J.C. Newman Announces Revamped El Baton & Diamond Crown Black Diamond, New Angel Cuesta Line

Late on Halloween night, J.C. Newman posted a video to its YouTube page announcing several new cigar projects it has in store. In the video, Drew Newman announced a revamped El Baton, a reimagined Diamond Crown Black Diamond, and a new line called Angel Cuesta that will be made at the company’s El Reloj factory in Tampa, Fla.

The revamped El Baton line will be coming out of the J.C. Newman PENSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, with Newman saying it will remain a Nicaraguan puro but calling it “bigger, bolder than ever before.” The El Baton line dates back to 1914 when it was released by Julius Ceasar Newman, who produced it in his factory in Cleveland, Ohio. While it disappeared from the market in the 1920s, it was brought back in 2008 as J.C. Newman’s first Nicaraguan cigar. Newman said it is slated to be introduced early in 2022.

Also getting a makeover is the Diamond Crown Black Diamond, which is made at Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. in the Dominican Republic. Newman said that the cigar will go from a luxury cigar to “super luxurious,” with the line getting a new press and new bands, as well as extra aged tobaccos being added into the filler.

The Black Diamond line formally debuted in November 2016 and uses a Dominican-grown Connecticut Havana seed wrapper as well as a Dominican-grown binder and filler. However, the name was first seen in 2013 as part of a Cigar Family Charitable Foundation Toast Across America sampler.

Finally, Newman said there will be a number of new cigars coming from the company’s El Reloj factory in Tampa, but mentioned one in particular called Angel Cuesta that is named for the founder of the Cuesta-Rey brand. He said it uses a Havana-seed wrapper and will feature a pigtail cap designed to look like a halo, to play off of the name Angel.

You can see the full video here:

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.