The American by J.C Newman

The American by J.C Newman

So a brief history because we're going with something unique and special for the 4th of July, a true American puro.

From J.C. Newman, "The American was the first cigar brand rolled in J.C. Newman’s historic El Reloj factory when it opened in 1910 in Ybor City, Florida.  A century later, The American has been reintroduced as a 100% American cigar, once again hand rolled in El Reloj. This brand honors America’s cigar tradition by rolling world-class cigars in America using the finest American-grown, aged, heirloom tobaccos.  From the tobacco to cigar molds to the wood cabinet boxes, everything is proudly grown and made in America."

There's not a lot of different tobacco grown in America, so using what's available and crafting an enjoyable blend is easier said than done, IMO.

BRAND / CO:  J.C. Newman
CIGAR:  The American
VITOLA:  Toro - 6" x 54
STRENGTH:  Medium
WRAPPER:  Florida Sun Grown, Natural
BINDER:  Connecticut (Broadleaf)
FILLER:  Connecticut (Habano), Pennsylvania (Amish, Type 41)
ORIGIN:  United States, El Reloj Cigar Factory

APPEARANCE & CONSTRUCTION:   Good
A warm medium brown, with some reddish-orange hues  that has good sheen and mottling with a light tooth.  The veins are all very thin and it's a smooth roll overall.  All the veins are tight, blending nicely and the triple cap is perfect.  The bands reinforce the 100% American aspect of the cigar and brings a red, white and blue color scheme.  Overall, a great looking cigar.

DRAW & BURN:   Average / Average 
The draw is very open with minimal resistance and the burn starts unevenly, but controlled.  The ash is a medium gray with tight striations and covered with oil crystals.  The ash was surprisingly fragile and fell in the second inch, catching me off guard so you might not want to try to stack this one.  It does canoe late in the second third, require a touch-up and relight but it's smooth sailing with an even burn line from there.

FLAVOR PROFILE:   Excellent
Coffee, mocha, breadiness and baking spice with a hint of pepper right out of the gate.  A citrusy sweet with a lot of zest and some saltiness is hitting my tongue.  I'm getting a heavy barley and honey flavor that I've never experienced before in a cigar.  It's a bit like that oats and honey Nature's Valley granola bar.  It's interesting because I can detect the Pennsylvania Broadleaf at times bringing that dark, charred wood and leathery aspect, but the other flavors really cut right through it.  This is off to a delightful start with a delectably creamy finish.  Then at the first inch, pepper brings a nice tingle to the lips and mouth.  We're going for full flavor wheel coverage here with building complexity and robustness that's going from mild to medium. 

With the second third, the breadiness and honey sweet is really taking the lead.  As I mentioned, there's dark barley notes to it, that I'm finding unique and very enjoyable.  The coffee and chocolate notes have pulled back and it's a little more woody.  Still strong on the baking spice flavors, good cinnamon and reducing a little on the pepper.   This all carries through the final third. 

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:   Excellent
Given the limited options in US grown tobacco to even make an American puro, this is a banger of a blend with some really unique flavors. I don't always enjoy blends with Pennsylvania Broadleaf, but this was a really nice surprise with how it all worked.  If you're going to celebrate America on the 4th, this is an awesome cigar to do it with.  America, fuck yeah!

Purchase Singles or by the box HERE

Reviewed by Sean McCloskey of The Collective 

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