PCA Magazine Winter 2020

PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG WINTER 2020 | PCA The Magazine 31 the first logical choice was for Florida Sun Grown wrapper leaf from Jeff Borysiewicz, who, in 2014, revived the cultivation of cigar tobacco in the Sunshine State, nearly 40 years after the last crop was harvested. World famous Connecticut Broadleaf, used as binder, and more recently revived Connecticut Havana Seed tobacco, blended into the filler, were both sourced from renowned Connecticut leaf grower Jon Foster. The final element of this all-American blend was filler tobacco cultivated by a cooperative of Mennonite farmers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. As Newman phrases it, these are heirloom tobaccos utilized to create an heirloom cigar. The American’s wooden boxes are made in Florida T H E B L E N D with wood fromOhio, stain fromNorth Carolina, ink from Illinois and hinges made in Massachusetts. The cigar molds, a crucial element of the manufacturing process, are custom-made by Nick Cutro, whose computerized machinery creates precise molds from American-made plastic, the preferred medium for today’s cigar manufacturers. Additionally, American artists execute all the artwork, the printing, and the design of the packaging and the illustrations, which bring to life the history and the artisans featured in the booklet included with each box. None of these details would be of any significance, other than historic, if the cigars they produced were merely a curiosity or a novelty. The materials and means were all aligned to create something truly unique, but in order to ensure that the end product was truly worthy of the effort, all of The American cigars are hand rolled in Tampa by Luis Gonzalez and Yeania Hernandez, two of Ybor City’s top torcedores. They in turn are supported by a large team, which conditions and prepares the tobacco for rolling, in addition to color sorting, banding and boxing each cigar by hand. The American cigars are a limited edition, currently available in approximately 100 stores nationwide. They are available in boxes of 20, in four vitolas: Robusto 4 1/2 x 50, Toro 6 x 54, Churchill 7 x 47 and Torpedo 6 1/8 x 52. While the Newman family manufactures a number of popular and highly rated brands, The American adds a distinctive and unique product to their portfolio. As Drew Newman states, “There are a lot of great cigars out there, but with The American, we wanted to prove that you don’t have to go overseas to produce a world- class cigar.” American artists execute all the artwork, the printing, and the design of the packaging and the illustrations, which bring to life the history and the artisans featured in the booklet included with each box. T H E R E V I E W