Tag Archives: Cigar Aficionado

News: Eric Newman Inducted into the Cigar Hall of Fame

I am really looking forward to touring the El Reloj factory in Ybor City in a few weeks, it’s been on my bucket list!  I’ll be honest, it figured into my trip more than the festival.  It’s not a surprise that Eric Newman was inducted into Cigar Aficionado’s hall of fame, although I’m surprised he was the only one in the family inducted.  J.C. Newman makes some great cigars, many of which are favorites of mine.  By the way, I recorded a nice little interview with Eric at the PCA show, included below:

 

 

This week, Cigar Aficionado magazine inducted Eric Newman, president and third-generation owner of J.C. Newman Cigar Co., into its Cigar Hall of Fame. Established in 1997, the Cigar Hall of Fame has recognized 23 leaders for their extraordinary lifetime achievements in the cigar industry. Eric’s father, Stanford J. Newman, was in the inaugural Cigar Hall of Fame class. The Newman family now joins the Fuentes and Padrons with two family members in the Cigar Hall of Fame.

 

 

A grandson of company founder Julius C. Newman, Eric Newman was born into the cigar industry. When he joined the family business in 1972, Eric’s first job was curing tobacco leaves in the basement of J.C. Newman’s historic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa. During the past 50 years, Eric worked his way up in the company and became its president in 1986. His many achievements include relaunching the Brick House brand in 2007, building what is now the second largest cigar factory in Nicaragua, and keeping the last traditional cigar factory in the United States open. He is also a past Chairman of the Cigar Association of America.

 

“I am very honored and humbled,” said Eric. “It is a privilege to continue our family’s 127-year tradition of cigar making. It is especially meaningful to receive the same recognition that my father did 25 years ago.”

 

Today, Eric and his brother Bobby Newman lead J.C. Newman along with Eric’s son, Drew. After 50 years in the cigar industry, Eric has no plans to retire. “I wake up every day excited to go to work,” he said. “Working in our family business is invigorating. Cigars today are better than they have ever been. I have witnessed the transformation of cigar industry over the past 50 years, and I continue to be excited for the future of our family, our company, and the cigar industry.”

 

The following is Cigar Aficionado’s description of this award:

“His familial roots in the tobacco industry are four generations deep. His knowledge of Tampa’s cigar history is encyclopedic. And his time in the cigar world spans half a century. That’s why conversations with Eric Newman are not only fascinating but highly educational.

“The family business started in the late 1800s in Cleveland, Ohio, eventually moving to the landmark El Reloj building in Tampa in the 1950s. J.C. Newman Cigar Co. has some 22 million cigars made by hand in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and a small amount in Tampa-all under Newman’s supervision
and guidance.

“Newman made a brave decision in 1986 when he, along with his brother Bobby and father, Stanford, bought the remaining shares of the business from his other family members. They mortgaged the factory for a bank loan to pay out the family in cash and put the company in negative equity. The La Unica brand, a premium smoke presented as a bundle cigar, helped to get them out of the red. “Today, J.C. Newman produces stalwart brands such as Cuesta-Rey, Diamond Crown, Brick House and El Baton. Newman has been industrious in his ability to lead his company into the 21st century by creating cigars that are both traditional and modern in style.” – Cigar Aficionado

 

About J.C. Newman Cigar Co.

Founded in 1895 by Julius Caeser Newman, J.C. Newman Cigar Company is the oldest family-owned premium cigar maker in America. J.C. Newman rolls its El Reloj, Factory Throwouts, and Trader Jacks cigars by hand-operated, vintage cigar machines at its historic cigar factory in Tampa, Florida. It also hand rolls its Brick House, Perla del Mar, El Baton, and Quorum cigars at the J.C. Newman PENSA cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. J.C. Newman’s Diamond Crown, MAXIMUS, Julius Caeser, and Black Diamond cigars are handmade by Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic. With its longtime partners the Fuente family, the Newmans founded the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which supports low-income families in the Dominican Republic with education, health care, vocational training, and clean water.

