A century ago, Tampa was known as the Fine Cigar Capital of the World. At its peak, Tampa’s 200 cigar factories in Tampa handcrafted more than 700 million cigars per year. In 1919, Tampa’s local minor league baseball team was named the Tampa Smokers to celebrate its place as Cigar City. Many famous athletes played for the Tampa Smokers, including Al Lopez, who was the son of cigar workers and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
According to the Hall of Fame, site:
“Beginning at age 16, when he signed with the Class D team in his hometown of Tampa, López displayed his skills as a consistent defensive catcher who showed an impressive ability to handle pitchers. López played 1,918 games behind the plate during 19 seasons with the Brooklyn, Boston, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, setting a major league record for games caught that stood for 40 years.“
The company announced that the new Tampa Smokers cigars have begun shipping today.
Tampa Smokers cigars celebrate two of America’s historic traditions: baseball and cigars. Hand rolled in J.C. Newman’s iconic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa they are expressed in two sizes:
- Toro (6 x 52) – MSRP $20.00
- Grand Slam (7″ Baseball Bat) – MSRP $40.00
A single master cigar roller hand rolls only 80 Tampa Smokers cigars per day.
The company describes the blend as:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian Shade
- Binder – Connecticut Broadleaf
- Filler – Latin America (where baseball is still a favorite pastime)
Fourth-generation owner Drew Newman stated:
“Baseball and cigars are two of America’s historic pastimes. It is only fitting to celebrate the new baseball season with a special cigar that honors Tampa’s first professional baseball team, the Tampa Smokers.”
Tampa Smokers cigars are handmade in J.C. Newman’s iconic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa. This release includes 500 boxes of 11 Tampa Smokers cigars: ten 6″ x 52 toros ($20 SRP) and a 7″ baseball bat ($40 SRP). This release also includes 250 limited edition and numbered Tampa Smokers case handcrafted by Brizard in California with authentic leather used on vintage baseball gloves and ash wood that is used in baseball bats. Each case includes three Tampa Smokers toro cigars.
J.C. Newman launched Tampa Smokers last month at a sold-out event with 150 cigar-loving baseball enthusiasts and local baseball celebrities at the Tampa Baseball Museum.
Fox 13 Tampa Bay also aired a story highlighting the new Tampa Smokers cigars and the deep connection between baseball and cigars in Tampa.