PRESS RELEASE
December, 2024 Tampa, FL –
oday, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. is shipping The El Reloj Collection to Tobacconist Association of America members across the United States. This new box set contains 10 luxury cigars handcrafted in J.C. Newman’s iconic El Reloj cigar factory in the “Cigar City” of Tampa, Florida. A total of 500 boxes are shipping to 51 TAA members with a MSRP of $240 per box.
“America has a rich cigar tradition that dates back to 1612 when the first commercial tobacco crop was planted in the Virginia Colony,” said fourth-generation cigar maker Drew Newman. “When my great-grandfather founded our family business in 1895, there were 40,000 federally licensed cigar factories in the United States. Today, El Reloj is the last large cigar factory still rolling cigars in the country. The El Reloj Collection showcases how we are keeping America’s historic cigar-making tradition alive by handcrafting exquisite luxury cigars in the United States.”
The El Reloj Collection includes the following cigars:
-Two The American Toro
-Two Angel Cuesta Rosado Toro
-Two LeRoy Neiman Collector’s Edition 2024
-Two Angel Cuesta Shade Toro, first release
-Two Tampa Smokers, first release
“The El Reloj Collection includes the first release of both Angel Cuesta Shade and Tampa Smokers,” said Newman. “Angel Cuesta was first rolled for Spain’s King Alfonso XIII a century ago. Angel Cuesta is a smooth and refined cigar, rolled with a Nicaraguan Shade wrapper. Because Tampa is ‘Cigar City,’ our minor league baseball team was the ‘Tampa Smokers.’ This cigar celebrates the historic connection between cigars and baseball and will be introduced at the start of next year’s baseball season.”
The Newman family invites cigar enthusiasts to visit El Reloj, which is open to the public on weekdays and the first Saturday of the month. Walking through the factory is like stepping back in time. Visitors can explore J.C Newman’s museum, take a guided factory tour, enroll in a cigar-rolling class, or attend a private event. J.C Newman hand rolls the luxury cigars in this special collection in The American Room on the third floor.
About J.C. Newman Cigars
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.