 

 

 

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Visits to Cigar Mojo and Wooden Indian and Cigar Aficionado’s Top Ten Thoughts

There’s some crossover in the subject line, so I’ll get to that, but first off I had occasion to visit two shops in my area  that have recently undergone renovations, and in the case of Cigar Mojo, in King Of Prussia, PA, moved into a new building. Thursday Cigar Mojo had a Drew Estate event, which had the dual purpose of saying farewell to our area’s long time rep Alex, who’s moving up the ladder, and hello to Ali, who we’ve known for years from working in stores in the area and most recently being a rep for EPC. Cigar Mojo is now a free standing building, nestled in between Aldi and Duluth Trading Company stores, with a large and well stocked humidor, public and members lounges, an outdoor patio with a TV (and heaters), kitchen, the works. I think it’s about two and a half times the size of their old location. I smoked a Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Toro while I was there and it was delicious, probably my second favorite Herrera Esteli behind the Norteño, which I smoked later (a Corona Extra). The first time I visited Mojo’s new location was the first day they were there and it was a big mess! It was not now, they have everything sorted out and it was really nice! They even have their name on the big sign on Rt 202. As a bonus, I made a cameo appearance on the Roxxy the Rebel Youtube show. 

 

Friday I happened to see that the Wooden Indian, who had been having a sort of 12 days of events kind of thing going on, was having and Altadis event with Tom Stroud, our area rep. I’ve know Tom a long time, and haven’t seen him in a while. Additionally, I have been extremely negligent in visiting the Wooden Indian since they’ve remodeled. I missed their bid Drew Estate event in September because we went to Miami, and I just haven’t gotten by there. Dave, who owns the shop, acquired the rest of the front part of the space where the store is and did a complete overhaul of the store. Where the Liga Privada Lounge once was is now a spacious humidor. Where the rather cramped humidor was, and bumped out into the new space, is the new and improved Liga Privada lounge. The lounge now has windows, making it nice and bright, with a kitchenette and plenty of space. They also put new flooring in the retail area, brightening it up. I can’t imagine what the carpet there must have been like when they took it up! Anyway, the Shop looks beautiful, the humidor is well stocked and has a great selection, and is still one of my favorite shops in the area. While they didn’t have the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro, they did have the Espresivo, the Robusto sibling of the Cigar Aficionado No.1 Cigar of the Year. I figured I’d better give it a smoke while it was in front of me to see what the fuss was about. I bought two and they had about 8 left and they weren’t exactly being scooped up, so maybe the WI customers don’t care about the CA ratings, or they were holding out for the Maestro, which is a torpedo, but good luck seeing on of those any time soon. I’ll be honest, I thought it was a really good cigar, and I enjoyed the crap out of it. It was well balanced with some coffee and cocoa and nuttiness. It’s another great cigar from the AJ Fernandez factory. It had a nice, slow burn too for a 5″ x 50, which was nice. 

 

I have to admit, in the CA top ten, I’ve only smoked two of the cigars, and it’s been ten of more years since I’ve smoked either of those two (which should give a big clue which two they are!) If you take vitola out of the equation, that doubles the number as of Friday. I think I smoke I reasonable variety of cigars! I bet if I smoke 400 cigars a year at least 350 of them are different, and that probably a pretty good variety, you’d agree. I could go through my Instagram feed and figure this out, but who has the patience? I could have picked up the Upmann, but I’m not spending $18 on a cigar right now, and I’m not entirely sure why I’ve never smoked a Padron 1926, might be the same reason I didn’t pick up an Upmann, or is it that I can’t imagine that it can be that much better than a 1964, which is darned near perfect? The Tatuaje piques my interest, I haven’t seen the Illusione, the Warped or the RP, I guess. I watched the reveals this year and thought to myself, sheesh, have I gotten that far out of touch? I have to get down into the top 25 to see some more familiar faces. I love the Punch Diablo, but I’m surprised it did so well, I figured it would be to pedestrian for CA (maybe because I liked it?) I’m still itching to try the Enclave Broadleaf, I have to grab on of those one day. I think the Herrera Miami should have been higher, but what do I know? Here’s the thing, the CA list reaches a far different audience than website/blog lists. There’s a whole bunch of different communities in the cigar world, some are on the internet, some aren’t so who’s to argue who’s list is right and who’s isn’t? 

