The American, one of the most unique and ambitious cigars of recent memory, is finally heading to stores, four of them for now.

On May 31, J.C. Newman will hold two events at Corona Cigar Co. stores to launch the cigar. Corona was always slated to get the launch of the cigar as the store’s owner has a unique connection to the cigar.

The American is the brainchild of Drew Newman, general counsel of J.C. Newman and great-grandson of the company’s founder. He wanted to make a cigar that paid tribute to America’s rich history in cigars by making a product that was entirely American-made: American tobacco, American packaging, American labor.

A few years ago, Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of Corona Cigar Co., started his own ambitious project. He created a tobacco farm in Clermont, Fla., the first time someone has grown tobacco in a commercial setting in the state since the late 1970s. The American will use Borysiewicz’s Florida Sun Grown wrapper.

The binder comes from the Foster Farm in Windsor, Ct., a Connecticut broadleaf varietal. Fillers include Connecticut Havana-seed from Foster and Pennsylvania tobacco grown on Amish farms.

It just doesn’t stop there. Action Label in Sanford, Fla. printed the bands, Millenium Wood Box in Miami made the boxes, HSA Cigar Molds in Dade City, Fla. created the molds and the cellophane came from Pennsylvania.

All of those elements are put together at J.C. Newman’s El Reloj factory in Tampa, where a pair of rollers has been creating the cigars for well over a year now.

  • The American No.1 (7 x 47) — $19 (Boxes of 20, $380)
  • The American No.2 (6 x 54) — $18.50 (Boxes of 20, $370)
  • The American No.3 (4 1/2 x 50) — $16 (Boxes of 20, $320)
  • The American No.4 (6 1/8 x 52 Torpedo) — $21 (Boxes of 20, $420)

On May 31, Drew Newman will join Jeff Borysiewicz at an event at Corona’s Sand Lake store in Orlando. Eric and Bobby Newman will be at the Davidoff of Geneva since 1911 flagship store in Tampa at the same time to launch the cigar.

The younger Newman told halfwheel that the cigar will be available through Corona’s stores—both in Tampa and Orlando—for the time being. The company intends on gauging interest at the 2019 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show and will then determine future plans for The American.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2019 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.