There are some who think that allowing the public to attend a portion of the PCA show would dilute the benefits that the event provides to those who exhibit. Others think it may be the best way to engage and educate consumers moving forward. While all that is for another article, it is worth noting here because of how hard some brands work to stand out in a sea of signs and cigar boxes. The J.C. Newman Cigar Company has what may be the most iconic trade show booth in all of cigars. It is a 26-foot-tall, quarter-scale replica of the west end of its historic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa, Florida, made from 2,000 pieces of recycled cardboard.
As America’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. is the only current exhibitor who attended the PCA’s first trade show in 1933. The Newman family has never missed a trade show since then and they definitely showed up prepared. Attendees were given the first look at three new lines that we can expect to see in shops soon:
ANGEL CUESTA
Angel Cuesta is a new boutique cigar hand rolled in The American Room at J.C. Newman’s 112-year-old El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa, Florida. These special cigars are named in honor of Angel Cuesta, one of the two co-founders of the iconic Cuesta-Rey cigar brand. A native of Spain, Angel Cuesta was friends with Spain’s King Alfonso XIII and helped build Cuesta-Rey’s cigar factories in Atlanta, Tampa, and Havana. Angel Cuesta cigars are rolled with an Ecuadorian Havana wrapper and a blend of very well-aged binder and filler tobaccos. The cap of each cigar is rolled to form an angel’s halo.
Angel Cuesta cigars will be initially offered in three sizes: a Double Toro (6” x 52 ), a Double Robusto (5.5” x 56), and a Grand Salamones (7.25” x 57). MSRP is between $16 and $22 per cigar. Angel Cuesta will ship to select retailers this fall.
DIAMOND CROWN BLACK DIAMOND
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 will ship to select retailers in late summer.
El BATON
J.C. Newman first introduced El Baton cigars in 1914. The original El Baton was a 5-cent cigar rolled with Cuban tobacco in J.C. Newman’s Cleveland cigar factory. A century ago, El Baton was a very popular and famous cigar brand in the Midwest but its popularity waned before World War II.
In 2008, Eric and Bobby Newman relaunched El Baton as J.C. Newman’s first cigar hand rolled in Nicaragua. El Baton is a full-bodied cigar rolled with a blend of rich, Nicaraguan tobaccos. Unsatisfied that this highly-rated cigar was staying below the radar, Drew Newman decided to tweak the El Baton blend and create new packaging in a more traditional style that better reflects the century-old history of this storied cigar brand. The new El Baton will ship to retailers in late summer.