At the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, J.C. Newman Cigar Company will unveil the LeRoy Neiman 2023 Collector’s Edition. It’s a project being done in collaboration with the Neiman family and the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation. J.C. Newman and the Foundation will be donating all profits from this collaboration to support arts education in Tampa’s public schools, including those surrounding the J.C. Newman’s El Reloj cigar factory.
LeRoy Neiman was a well-known artist known for his colorful expressionist paintings and screenprints of famous people and events. He was also a cigar enthusiast.
“Art has been an integral part of the cigar industry for more than 150 years,” said Drew Newman of J.C. Newman. “No artist is more famous for creating his work while enjoying fine cigars than LeRoy Neiman. It is a true privilege to honor LeRoy’s legacy by creating this one-of-a-kind cigar.”
“LeRoy Neiman embodied a richly textured blend of creativity, passion, and exuberance, which found expression in his iconic artwork and a signature appreciation for fine cigars,” said Tara Zabor, LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation Executive Director. “He was the quintessential artist who understood the intricate dance between culture, taste, and craftsmanship. His fondness for cigars was more than just a habit; it was an intrinsic part of his persona, a ritual that paralleled his artistic process—taking time to savor, to contemplate, and to create.”
The LeRoy Neiman Collector’s Edition is a handmade cigar out of the El Reloj factory in Tampa, Florida. The 2023 release is a 6 x 52 toro. The cigar features a Havana Rosado wrapper over a Florida Sun Grown binder and filler tobaccos from Latin America. A total of 10,000 cigars were produced for 2023 – each packed in 500 cabinets of 20 cigars. Pricing for each cigar is set at $20.00.
Inside each cabinet is an authentic lithograph of LeRoy Neiman’s 1978 painting, “Irish-American Bar.” The image is also wrapped around each cigar. The bottom of each cabinet is a print of Neiman’s paint-splattered New York City studio floor.
“LeRoy Neiman’s ‘Irish-American Bar’ holds a special place in LeRoy Neiman’s portfolio and heart, depicting the legendary New York watering hole where he created memories, artworks, and life long friends,” added Tara Zabor. “We’ve placed this lithograph inside our cigar cabinets to welcome aficionados into LeRoy’s cherished world. Every time someone opens the cabinet, they’re getting not just a great cigar, but a piece of LeRoy’s legacy. It’s our way of honoring his life and sharing the joy that he put into every brushstroke.
“Every cigar from the LeRoy Neiman 2023 Collector’s Edition directly supports our ongoing mission at the Foundation,” notes Tara Zabor. “The profits help us improve arts education in local public schools, keeping LeRoy’s passion for nurturing creativity alive and thriving among the next generation of artists.”
“I am truly honored that the Foundation has entrusted me to create a cigar worthy of LeRoy’s name,” said Newman. “I am also grateful to Vrijdag Premium Printing and Common Bond Design for their wonderful support of this project.”
LeRoy Neiman 2023 Collector’s Edition cigars are currently aging in the basement of El Reloj. Plans are to ship the cigars in November.
The 2023 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show opens July 7, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
At a glance, here is a look at the LeRoy Neiman 2023 Collector’s Edition:
Blend and Origin
Wrapper: Havana Rosado
Binder: Florida Sun Grown
Filler: Latin America (Undisclosed)
Country of Origin: United States
Factory: El Reloj
Vitolas Offered
Toro: 6 x 52
Photo Credits: J.C. Newman Cigar Company
I am so impressed with what the JC Newman company is doing as far as promoting cigar culture. This is a yet another interesting release from the former M & N Cigar Co.
I would love to meet “Drew” Newman one day. Eric Newman was the nicest person I met in Nicaragua at Puro Sabor this year.
For anyone out there interested in the history of what is now operating at the JC Newman cigar company, I strongly recommend Stanford Newman’s book, Cigar Family. I just finished it. Amazing stories in that book. Whoever sold it used online with Stanford Newman’s signature in it for the price I got it for is a fool!
The Newman family is completely amazing. I do not throw this praise out there lightly. Stanford Newman also wrote that Carlos Fuente Jr is the greatest cigar blender and has the greatest palate of anyone he has ever met.
My favorite part of the book is Stanford Newman story about saving the family business by using connections at the dock in Havana to avoid having his last order of Cuban tobacco loaded onto the ship to Tampa right after the Embargo went into effect. They would have lost everything if that tobacco had been boarded on that ship and a bill of lading had been created.
The El Reloj Lego set might be the coolest cigar accessory I have ever seen. Throw in the Ted Turner Buffalo leather case for The American, and you are talking about a grand slam.