The American Double Robusto by JC Newman (5 1/2 x 56)

Video review HERE.

(Description provided by JC Newman)

Handcrafted in J.C. Newman’s historic El Reloj cigar factory in the “Cigar City” of Tampa, Florida, The American is the first 100% all-American cigar.  This new vitola (5.5” x 56) is the thickest The American cigar to date.  It is packed in boxes of 20 with a suggested retail price of $17.50.

“The United States has a rich tradition of cigar making dating back to the first crop of tobacco planted in Virginia in 1612,” said Drew Newman, fourth generation owner of J.C. Newman.  “Cigar tobacco was grown in every American Colony and many Founding Fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were tobacco farmers.”

The American is rolled with an exclusive Florida Sungrown wrapper, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and a blend of Connecticut Havana and Pennsylvania Mennonite filler tobaccos.  With a thicker ring guage, the Double Robusto has an extra leaf of Pennsylvania ligero tobaccos, making it the strongest The American cigar.  All of the packaging, from the wood in the cigar boxes, to the paper for cigar labels, to the cellophane that protects each cigar, is made in the United States as well.

Cigar enthusiasts who visit J.C. Newman’s 111-year-old El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa can see The American being rolled and learn about the history of American cigar making in the J.C. Newman Cigar Museum. 

The cigar looks nice and has a nice feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good with a touch of firmness. The initial flavors at light up were cedar, light citrus, citrus peel, creamy nutmeg, leather, and black pepper rated at 7 1/2. Nice start.

At the first third (28 minutes) some things have changed. There are still notes of citrus peel, brown sugar, leather, nutmeg, and black coffee. The finish is leather and nutmeg with good lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied at this point. The cigar is not quite as sweet as it was at the outset because it had citrus notes. I rated the first third 92.

As I moved through the second third (56 minutes) the darker notes of leather and black coffee rose just a little. The citrus peel is still there but the brown sugar suffered just a bit. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is unchanged. I rated the second third 91.

The cigar lasted 1 hour 14 minutes. In the final third the cigar made a rather large move up. The citrus notes came back, the black pepper elevated to an 8+, and the cigar reached full bodied. All good things. The black coffee and leather fell back in line allowing the other notes to come back out and the addition of citrus notes really helped. I rated the final third 93. For comparison, the toro version I reviewed on March 20th received a score of 92.33. This cigar is just about as good. I'd call them pretty even.

Overall Score: 92