Tag Archives: J.C.Newman

by | October 9, 2022 · 10:02 am

Epic, La Sirena and Brickhouse Cigars

There was a lot of news last week, and I didn’t get to most of them, but one I wanted to touch on was from Scandinavian Tobacco Group, STG, owner of General and Forged Cigars and. Cigars International. The press release was announcing an exclusive with Southern Draw, but what I found interesting was that this was the first time I had heard of Cigora, as explained below:

 

About Cigora
Launched in August 2022, Cigora is an exclusive cigar community and ecommerce site that represents the future of cigars online. With a clean, modern aesthetic, the site includes a robust online forum with informative content, unique discussion boards, and an ecommerce section that features top-shelf cigars as well as rare, limited-edition releases from brands including but not limited to Davidoff, Ashton, Tatuaje, Viaje and others. A rewards program, invitation-only virtual events and exclusive members-only content round out the site’s wide range of offerings.Cigora is open to all consumers of legal smoking age.

 

I don’t have a problem with this, I just find it curious that I hadn’t heard about it.  Maybe it’s all over the Cigarworld forums, which is General’s online presence. Does Cigora replace Cigarworld?  It’s hard to tell.  I see some familiar names in the forum, so I’m not sure how this escaped my notice.  That being said, I’m terrible about participating in website based forums! Still, it’s something I’ll explore. 

 

Let’s get to the cigars!  After a couple of trade show samples that I just didn’t like, I tried a new-to-me cigar from Dean Parsons’ Epic Cigars. Dean gave me this one at the TPE show, it’s the Epic Police 299, which is an homage to his police service in Canada. The 299 is his regimental number in the department.  The cigar is made inthe DR, has a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Cameroon binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. It’s a 6½” x 54 cigar.  I like that size, it’s a wonder it lasted this long in the humidor.  This was a terrific cigar.  I am a fan of the Epic Maduros, and the San Andrés, and this was a nice addition to the line. I got some espresso, and dark fruits, and it burned very well. It was a nice recovery from a couple not-so-good cigars the night before. 

 

I finally had the right amount of time yesterday to smoke the new addition to the La Sirena Mexican Mermaid line, the 4×54. Any guesses what size it is?  They skipped the large band on this one, going with just the small band that they usually put under the big one.  I really like the Mexican Mermaid blend, it suits my palate perfectly. It’s unlike other San Andrés blends in that it’s a little meatier I think.  I liked this new size, better than the “Lancero”, which is more of a lonsdale, but not quite as much as the Toro.  That might change as I will certainly try to sample more of these in the future. It’s a nice little size.  

 

Finally, it’s Bricktoberfest this month, and J.C. Newman has come out with a special Bricktoberfest 2022 Brick House cigar, a pigtailed 6″ x 52 cigar, a limited edition with a Nicaraguan wrapper from Jalapa and dual binders from Estelí and Condega over Nicaraguan fillers. The are running a promotion where if you buy 7 cigars you get a boot-shaped beer glass, which they erroneously call “Das Boot”.  Of course, in German, Das Boot means “The Boat”. It should be “der Stiefel”, but the boot shaped glasses have a long history for some reason.  Some stories about military hazings involving drinking beer out of an actual boot or something. The cigar was quite good, and I like the Brick House line, especially the maduro. I found it quite enjoyable, it’s a fairly straightforward cigar, but what it has tastes good to the end.  

 

That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

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by | September 18, 2022 · 9:56 am

El Baton Cigars and a Macanudo Inspirado Jamao

I’m, once again, writing from the back porch while I enjoy a new Macanudo cigar.  I’m desperately hanging on to summer!  It’s technically the last weekend of summer, cigars are one of the coping mechanisms I have to avoid slipping into depression.  I’ll stop whining about this eventually!  I had a few cigars this week, one that I planned to feature today, but burned so badly it was a pain in the ass and I decided to see if I can get another to try.  It’s a shame too, because I really was looking forward to the cigar. I did smoke two cigars last night that I wanted to talk about.  J.C. Newman Cigars was kind enough to share a couple of the new El Baton Belicosos with me. This is a cigar that’s been around for a while, so I dug out one of the old ones and smoked both to compare.  The Belicoso is 5″ x 56, with an Ecuador “Havana” wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and fillers.  These are supposed to retail in the $8-9 range, I want to say that they were more of a budget brand in previous iterations, but maybe this is the new budget range?  I won’t begrudge them the price, as this new offering is really quite good.  It has a pleasing flavor, not too mild, nor too strong, with some nice sweet wood and spice.  I followed it with an older robusto. I can’t recall how long I’ve had this cigar, but it has to be close to 7 or 8 years.  The old version was nowhere near as refined as the new.  There were similarities, but, even after years in the humidor, there were rough edges. I might even say there were some “off” flavors, but it’s so hard to really judge a cigar when it’s the second cigar of the evening. It seems to me that the new version is far superior, and well worth the money.  

