Description
Born in 1875 in a small Hungarian village, Julius Newman and his family sailed across the Atlantic in 1888 in search of the American Dream. With no middle name, Julius was required to choose one before workers could complete his entry paperwork. Stumped, he solicited help from the immigration officer who suggested Caesar, after the great Roman. Julius relished in the thought of being named after a historic leader and conqueror but due to a typo by the attendant – Caeser was spelled with an “e”. Thus Julius Caeser (J.C.) Newman, American citizen, was born.
Unlike his brothers who became tailors, J.C. had a yearning to make cigars. So, his mother paid an experienced cigar maker $3.00 a month to teach her young son the art of hand cigar rolling. Little did J.C. know that day in May 1895, when he started his company and hand-rolled his first 500 cigars for the family grocer, that he was establishing a family legacy that would be flourishing four generations later. In fact, of the 42,000 cigar manufacturers licensed in 1895, J.C. Newman Cigar Company is the only premium cigar maker that is still owned and operated by the founding family.
Diamond Crown was one of J.C.’s earliest cigar brands. Eric and Bobby’s father, Stanford J. Newman re- launched Diamond Crown in 1995 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company. The fuller flavor Diamond Crown MAXIMUS followed in 2002. In 2010, to celebrate J.C.’s 135th birthday and the company’s 115th anniversary, Diamond Crown Julius Caeser was released. Diamond Crown Julius Caeser cigars are meticulously rolled by hand in small batches by Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic. As with all Diamond Crown cigars, Julius Caeser is held to the highest standard of quality control.
You will discover that it is the especially flavorful Ecuadorian Havana-seed wrappers combined with a smooth, robust blend of fine Dominican binder, select Dominican and Central American filler tobaccos, carefully aged for five years, that gives Julius Caeser its bold, rich distinctive flavour. Size: Toro 6 x 52. Note: these are now shipping in plain packaging.
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Havana
- Binder: Dominican
- Filler: Caribbean and Central America
- Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente
- Age: 5 Years
RATINGS:
- Cigar Aficionado: Top 25 Cigars of 2011 and 2014
- Cigar & Spirits: Cigar of the Year 2017
- Cigar Insider: 93
- Cigar Journal: 94
- Cigar Snob: 92
- Smoke Magazine: 93
About JC Newman Cigars
In 1895, a young Hungarian immigrant named Julius Caeser Newman rolled his first cigar in the family barn in Cleveland, Ohio. Armed with a cigar mold, $50, and a dream, J.C. Newman founded what would become the oldest family-owned premium cigar maker in America. His first cigars were sold to local grocers, and through sheer determination, Newman’s small operation steadily grew.
By 1954, seeking to be closer to America’s cigar heartland, the company relocated to Tampa, Florida’s historic Ybor City, into a beautiful brick cigar factory known as El Reloj (“The Clock”). There, the rhythmic clatter of hand-operated cigar machines echoed through the halls as the company blended traditional craftsmanship with innovative production.
J.C. Newman’s partnerships with legendary cigar families, most notably the Arturo Fuente family, helped the company weather the challenges of the Cuban embargo and shifting tobacco markets. Together, they pioneered premium cigar production in the Dominican Republic, ensuring that rich, hand-rolled cigars continued to reach connoisseurs worldwide.
Four generations later, the Newman family still oversees the company with the same dedication to quality and heritage. They have embraced both tradition and innovation—maintaining their vintage cigar machines at El Reloj while launching artisanal, hand-rolled lines like Diamond Crown and Brick House, a nod to Julius’ humble beginnings.
Through wars, embargoes, and industry upheavals, J.C. Newman Cigar Company has stood as a symbol of American perseverance and family pride. Today, it is not just a cigar factory, but a living museum of cigar history, honoring a legacy that began with a single cigar mold and an immigrant’s dream.