 

In other news, I bought a plane ticket to Vegas for next Month’s Tobacco Plus Expo, and am awaiting approval for my media registration. It seems like a lit of the cigar industry is going to be attending that, so it should be interesting. That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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First Cigars of 2014: a La Palina, a Cain and a Los Blancos Nine

I see it’s going to be one of those winters!  We’ve already had about 4 snowstorms, and we’re seeing single digit temps for the first time in quite a few years.  I yearn for spring! I would rather smoke cigars without gloves and six layers! I have no problem going to any one of a number of local shops in the area, but that gets expensive, and I’ve got a ton of cigars here at home that need smoking.  Of course, when I go to a shop I can’t just buy one cigar and smoke it, I have to buy two, then something else catches my eye and I CE&M_Vanadiumhave to get two of them. It gets hard to keep up!  Then, I do something stupid like buy a box of cigars just because I dig the box and I think it’ll look good on the bookcase! Not only do I buy the box, but I add on a five-pack too! (remember the Famous-Smoke.com coupon codes folks!)  It’s crazy. At some point I send a bunch to Cigars for Warriors and give a bunch away, so it all works out, I suppose. Where was I going with this?  Oh, it’s been wicked cold (as they say in New England) here in PA.  Let’s see if that slows me down any…

 

La Palina Maduro Petite LanceroNew Years Day 2014. We had my daughter’s family over to watch the Winter Classic which was fun.  I spent more time playing with my grand-daughters than watching the game, but it looked like a great game with stoppages every so often to shovel the snow off the ice!  After they took off, I grabbed a cigar I’d been looking forward to smoking and took the dog for a walk.  The La Palina Maduro has been a favorite of mine since it came out last year. I was excited when a pair of Petite Lanceros showed up in my mailbox, and equally excited when I saw them on the shelf at Cigar Mojo last week (good to know a source of supply just in case I fall in love, right?).  It seemed like a good cold weather choice, easy to handle with gloves, strong enough in flavor.  I may like the larger ring gauge versions of the La Palina Maduro a little better, but this Petite Lancero was loaded with bitter sweet chocolate and coffee and was really quite enjoyable.  For me, I think the larger rings make for a little creamier smoke.  I will pick up a few more to have around, and I’ll look forward to smoking this again in the warmer months.  Quite a good smoke, a great way to start the year.

 

Cain_Daytona6x46Thursday evening is started snowing, so me and the pup went walking right after dinner. I’ve been in the mood for a Cain of some sort for a while.  Are these falling out of favor?  One of my local shop proprietors was a HUGE fan of these when they came out, now he says he will probably clearance them next month, they aren’t selling. I picked out a Cain Daytona 646, the milder blend in the Cain Line and fired it up.  I love the sweetness of this cigar. I think I only have a 543 and a couple lanceros left floating around the humidors, but the Daytona is my favorite blend o f the line.  I like the others after some aging time, and the Cain F tubed lancero is a clear winner, but the Daytona, to me, has the best balance and flavor.  This cigar was great, although it was better after I put it down for a while to dry out, and re-lit it after shoveling the driveway. The snow didn’t do it any favors, my fault, not the cigars.  I recently lost my local Oliva rep, so if someone from Oliva reads this and wants to chime in on the status of the Cain brand, please feel free!

