JC Newman

May 17, 2022

Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon (6 1/4 x 42)





Video review HERE.


(Description provided by JC Newman Cigar Co.)

Julius Caeser Newman founded his cigar company on May 5, 1895. This year J.C. Newman Cigar Company is celebrating their 127th anniversary.  In celebration, J.C. Newman is releasing the new Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon cigar as an exclusive at its historic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa, Florida.

 Fourth-generation owner, Drew Newman, explains:

 “After the Cuban Embargo was imposed in 1962, my grandfather, Stanford J. Newman, scoured the world for new types of tobacco. He discovered exquisite African Cameroon Wrapper (ACW) and was the first premium cigar maker to use it in the United States. Stanford wrapped ACW with a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and long filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic to create the Cuesta-Rey No. 95. It was smooth, elegant, and flavorful, and became the top-selling premium cigar in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.  Sixty years later, we are proud to have recreated the original blend of my grandfather’s most famous cigar, the Cuesta-Rey No. 95.”

Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon is handmade in J.C. Newman’s historic El Reloj cigar factory in the “Cigar City” of Tampa, Florida.  It’s a 6.25 x 42 cigar that retails for $15 each.  Beginning today, J.C. Newman is selling this special cigar in limited edition packs of 5 cigars as a factory exclusive.  Cigar enthusiasts who visit J.C. Newman’s cigar museum, take a factory tour, or attend a special event at its El Reloj factory will be able to enjoy this very special cigar.


The cigar is medium brown and has an average feel in the hand.




The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were sweet peach, a little earthiness, brown sugar, nutmeg, and worn leather. There was black pepper rated at 6 to 6 1/2; rather light. But, the nice sweet peach notes make up for it.



At the first third (22 minutes) the ash is intact and looks quite dense. It's very beautiful. In the first third the flavors have developed nicely. The peach is very sweet with a touch of tangy note. There is also brown sugar, pasty nutmeg, and leather. The sweet peach notes are in a higher percentage than the worn leather. The black pepper has improved. It's now around 7 or so. The finish is a touch of peach, nutmeg, and leather with pretty good lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied. The cigar is very sweet and I like sweet. I rated the first third 94.




As I moved through the second third (47 minutes) the only thing that changed was the earthiness that I mentioned at light up increased, but only slightly. It certainly didn't hurt the cigar much but it did increase. The cigar is still medium bodied. The finish is a little more peach and leather with very good lingering black pepper. The black pepper is increasing. I rated the second third 93.




The cigar lasted 1 hour 8 minutes. Two things happened in the final third; the black pepper increased and the earthiness went away. The sweet peach came back to it's flavorful amount it had in the first third. There is also nice brown sugar to make it even sweeter. The leather got to a very manageable amount. The black pepper is better now than it was in the first third. The cigar is still medium bodied. The finish is primarily peach with light leather and very good lingering black pepper. I rated the final third 94. This is a very good cigar and if you get a chance to smoke it you should.




Overall Score: 93.67

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