 

I’m smoking the Macadudo Inspirado Jamao as I type.  Clearly I’m not writing with the cigar, as another writer pointed out on my Instagram post.  It was semantics, and I’m anti-semantic.  This is something like the sixth cigar in the Inspirado line.  I really like the White, Black, and Red, with the Green being pretty good and I never took a shine to the Orange. There’s another Connecticut in the lineup too, the Brazilian Shade, with was pretty good.  This Jamao is pretty good, especially first thing in the morning.  The wrapper is the interesting part, being a hybrid of Handuran (Jamatran) and Dominican (Mao) tobacco, a Habano varietal.  It’s very good, but to my very basic palate, isn’t every distinctive.  It’s a good tasting cigar, on my ranking of Inspirados it’s right above the Orange.  I feel like the should have put “Jamao” on the band somewhere.  Good smoke, don’t avoid trying it!  Inspirados are generally reasonably priced.  As I sit here smoking it, it’s definitely good way to start a Sunday.

 

That’s all for today, I hope we have a few more nice Sunday mornings before I have to get the heater out and close in the porch.   Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | August 24, 2022 · 5:00 pm

News: J.C.Newman Ships New Diamond Crown Black Cigars

 

I’ve long been a fan of the Diamond Crown line, with the darker wrapped versions bring my favorite. I recall smoking one of these three years or so ago and really liking it.  Please read on: 

Today, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. is shipping its new Diamond Crown Black Diamond cigars to premium cigar retailers across the United States.
Drew Newman holding the new El Baton cigars with old El Baton sign next to him.
Diamond Crown Black Diamond Cigars are the pinnacle of J.C. Newman’s Diamond Crown luxury cigar brand.  First introduced in 2016, Diamond Crown Black Diamond cigars are hand rolled in Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic.  They feature an elegant and flavorful Connecticut Havana wrapper with a blend of very well-aged Dominican binder and filler tobaccos.

“My grandfather, Stanford J. Newman, told me that his father, J.C. Newman taught him that we should aim to do something better every day,” said Drew Newman, general counsel, and fourth-generation owner.  “Although our Diamond Crown Black Diamond cigars have been savored by cigar enthusiasts around the world for six years, I was not satisfied and wanted to make them better.”

This year, J.C. Newman is reintroducing Diamond Crown Black Diamond.  The sizes, price, and box quantity remain the same.  The blend has been strengthened and refined, and the cigars will feature new luxurious packaging printed in Europe.  The new Diamond Crown Black Diamond cigars are shipping to premium cigar retailers this week.
  • Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald, 6” x 52, Packed in Boxes of 20 with a MSRP of $21
  • Diamond Crown Black Diamond Marquis, 5 ¼” x 56, Packed in Boxes of 20 with a MSRP of $20
  • Diamond Crown Black Diamond Radiant, 4 ½” x 54, Packed in Boxes of 20 with a MSRP of $18
Visit our Diamond Crown Black Diamond Page
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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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by | July 17, 2022 · 8:00 am

PCA 2022: J.C. Newman Cigar Co. with Eric Newman

Can’t say we’ve had the best week here at Casa Vanderslice.  I, naturally, quickly passed the Covid on to my wife, so we are both feeling crappy.  I tried a couple cigars, but I think my sense of smell is all but gone, which effects cigar flavor significantly.  I expect I’m going to take a break for a while longer.  I need to get back to work and get caught up there, as stuff stacked up (literally) last week while i was “on vacation”.  Not the way I wanted to use that Paid Time Off.  Let’s continue with the video interviews I did at the PCA show.  I want to thank Ed O’Neil for helping out with the camera work. He had been at the show with Kevin (CigarProp), and needed something to do on Sunday and generously offered to help me out.  My set-up isn’t as fancy as Kevin’s, but we got the job done. I had a nice talk with Eric Newman of J.C. Newman, makers of some of my favorite cigars.  In the video he talks about the new El Baton cigars, the Diamond Crown Black Diamond, and the Cuesta Rey made in the Tampa Factory.  Of course, their booth featured a cardboard replica of the El Reloj factory in Tampa, which was quite impressive.

