Back in June of this year, J.C. Newman – the oldest cigar factory in America – announced their latest line addition to their acclaimed The American line. The American was introduced by the company in 2019 and with the latest double robusto introduction this year there are now 5 vitolas in the line. The full line is now made up of:
- Churchill (7×47)
- Torpedo (6⅛x52)
- Toro (6×54)
- Robusto (4½x50)
- Double Robusto (5½ x56)
Every part of the J.C. Newman American is made, grown, harvested, cured, and rolled in the United States of America.
As for the leaf used in the American, the company turned to Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of Corona Cigar Company and his Florida Sun Grown farm in Clermont, Florida for the wrapper. They then incorporated a broadleaf binder that was sourced from the Connecticut River Valley – Foster Farm – that has been growing tobacco for 7 generations. When it came to fillers, they reached out to the Pennsylvania Amish from Lancaster, PA and also added some more of the broadleaf from the Foster Farm and amped it up with some added Pennsylvania ligero. So in summary, the American is a truly an USA Puro simply described as:
- Wrapper – Florida Sun Grown
- Binder – Connecticut Broadleaf
- Filler – Pennsylvania and Connecticut
J.C. Newman went even further to keep this 100% American by using molds created by HSA Cigar Molds located in Dade County, FL. The wooden boxes were sourced from Millennium Wood Box from Miami which used American grown basswood and all the hardware on the box is American made. Florida based Action Label printed the bands and even the cellophane was purchased from Technical Packaging in Pennsylvania.
The J.C. Newman – American Double Robusto has an MSRP set at $17.50/cigar and comes packaged in 20-count boxes. The line is limited in supply and available only in select shops. I do know these can be found in Corona Cigars both in their retail shops and their online store and also at the shop in J.C. Newman’s El Reloj Cigar Factory in Tampa.
Drew Newman, great-grandson of company founder J.C. Newman. stated:
“The American speaks to the heart of who we are: a four-generation, 124-year-old, American family business. Our country’s rich premium cigar tradition dates to the Colonial Era. As an American, I wanted to prove that we could hand roll a world-class cigar in the United States using American tobaccos. I am thrilled that we have created an outstanding all-American cigar.”
For this review, I sampled two J.C. Newman “The American” Double Robustos which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The J.C. Newman – American Double Robusto is a beautifully constructed cigar. It has a marbled medium brown wrapper that has some noticeable veins running along the barrel. The cigar is solid to the touch and seems to be well packed from head to foot. A well applied triple cap completes the presentation.
A single band adorns the American that tells a story unto itself. It is designed as a shield with gold border and their are four panels. The top left displays the iconic American eagle, the top right displays the Puerto Rico Flag. The bottom left displays the red and white stripes of the USA flag and the bottom right displays a flowering tobacco plant. The top of the band declares this as “The American”.
If you are wondering why the Puerto Rico flag is incorporated into the band, the Company’s website explains:
“With The American, we have recreated the original shield and cigar band from the late 1800s. Many have asked why The American’s shield includes the Puerto Rican flag. Like Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico has a rich tobacco heritage. Puerto Rican revolutionaries exiled in New York City created a flag similar to Cuba’s to support their campaign to liberate the island from Spanish rule. In support of this fight for independence, this flag design was incorporated into The American shield and cigar band when the brand was created in the late 1800s. Puerto Rico adopted this design as its official flag many decades later in 1952.”
Running the American along the nose, I detected a natural tobacco sweetness along the barrel and light earthy notes off the foot.
Using my cigar knife, I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that I found to be a tad more open in restriction than I prefer and offered a black peppery note that warmed the lips and tongue.
My double flame torch did the trick to warm the foot to an even orange glow. The foot took well to the heat of the flame as I drew in the first lightly peppered puffs of smoke. Follow along as I burn the American to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- The journey starts with a light pepper note
- Rich cedar notes quickly form on top of the pepper
- Light grey ash forms above a thin char line
- Thick creamy smoke fills the palate
- Butter notes enter, wrapping the solid cedar core
- Ash fell in a nice chunk, revealing a well formed and centered burn cone
- Gentle spice notes join the profile midway
- Pleasant nut aroma wafts off the foot
- Strength ratchets up a notch
- Not much development down to the nub but pleasant in consistent flavor and aroma
- Medium to full in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 25 minutes
Final Analysis
The J.C. Newman – The American Double Robusto, though not overly complex, was a well balanced and excellently constructed cigar. With a solid core of rich cedar notes, it offered enticing nuances of pepper, butter, and spice along with a pleasant nut aroma. It did showcase the added ligero as it got deep in the burn moving to a solid medium to full in strength. The burn was spectacular with a full volume of thick creamy smoke from foot to nub. This a cigar most any enthusiast would and should enjoy. My only point deduction is the open draw that I would say allowed the cigar to burn a tad faster, coming in at 1 hour and 25 minutes. This is still worth grabbing a 5 pack of and I rate it a solid 95.
Point Deductions: (-1) Open draw
Bonus Points: (+1) Pristine Burn; (+1) Pleasurable Experience Across Multiple Samples
