Company, America’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker, is excited to announce the launch of The American cigar brand at two simultaneous events in Orlando and Tampa on Friday, May 31:

Date: Friday, May 31

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m

Locations:

Corona Cigar Co.
7792 W. Sand Lake Rd.
Orlando, FL 32819

Featuring:
Jeff Borysiewicz
and Drew Newman

Davidoff of Geneva Since 1911
4142 W. Boy Scout Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33607

Featuring:
Bobby Newman
and Eric Newman

What makes The American unique is that it is the first 100% American cigar. These luxury cigars are hand rolled by Americans in a historic United States cigar factory using heirloom American cigar tobaccos. The boxes, bands, labels, cigar molds, cellophane tubes, and other parts of this unique project are all made in the United States as well.

“The American speaks to the heart of who we are: a four-generation, 124-year-old, American family business,” said Drew Newman, great-grandson of company founder J.C. Newman. “Our country’s rich premium cigar tradition dates to the Colonial Era. As an American, I wanted to prove that we could hand roll a world-class cigar in the United States using American tobaccos. I am thrilled that we have created an outstanding all-American cigar.”

The American is the first cigar rolled with Florida Sun Grown wrapper, grown by Corona Cigar Co.’s Jeff Borysiewicz in Clermont, Florida. The binder is Connecticut Broadleaf grown by eighth-generation family farmer Jon Foster and the filler is a blend of Foster’s Connecticut Havana tobacco with tobaccos grown by the Mennonites in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

“We are delighted to see our exclusive Florida Sun Grown wrapper tobacco being used on a cigar that is hand crafted in America’s ‘Cigar City,’” said Borysiewicz. “A hundred years ago, it was commonplace for Florida-grown tobacco to be rolled into cigars in Tampa’s numerous cigar factories. We are proud to be working with the Newman family to bring back this long lost cigar-making tradition after a 50 year hiatus.”

The American was the first brand of cigars rolled in J.C. Newman’s El Reloj factory when it opened in 1910 in Ybor City, Florida. J.C. Newman has recreated this historic brand in El Reloj to celebrate J.C. Newman’s 125th anniversary next year. In anticipation of this anniversary, J.C. Newman is investing in a major historic restoration of El Reloj. This project includes a new cigar museum, factory store, handmade cigar factory-within-a-factory, tours, seminars, and event space. Once complete next year, El Reloj will be the premier destination for cigar tourism in the United States.

The American will initially be released in four sizes and in boxes of 20 with a suggested retail price of between $16.00 and $19.50. For more information about J.C. Newman and The American, please visit: http://www.jcnewman.com/the-american.

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Tagged as cigar, Corona Cigar Co., Florida Sun Grown, J.C.Newman, The American

by CigarCraig | December 29, 2017 · 3:26 pm

CigarCraig’s Top Five Memorable Cigars of 2017

This is a little early but Sunday’s post just might be another contest and I don’t want to confuse things! I was trying to get this posted Wednesday, but things weren’t working out the way I wanted them to! Just like last year, my criteria is simple, a cigar that I consider “Memorable” is one I smoked, made a positive impression on me to the point where I really want to smoke more of that cigar. I noted last year that this format, in no particular order, would keep me off Halfwheel’s Consensus list, but I just recently came to find out that my 2016 was included on their 2016 Awards: The Consensus Top 25 Cigars which included at least three of my five most memorable. So, without further ado, here’s my list of memorable cigars of last year.

I’ve been a fan of La Gloria Cubana cigars since the mid-nineties when I started really getting into the premium cigars. Back then they were made by Ernesto Perez Carillo in Miami and later the Dominican Republic and were excellent. Time has passed, along with ownership of the company, and Ernesto has gone on to do his own thing, but he came back to partner with General to make the Coleccion Reserva. one a side note, the current contest running now until Sunday includes ten of these great cigars, and let me tel you it’s going to be hard to let go of them! I kid, I’m happy to share such great cigars. These are manufactured at Ernesto’s Tabacalera La Alianza in the Dominican Republic using materials from both companies. I like them so much I bought a box of the Presidente size for full retail! This cigar exemplifies the cooperative nature of the cigar industries where competing companies work together. It doesn’t always work, but in the case of the La Gloria Cubana Coleccion Reserva is does. Smoking one with Ernesto at a local event puts it at the top of my most memorable list ( I know, I said it was in no particular order!).

