Tampa cigar-maker earns national recognition for America250 cigars

Tampa’s cigar-making heritage is getting a spotlight during America’s 250th birthday celebration — and the commemorative products are coming straight from Ybor City.

J.C. Newman Cigar Co. will host representatives of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission on Nov. 13 at its historic El Reloj factory, where the family-owned business makes cigars bearing the official America250 seal.

The visit, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 2701 N. 16th St., will recognize the company’s participation in the national anniversary commemoration, according to a company announcement. A custom America250 Airstream trailer is also scheduled to stop at the factory for photographs.

“J.C. Newman is proud to roll official cigars of the 250th Anniversary of the United States,” fourth-generation cigar maker Drew Newman says in the announcement. “Cigars have been an important part of our country since its founding. Therefore, it is only fitting that we celebrate America’s 250th birthday with cigars handmade in America.”

The company’s commemorative offerings include The American, Angel Cuesta, LeRoy Neiman and Tampa Smokers, all hand rolled at El Reloj, according to J.C. Newman.

The American cigar is the creation of a particularly local supply chain, the release says. The cigar uses a Florida-grown wrapper with Connecticut and Pennsylvania tobaccos. Its boxes are made in Miami, its labels are printed in Sanford and its cigar molds are produced in Dade City, according to the company. 

The brand also predates the Newman family’s arrival in Tampa: The American was the first cigar brand ever produced at El Reloj when the factory opened in 1910, the release says.

Founded in Cleveland in 1895 by Julius Caeser Newman, J.C. Newman relocated to Tampa in 1954 as it focused on premium cigars. The move brought the business into a city where cigar factories earned an international reputation and helped shape Ybor City’s economy and identity. 

Today, J.C. Newman describes itself as America’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker and El Reloj as the country’s last large operating cigar factory. Alongside its hand-rolled products, the Tampa operation uses vintage, hand-operated cigar machines to make other brands. The company also produces cigars in Nicaragua and works with the Fuente family in the Dominican Republic.

The anniversary recognition celebrates the family’s multi-generational manufacturing business, the release says. Congress established the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016 to coordinate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. America250 brings together the commission and its nonprofit supporting organization, with activities including licensing commemorative products.

The El Reloj factory offers a museum, guided factory tours, cigar-rolling classes and private events, the release says.

“When my great-grandfather founded our family business in 1895, there were 40,000 cigar factories in the United States,” Newman says in the announcement. “Today, El Reloj is the last large cigar factory still rolling cigars in the country.”