YBOR CITY, Fla. — When it came time for the U.S. Government to honor a domestic cigar with the official "America 250" label — a cigar that would officially mark the nation's 250th birthday — Uncle Sam cast his gaze on Ybor City.
J.C. Newman Cigar Co. — 131 years of hand-rolling cigars the same way — is as integral to the growth of Tampa as tobacco was to the birth of the United States, a major financial catalyst for the American Revolution.
"Our only goal is to roll cigars 100 years from now the same way we do today," says Drew Newman, a fourth-generation cigar maker.
WATCH: Official 'America 250' cigar hand-rolled in Ybor City's historic J.C. Newman Cigar Co.
Not only is J.C. Newman the oldest major cigar factory in America, it's also the last. And all these years later, they just received one of their greatest honors:
They are the makers of the official "America 250" cigar.
The long vetting process for getting the "America 250" nod started more than a year ago. When Drew got word that the government deemed them worthy of the honor, he was in joyful shock. "I couldn't believe it," he says.
The "America 250" label adorns several cigars here, but the main one for this year's momentous July Fourth celebration is called "the American" — every aspect of the cigar is grown or made in the United States, from the tobacco (harvested in Florida, Connecticut and Pennsylvania) to the hinges on the cigar box.
As well as giving tours, J.C. Newman features a museum and a factory store, where you can purchase all their products including "the American."
For more on the J.C. Newman Cigar Co., go here.
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