J.C. Newman To Ship New Cigars Honoring Artist LeRoy Neiman
LeRoy Neiman (1921–2012) was an American artist known for his colorful, expressionist paintings of athletes, cartoons in Playboy magazine and trademark handlebar mustache. (Remember his cameos in the Rocky movies?) He was also seldom seen without a cigar. This inspired Tampa-based J.C. Newman Cigar Co. to create a limited-edition brand in his honor, and it’s shipping to retailers tomorrow.
Called the LeRoy Neiman 2023 Collectors’ Edition, the toro-sized smoke was previewed at the PCA trade show this summer, and measures 6 inches by 52 ring gauge. They were rolled at J.C. Newman’s El Reloj factory located atop the company headquarters in Ybor City, Florida, where the cigars have been aging the last few months.
The blend features what J.C. Newman calls a “Havana Rosado” wrapper from Ecuador, along with a binder grown in Florida by Jeff Borysiewicz and a blend of filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and America. Production is limited to just 550 boxes with 20 cigars per box.
J.C. Newman partnered with the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation for this project, an organization that seeks to provide opportunities for at-risk youth interested in the arts. Both parties have agreed to donate all profits to support arts education in Tampa’s public schools.
The packaging of the LeRoy Neiman 2023 Collectors’ Edition cigars also pays homage to the artist’s work. Inside the lid of each box, as well as on a band wrapped around each cigar, is a lithograph of one of Neiman’s most famous pieces, “Irish-American Bar.” The painting is emblematic of Neiman’s style of taking simple backdrops and turning them into brilliant palettes of color and detail. It’s also said to be a scene from one of Neiman’s most beloved bars in New York City, where he lived for many years. The bottom interior of each box also reveals a print of Neiman’s paint-covered studio floor in New York City.
“Art has been an integral part of the cigar industry for more than 150 years,” said Drew Newman, fourth-generation owner of J.C. Newman. “No artist is more famous for creating his work while enjoying fine cigars than LeRoy Neiman.”
The new smokes have a suggested retail price of $20 per cigar or $400 a box. J.C. Newman hopes to turn the project into an annual, limited-edition release that highlights different works of Neiman each year. For the 2024 release, the company is targeting a Paris theme to coincide with the 2024 Summer Olympic Games held in Paris. Neiman was the official painter of the Olympics for decades.
