El Reloj

It’s like a car configurator for cigar blending. For roughly $30 per cigar, J.C. Newman will roll your own cigar blend for you.

The series named for famed American artist—and cigar smoker—LeRoy Neiman received its second installment this summer. While the blend remains the same as the 2023 version, the size and artwork are new for 2024.

With the 2024 Summer Olympics starting on Friday, J.C. Newman needed to start shipping the cigars this week. This year’s release comes with a lithograph of Neiman’s “Left Bank Cafe” (1987).

In 2023, J.C. Newman released 40 humidors that used wood that was once the Staples Center floor used for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. Inside of those humidors was an exclusive size of The American, fittingly called the All-Star.

For the sophomore release in the series, LeRoy Neiman’s “Left Bank Cafe” was chosen as the artwork to go alongside the 7 x 50 Churchill. It’s a nod to this year’s Paris Olympics and Neiman’s role as the official painter of five Olympic games.

Full disclosure: I gave the baseball guy (Patrick Lagreid) the chance to write this story.

The cigar was created to commemorate the iconic American artist’s 1978 painting “Irish-American Bar.”

The humidor is made from wood used for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game’s court.

This cigar is a collaboration between J.C. Newman and the foundation of the famed American painter

The new 6 1/4 x 60 size is named after Joseph Gurney Cannon, one of the most powerful House Speakers in history.

Cuesta-Rey released Angel Cuesta in the early 20th century, named after Angel LaMadrid Cuesta, one of the factory’s founders. Earlier this year, J.C. Newman brought it back.