 

 

Thanks to Eric for taking the time and to Sydney for her hospitality!  I was able to finally meet Adria, who has been my contact there for several years, in her last official event with the company. Maybe we’ll see her around Philly sometime! That’s all for today. until the next time,

 

CigarCraig 

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by | May 8, 2022 · 9:42 am

Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon Cigar and Random Thoughts

This week J.C. Newman announced the release of the Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon to celebrate the 127th anniversary of the company.  It’s going to be a factory exclusive, so one will have to visit the El Reloj factory to get them.  The cigar is a 6½” x 42 lonsdale with an African Cameroon wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder and Dominican fillers.  They’ve put a $15 per cigar price on this and will sell them in 5-packs.  Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that Cuesta Rey No 95 used to be sold in three or five packs in most pharmacies that sold cigars. There were bundles of Craftsman’s Bench in several varieties, Berings, a bunch of cigars in tins, Macanudo Ascots, and Cuesta Reys.  I’m quite sure I’m remembering this right.  I don’t think I ever bought any cigars at the drugstores, they weren’t in humidors, and, at the time when the drugstores still sold tobacco, I had plenty of good options to get properly stored and curated selections of cigars. It was nice to know these were available in an emergency! I do understand why pharmacies got away from selling tobacco products, but they sell a whole lot of other unhealthy stuff there, so it’s a little hypocritical. Anyway, here’s a little excerpt from the J.C. Newman press release:

 

“After the Cuban Embargo was imposed in 1962, my grandfather, Stanford J. Newman, scoured the world for new types of tobacco. He discovered exquisite African Cameroon Wrapper (ACW) and was the first premium cigar maker to use it in the United States. Stanford wrapped ACW with a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and long filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic to create the Cuesta-Rey No. 95. It was smooth, elegant, and flavorful, and became the top-selling premium cigar in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.  Sixty years later, we are proud to have recreated the original blend of my grandfather’s most famous cigar, the Cuesta-Rey No. 95.”  – Drew Newman
 

Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon is handmade in J.C. Newman’s historic El Reloj cigar factory in the “Cigar City” of Tampa, Florida.  It’s a 6.25 x 42 cigar that retails for $15 each.  Beginning today, J.C. Newman is selling this special cigar in limited edition packs of 5 cigars as a factory exclusive.  Cigar enthusiasts who visit J.C. Newman’s cigar museum, take a factory tour, or attend a special event at its El Reloj factory will be able to enjoy this very special cigar.   

 

It’s impressive that the cigar is made in the Tampa factory, which accounts for the price being what it is.  I had the good fortune to smoke a couple of these this week. It’s been a long time since I smoked a 95, a long, long time. I want to say the standard No. 95 is made by Fuente in the DR, and doesn’t have the Broadleaf binder, but I could be mistaken.  Had I taken the time and thought about it, I would done a comparison, but I’ve been lazy lately.  I’ve found myself smoking a lot of cigars that I like lately and not smoking new stuff. Selfish, I know. Anyway, this was a really good tasting cigar. Actually, the first one annoyed me a little as the first half failed to burn very well and didn’t really get going until the second half, but the second one was perfect.  It had the nutty “Camerooniness” that I expect, with some sweetness from the broadleaf.  It was unique enough to be special, and worth trying. Visiting El Reloj is on my list of things I want to do in the near future, it’s just a matter of making my way south sometime soon. 

 

Since I spent the week smoking some cigars I know I liked, I really don’t have much else to talk about today. I was impressed with the mentions of cigars on NBC’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby yesterday. I know cigars are a tradition there, but they could easily have censored them.  There was probably something stupid that someone did or said that I thought about talking about, but I can’t think of it now.  I did hear that the Smokin’ Tabacco CFCF Charity Raffle has been extended, so check out https://go.rallyup.com/smokintabacco/Campaign/Details and get in on that.  Also, don’t forget the Red Meat Lovers Club Battleship, Beef and Bourbon for the Ship event in June. Tickets are available here. That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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