J.C. Newman Creates Lego Replica of its El Reloj Factory

Building your own cigar factory just got a whole lot easier.

J.C. Newman Cigar Co. has announced that it will begin selling a Lego replica of its El Reloj cigar factory and headquarters in Tampa. El Reloj is Spanish for the clock, and the factory’s iconic clock tower is prominent in the 201-piece set. While the set uses authentic Lego bricks, it is not a licensed Lego product.

Pricing is set at $100 and it will be sold at J.C. Newman’s factory gift shop, where the company also sells exclusive cigars, as well as on its online store.

“When I was a little kid, I spent lots of time in our historic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa, including countless hours on the floor of my dad’s office playing with LEGOs,” said Drew Newman, the company’s fourth generation owner, in a press release. “I loved LEGOs and I love our iconic building. I am very excited to bring both of these loves together with our new El Reloj LEGO set.”

When built, the set measures 6.5 inches x 6 x 4. While the set is not a scale replica, the backside of the model shows the inside of two floors, one of which with the clock tower movement and another with bales of tobacco in the factory’s basement.

“I am very grateful to Sherry and Alex Kalita of our design partner Common Bond Design for creating this wonderful way to honor our beloved and world famous cigar factory,” said Newman.

While most of J.C. Newman’s premium cigars are made in its factory in Nicaragua or by Arturo Fuente in the Dominican Republic, the company makes roughly 100,000 cigars per day using vintage machines at El Reloj. In addition, lines like The American and Angel Cuesta are rolled at El Reloj.

Drew Newman spearheaded a multi-year renovation of the factory, which included an emphasis on increasing tourism to the factory. The company now offers free unguided tours of the factory, hosts multiple guided tours per day and has begun introducing cigar rolling classes.