Vitola: Toro- Size
- $18.00
- Purchased from Corona Cigar Company
Background
American-made cigars are a bit of an oddity these days, but that wasn’t always the case. At one point there were hundreds of cigar manufacturers in the states. The cost of labor has made that impossible anymore, though, so the vast majority of cigars sold here are now made offshore. J.C. Newman still makes cigars in Tampa, Florida, though, and a few years ago they resurrected an old brand: The American.
Not only are the cigars made here, all the tobacco is American-grown, and everything else is American-made, including the boxes, the labels, and even the molds. The blend uses Pennsylvania Type 41 and Connecticut Habano for the filler, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and a Florida Sun Grown wrapper. You can get all the information about just how “American-made” The American is at the J.C. Newman website.
I had a friend tell me a couple years ago “Don’t bother!” Basically, he said it was terrible. Noting the price tag, I decided not to argue. Then another friend, Will Cooper of Cigar-Coop, named it his Cigar of the Year for 2020, specifically in the Toro size. I decided it was a good time to do a “Who Got It Right?” review of this stick. When the first friend was in Orlando recently, I had him pick up a Toro for me…so here we are.
Notes
The wrapper leaf was a milk chocolate brown with some red in it and a consistent dark mottling. It had a rustic look that made me immediately think, “This looks a little rough.” The aroma from it was cedar and natural tobacco, while the foot was earthy with cocoa powder and coffee bean overtones. The cold draw had very, very subtle flavors…a touch of citrus, some vegetal notes, a little earth. I was honestly surprised at how little flavor I got off the unlit cigar…not that that really means much.
Sure enough, when I fired it up, The American exploded with flavor. I got red pepper and citrus and cedar right off the bat, backed up with earth and subtle chocolate sweetness. I paired it with some fine American whiskey, specifically the last of my Weller Special Reserve. Another friend of mine picked it up a couple years ago while on a trip to Texas. Sadly, the days of him being able to pick up handles of Weller for $30 or so there are probably long gone. This stuff sells for $60 or more for a fifth around here…and while I like it, I don’t like it that much. It was smooth and sweet, with just a little spice around the edges, and seemed to pair up well with the American tobacco in the early going.
The American had plenty of cedar and citrus as it headed into the second third, but the pepper dropped off dramatically, leaving more of a cinnamon spice in its place. The Weller Bourbon was a great accompaniment to the cigar, providing more sweetness.
The only complaint I had with The American was that it seemed somewhat underfilled causing it to burn really hot toward the end. And that caused the flavors to be compromised a bit in the last third. Otherwise, I found it to be a really good cigar and depending on the samples obtained, it could be Cigar of the Year quality. Probably not my pick, but I did really enjoy it most of the way, so I will say…Cigar-Coop got it right!
