J.C. Newman Celebrates 130 Years With New Diamond Crown Size And Humidor
The year 2025 marked 30 years of the Diamond Crown brand’s relaunch, but it also signified a much larger anniversary: 130 years of J.C. Newman Cigar Co., Tampa’s oldest manufacturer of premium cigars. The company is celebrating with a large humidor containing 130 commemorative smokes.
“Diamond Crown is our family’s anniversary cigar,” says fourth-generation owner Drew Newman. “My great-grandfather created Diamond Crown more than a century ago. In 1995, my grandfather, Stanford J. Newman, and Carlos Fuente Jr. created Diamond Crown Classic to celebrate our company’s 100th anniversary. It is only fitting that we celebrate our latest milestone with our Diamond Crown 130th Anniversary humidor.”
Gleaming with a glossy white piano finish, each humidor contains 130 Diamond Crown Classic Belicoso No. 9 cigars, all made in the Dominican Republic by Arturo Fuente Cigar Co. The Belicoso measures 6 inches long by 50 ring gauge and consists of Dominican tobacco, save for the Connecticut shade wrapper. It’s the same blend as the rest of the of the Diamond Crown Classic line, but according to the company, there’s a bit more mid-priming viso tobacco, making the Belicoso No. 9 a bit stronger than the rest of the cigars in the otherwise mild-to-medium-bodied brand.
If you came to the Big Smoke Las Vegas All-Access party in 2024, you may have had the opportunity to try the Belicoso No. 9, as this is where the cigar made its debut, but the anniversary humidor marks the Belicoso’s official commercial launch.
The humidor has a suggested retail price of $2,250 or $17 per cigar. Most of the humidors shipped to retailers last month. Only 130 humidors have been produced.
When asked if the new size will ever see a standard release, Newman tells Cigar Aficionado: “I hope so. Maybe for the holidays. The new Diamond Crown Classic Belicoso No. 9 size is such a great cigar that I would love to share it with cigar enthusiasts around the world later this year.”
