Soledad O’Brien Profiles J.C. Newman’s Historic El Reloj Cigar FactoryThe story will be broadcast this week on 219 Hearst stations across the United States.

Tampa, FL – Award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien showcased J.C. Newman Cigar Co. and its historic El Reloj Cigar Factory on this week’s edition of her Matter of Fact TV show. Matter of Fact is broadcast on 219 TV stations across the United States. The story can also be viewed online.  If you have not yet toured El Reloj in the “Cigar City” of Tampa, Florida, we hope that you will visit soon.

In the late 1800s, Tampa, Florida earned the nickname “Cigar City.” It was considered the nation’s cigar-making capital with around 200 factories at its peak. But, the Great Depression and the trade embargo on Cuba led to a slump in production, and many factories shut their doors. Today, there is only one operational cigar factory in Florida and in the entire country. Producer Tara Cleary takes us inside the J.C. Newman Cigar Company factory.

About J.C. Newman Cigar Co.
Founded in 1895 by Julius Caeser Newman, J.C. Newman Cigar Company is the oldest family-owned premium cigar maker in America.  J.C. Newman rolls its El Reloj, Factory Throwouts, and Trader Jacks cigars by hand-operated, vintage cigar machines at its historic cigar factory in Tampa, Florida.  It also hand rolls its Brick House, Perla del Mar, El Baton, and Quorum cigars at the J.C. Newman PENSA cigar factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.  J.C. Newman’s Diamond Crown, MAXIMUS, Julius Caeser, and Black Diamond cigars are handmade by Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic.  With its longtime partners the Fuente family, the Newmans founded the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which supports low-income families in the Dominican Republic with education, health care, vocational training, and clean water.