Press Release
Tampa, FL, July 24, 2024 – This week, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. is shipping the first release of LeRoy Neiman 2024 Collector’s Edition cigars to 150 premium cigar retailers across the United States. This is the second year that America’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker and the LeRoy Neiman and the Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation have collaborated to create a luxury, handcrafted cigar honoring the late, iconic, cigar-smoking American artist, LeRoy Neiman. Continuing the tradition from last year, all profits will be donated to support arts education in public schools.
“This year’s edition features LeRoy’s 1987 painting, ‘Left Bank Café,’” a beautiful image depicting a lively gathering at a Parisian café,” said Drew Newman, fourth-generation owner of J.C. Newman. “We chose to feature this image because LeRoy was the official painter of the Olympic Games for decades and this year’s Summer Olympics are in Paris. We are releasing these special cigars early this year so that they will arrive ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris games.”
“LeRoy Neiman embodied a richly textured blend of creativity, passion, and exuberance, which found expression in his iconic artwork and a signature appreciation for fine cigars,” said Tara Zabor, LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation Executive Director. “He was the quintessential artist who understood the intricate dance between culture, taste, and craftsmanship. His fondness for cigars was more than just a habit; it was an intrinsic part of his persona, a ritual that paralleled his artistic process—taking time to savor, to contemplate, and to create.”
LeRoy Neiman Collector’s Edition cigars are handcrafted at J.C. Newman’s historic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa, Florida. The 2024 release is a 7” x 50 Churchill rolled with a Havana Rosado wrapper, a Florida Sun Grown binder, and a blend of aged filler tobaccos from Latin America. This year’s edition is limited to 12,000 cigars, packed in 600 cabinets of 20 cigars with a suggested retail price of $22 per cigar. J.C. Newman is shipping the first 400 boxes this week. The remaining 200 boxes are scheduled to ship in early November.
Inside each cabinet is an authentic lithograph of “Left Bank Café.” The image is also wrapped around each cigar. The bottom of each cabinet includes a surprise print of Neiman’s paint-splattered New York City studio floor. All of the packaging was printed by Vrijdag Premium Printing in Holland.
J.C. Newman and the LeRoy Neiman Foundation will be donating all profits from this collaboration to support arts education in Tampa’s public schools, including those surrounding the El Reloj cigar factory.
“Every cigar from the LeRoy Neiman 2024 Collector’s Edition directly supports our ongoing mission at the Foundation,” notes Tara Zabor. “The profits help us improve arts education in local public schools, keeping LeRoy’s passion for nurturing creativity alive and thriving among the next generation of artists.”
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 handcrafts premium cigars at its historic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa, Florida; at the J.C. Newman PENSA cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua; and with its longtime partners at Tabacalera A. Fuente in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The Fuente and Newman families founded the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which supports low-income families in the Dominican Republic with education, health care, vocational training, and clean water.
About the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation
The LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation seeks to perpetuate the legacy and philanthropic spirit of LeRoy Neiman, and to advance and share the impact of his life, his ideals and artwork in the U.S. and throughout the world. The Foundation supports organizations that promote the study, improvement and advancement of the arts and provide opportunities for at- risk youth to develop paths to successful futures.