 

 

Saturday morning I had my third appearance on the Kiss My Ash radio show in their “Bloggers Corner”.  It’s always a huge honor for me, and I felt the best about my performance this time.  I chose to resurrect a review of the Cigar Aficionado number one cigar of 2013, the Havana Montecristo No.2 that I did in 1996.  I took part in a Monthly Officious Taste Test on the alt.smokers.cigars Usenet group which was put together by Steve Saka.  This was probably the second monthly installment and this would go on for a few years as a feature on the CigarNexus website of which Steve was a part.  Anyway, I called the Montecristo No.2 a “dogrocket”, which was the lowest possible rating.  I can still remember the cigar as being acrid and nasty like
a pile of burning leaves in the autumn, you know, the wet, musty ones. I wish I had pictures of the cigar from 1996, but that was before digital cameras were anything really, and certainly before cell phones had cameras. Anyway, I though it would be interesting to read that review on the radio in contrast with Cigar Aficionado‘s recent number one rating. In their defense, it must have been a pretty good year for that cigar, as it was number two in Cigar Journal‘s rating, and I have had some spectacular No.2s over the years, but I’ve had some that were so-so too.  I give Cigar Journal some leeway since they are truly an international magazine, but I don’t find that giving a Cuban cigar the number one spot does anything for US readers, and retailers. A high rating is a very big deal as far as sales go for a cigar, it’s a waste for a US based magazine to promote a product that can’t be legally procured.  I’m not even going to get into the fact that this is an 80 year old marque which has been plagued with inconsistency over the years. Enough of that rant, Abe did let out that Steve Saka was going to be doing a regular feature on Kiss My Ash radio, so tune in to see what Steve has to say.  He has a ton of tobacco knowledge and I’m proud to know him for these last 17 years or so.

 

LosBlanco_Nine RobustoYesterday afternoon, although the temps barely got out of the teens, it turned out to be a nice day for a walk.  I had picked up a couple of Los Blancos Nine robustos Tuesday when I visited my local shop (see first paragraph!).  I’ve certainly know about this brand, and I’ve met David Blanco, but I haven’t smoked any cigars from them. The Nine looked tasty with it’s dark Oscuro Corojo wrapper. It’s a 5″ x 52 robusto with a Jalapa binder and three ligero fillers. This cigar blew me away with it’s flavor and construction. This is the best cigar I’ve smoked all year!  The flavor was bold, which I need in cold weather, and it had the right amount of lush, heavy bitterness that I really enjoy. When I was burning my fingers on the very tiny nub of this cigar I was really glad my compulsion caused me to buy two of these! I can’t wait to smoke the other one.  Damn great smoke and I’ll be looking to sample more form Los Blancos. It’s cool to find an exciting cigar like this one, not that there aren’t a load of great cigars out there, there’s more than ever, but this one was a surprise.

 

Once again, I’ve rambled on too long.  I’ve got stuff I want to get done today and sitting here writing isn’t going to get those things done.  I’ve got cigars to smoke before Wednesday rolls around!

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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A Camacho Corojo Candela for St. Patrick’s Day – March 17, 2010

I know, I just mentioned smoking a Camacho Corojo Candela Monarca last week, but it’s St. Patty’s Day!  This box of cigars has been very consistent.  The draw is very loose, so I started out piercing the cap with a Cigar Spike, then gave it a traditional cut after the hole started to tar up.  The same full flavor, with that tinge of chlorophyll from the emerald green wrapper.  Very heavy, yet refreshing at the same time. Sadly, I’m down to my last 5 or 6 of these.

There was a very good article on Cigar Aficionado‘s website from back in 2003 about candela cigars.  It’s worth a read: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Archives/CA_Show_Article/0,2322,1251,00.html

I’ve been nursing a cold for the past few days, but it’s subsided a bit, at least enough to enjoy a cigar.  I got to thinking that I’ve never really celebrated St. Patty’s day.  I’m not particularly religious, and I’m not particularly Irish, but, as a huge snake hater, I have a great deal of respect for anyone who can clear an entire country of snakes.  I like that.

One last thing:  I’m still waiting to hear from this month’s contest winner, Sebastian.  If I don’t hear from him by March 31, I’ll have to award the prize to the runner-up.  Sebastian, please e-mail me your address!  There’s a fine 5 pack of JdN Antaños courtesy of Drew Estate on the line!

That’s it for now, until the next cigar,

CigarCraig

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