Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday with an America250 Cigar!

As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. invites cigar enthusiasts to celebrate with an America250 cigar. This year, J.C. Newman is releasing limited-edition cigars hand rolled at J.C. Newman’s historic El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa, Florida, to commemorate this anniversary. The American, Angel Cuesta, LeRoy Neiman and Tampa Smokers cigars bear the official America250 seal.

“J.C. Newman is proud to roll official cigars of the 250th anniversary of the United States,” said fourth-generation cigar maker Drew Newman. “Cigars have been an important part of our country since its founding. Therefore, it is only fitting that we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country with American-made cigars.”

First harvested in the Virginia Colony in 1612, tobacco fueled the growth of the early Americas. At the time of the American Revolution, tobacco was cultivated in all 13 Colonies, and many founders including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were tobacco farmers. Benjamin Franklin even pledged 5 million pounds of tobacco to help secure France's support for the Revolutionary War.

In 1895, Julius Caeser (J.C.) Newman founded the J.C. Newman Cigar Company. Of the 40,000 licensed cigar manufacturers in the United States at that time, J.C. Newman is the only one left. J.C. Newman’s iconic El Reloj factory in the “Cigar City” of Tampa, Florida, is the last traditional cigar factory still operating in the United States. Inside El Reloj, J.C. Newman keeps America's historic cigar tradition alive by handcrafting premium cigars the same way it did a century ago.

“As part of our participation in America250, we released The American Story, a 20-minute documentary chronicling the centuries-old tradition of American cigar making,” said Newman. “The film showcases the farmers, cigar rollers, box makers and craftspeople who create The American, our 100% all-American cigar.”

In 2016, Congress established the United States Semiquincentennial Commission to plan and coordinate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding in 2026. America250, the bipartisan organization charged by Congress to lead the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, aims to engage all Americans in celebrating this historic milestone—including through licensing its America250 branding for unique, made-in-America products. J.C. Newman’s limited-edition The American, Angel Cuesta, Tampa Smokers and El Reloj Collection boxes and cigars all bear the America250 seal.

In his 1958 autobiography Smoke Dreams, company founder Julius C. Newman wrote, “I could not help but realize more than ever what a great country this is. I am filled more than ever with deep pride to be an American.”