It certainly helps that J.C. Newman got to use an existing painting from a renowned artist as the basis for this cigar’s packaging, but the company then had to execute it in a way that meets the expectations you would have from a LeRoy Neiman cigar. It did that wonderfully.
The LeRoy Neiman 2023 Collector’s Edition is a partnership between J.C. Newman and the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, the foundation of the American artist and his wife. Neiman (1921-2012) was an American artist whose bright, colorful paintings of athletes, musicians and scenes earned him both critical and popular acclaim. Also, he was routinely found smoking a cigar, even while painting.
The first release, in what is expected to be an annual series, features Neiman’s “Irish-American Bar,” but where I found the release to really rise to the opportunity was the panel under the cigars, which features a replica of the paint-covered floor of Neiman’s studio in New York City.
The inside of each box’s lid is an authentic lithograph of “Irish-American Bar,” and that artwork is also used as a secondary band. Unlike most secondary bands, these pieces of paper have the texture of a painting, meaning that there is raised embossing for your fingers to touch.
A gorgeous box decorated with iconic artwork, elegant bands that serve to both identify the project and showcase the artwork of the person for whom it is named, and an unexpected surprise make this an example of fantastically executed packaging. Even better, J.C. Newman and the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation say they are donating all of their profits from the sale of these cigars to fund art programs in Tampa’s public schools. — Patrick Lagreid.