Cornelius and Anthony makes an appearance again this year, I still go to the Cornelius Toro as my “go to” special occasion cigar, but there aren’t a lot of cigars in their portfolio that I don’t like. OK, I don’t think there are any that I don’t like. OK, OK, there aren’t any I don’t like! This year they released two new lines, the Aerial with a Ecuador Connecticut Shade wrapper, and the Señor Esugars with a San Andrés wrapper, which is my second selection on my memorable list. These are made at the La Zona factory in Esteli. I really dig this cigar, which, like the Aerial, has a super secret US grown binder. they are tight-lipped about the origin of the leaf they use, but considering the Bailey family has been growing tobacco in Virginia for 150 years, one cant help but think it’s grown in Virginia. It certainly adds a unique component to the cigars, and the Señor Esugars hits my palate just right. There’s a super cool dog on the box too. Full disclosure: Cornelius and Anthony is an advertiser on CigarCraig.com, but the only effect that has on my opinion is in that bearing contacted by them to advertise put them on my radar, and meeting Steven Bailey and his team adds to the memorability.

Southern Draw Cigars has been on my radar for a while, but at this year’s IPCPR I finally got to meet Robert Holt, his wife, Sharon, and their family. Upon meeting, Robert did a convincing job of knowing who I was and was generous with his time. Robert is a gentleman, a veteran, a spiritual man and is behind some of the best cigars coming out of Tabacalera AJ Fernandez. New to me this year was the Jacobs Ladder, his Pennsylvania Broadleaf flavor bomb. The name hints at his commitment to family and faith, and the cigar is awesome. I’m currently on the hunt for more, because it’s one I want to smoke more of, and it’s an especially good choice for the cold weather we’ve been having as the weight of the flavor cuts through the crisp air. The Rose of Sharon is also a stellar offering in the Ecuador Connecticut wrapper (there should be little doubt by now that a maduro is almost always winning out over a shade wrapper with me!), it’s among the best out there (the above mentioned Aerial and the Fratello Oro get honorable mentions). So that makes the Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder my third memorable smoke of 2017.

Next up is another cigar I really enjoyed this year, the Oscar Habano. Funny think about this one is that I had bought some of the Toro and Gordo sizes an really enjoyed them, but it wasn’t until I had the Robusto that was part of 2 Guys Smokeshop‘s Contenders pack that I really saw the beauty of this cigar. Listen to The Cigar Authority tomorrow (Saturday 12/30) to see if they get it right and select this cigar as the Cigar of the Year. As I think about it, I may dig out the one toro I still have and smoke it today. Oscar makes some great cigars, the Leaf by Oscar line is very good (there’s another Ecuador Connecticut cigar that’s really good!), it’s nice that he made something exceptional to put his name on (wait…his name is on the Leaf by Oscar isn’t it?) Great smoke, I hope 2 Guys Smokeshop makes the right call on this one.

Finally, I really can’t get enough of the Florida Sungrown from Drew Estate. This uses tobacco that’s grown on Jeff Borysiewicz’s (Corona Cigar Co.) Farm where he’s growing Corojo tobacco, the first time Cigar tobaco has been grown in Florida for something like 40 years. Willie Hererra blended the cigar using Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos with the Florida leaf adding that little something different in the flavor. I have to admit, it was a toss-up between the FSG and the Undercrown Sungrown, both are exceptional and I really dig them, but the FSG has a great story and inches out the Undercrown by a hair. Drew Estate continues to bring new and interesting cigars to the market, I have to admit that I rather liked the new Acid Kuba Candela too. While I’m more of a traditional cigar smoker, this one was a treat, the bitterness of the candela wrapper offset the sweetness of the infusion. Good stuff.

That’s it for my five most memorable cigars of the past year. There were probably others that I thought were excellent but didn’t have the little extra to make them stand out. The La Palina El Año 1816 was on my list too, I just need to smoke a few more before I can make a strong recommendation (the La Palina Classic Maduro I smoked last night was really quite tasty too!). Hopefully 2018 brings some new and interesting cigars. Once again, thanks to all the readers and sponsors, without whom I’d be typing for my own entertainment!

That’s all for now, don’t forget the contest! Until the next time,

CigarCraig