Brick House Robusto

The J.C. Newman Cigar Company has been around since 1895, and it was all started by Julius Ceasar Newman rolling his first cigar in his family’s barn in Cleveland, Ohio. Once he discovered his passion for cigars, he moved his family down to Tampa and quickly had a world-class reputation for producing high-quality premium cigars. Even though most of their cigars these days are made in the Dominican Republic, in 2009 the family started working with the lesser known Fabrica de Tabacos San Rafael S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua. The family also wanted to recreate the extremely popular Brick House line that was originally launched in 1937. Well, after countless hours of research, they managed to not only recreate the Brick House line but also receive several accolades for it: since is release, Cigar Aficionado has given it a 92 rating and honored it with a spot on the “Top 25” cigars of 2010. Brick House Robusto is a Nicaraguan Puro with a dark, reddish-brown Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and a robust blend of Nicaraguan long-fillers. This medium to full smoke has rich and super smooth notes of earth, cedar, pepper, and coffee that are complemented by a toasty, slightly sweet finish. Pair it with a stout.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.