Inside America's Last Working Cigar Factory: Brunch With the Newmans Returns to Tampa
A Saturday Morning in Ybor City
On Saturday, December 5, 2026, J.C. Newman Cigar Company will open the doors of its El Reloj factory in Tampa for Brunch With the Newmans. It is a morning of food, cigars and history, hosted by one of the oldest names in American cigar making. For anyone who loves premium cigars, it is a rare chance to see where they come from.
In this article
This is not just a party. It is a visit to the place J.C. Newman calls America's last operating cigar factory, in the neighborhood that once made Tampa the cigar capital of the country.
AT A GLANCE
- When: Saturday, December 5, 2026.
- Where: El Reloj, J.C. Newman's factory in Ybor City, Tampa.
- Brunch: food, a breakfast cocktail, a J.C. Newman cigar and a guided tour.
- Also: rolling classes, the Cigar Museum, the Factory Store and Cigar Workers Park.
- Tickets: book ahead, space is limited.
Two Ways to Do the Brunch
The Brunch With the Newmans package includes a brunch menu, a breakfast cocktail, a premium J.C. Newman cigar and a guided tour of the factory. You pick one of two schedules:
Option one: a guided factory tour at 9 AM, then brunch at 10 AM. This is a good pick if you want to see the factory floor first and talk about it over food.
Option two: brunch at 10 AM, then a guided tour at 11 AM. This works well if you are driving in that morning and want to settle in before the tour. Either way, Brunch With the Newmans gives you the same food, drink, cigar and tour.
Both need an advance ticket, and space is limited. J.C. Newman has not listed prices on its event page, so check the official J.C. Newman event page before you plan your trip.
More Than Brunch: Tours and Rolling Classes
Guided factory tours run at set times from 9 AM to 5 PM. They cover the factory, the Newman family story and the old ways of making cigars by hand. For this day only, guests may buy and smoke cigars during the tours. Hand-rolling classes run during the same hours. An experienced guide shows you how a cigar is built, leaf by leaf. Both the tours and the classes are booked on their own, apart from the brunch, so reserve each one you want.
If you have never tried to roll a cigar, it is humbling. You quickly learn how much skill goes into the even draw and clean burn that most of us take for granted.
Free to Explore From 9 to 5
Some parts of the day need no ticket at all. From 9 AM to 5 PM, you can walk into the Cigar Museum, with photos and objects from J.C. Newman and Tampa's cigar past. You can shop the Factory Store for cigars, accessories and merchandise. Across the street, Cigar Workers Park has outdoor space and a cash bar for drinks through the day.
Brunch With the Newmans
| Host | J.C. Newman Cigar Company |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, December 5, 2026 |
| Place | El Reloj factory, Ybor City, Tampa |
| Brunch slots | 9 AM tour + 10 AM brunch, or 10 AM brunch + 11 AM tour |
| Tours and classes | Set times, 9 AM to 5 PM, booked apart |
| Walk-in | Museum, Factory Store, Cigar Workers Park, 9 AM to 5 PM |
| Tickets | Advance booking, limited space |
Who Should Go
Brunch With the Newmans is a good fit for many kinds of cigar lovers. New smokers will learn more in one morning than in months of reading. Longtime fans will enjoy meeting the family behind the brand and seeing how the work is done. It is also a great outing for friends who share the hobby, or a gift for someone who has always wanted to see a real cigar factory. If you live in Florida, it is an easy day trip. If you are coming from farther away, pair Brunch With the Newmans with the festival the next day and make it a full cigar weekend.
Why El Reloj Matters
J.C. Newman was founded in 1895 and calls itself America's oldest family-owned premium cigar maker. That is more than 130 years of work by one family. El Reloj, named for its clock tower, stands in Ybor City, a neighborhood built by cigar workers. A century ago, Tampa had many cigar factories. Today, El Reloj is the one that still runs in the traditional way.
Keeping a factory like that alive is not easy. It takes old machines, trained hands and a family willing to keep going. When you visit, you are not just touring a building. You are seeing a piece of American history that could easily have been lost.
Mardo's take
The more you understand how a cigar is made, the more you appreciate what is in your humidor. Events like this close the gap between the people who make cigars and the people who smoke them. We applaud the Newman family for sharing this piece of American cigar history. If you can get to Tampa on December 5, it is well worth the trip. Book early, because the brunch will not have many seats. Make a weekend of it: the Ybor City Cigar Festival follows on Sunday, December 6, in Centennial Park.
Smoke a Little Tampa History at Home
Mardo Cigars is not part of this event. We do not host or sponsor it. But if it has you thinking about heritage, Arturo Fuente is another family name with deep roots in Tampa, where the company began in 1912. Explore our Arturo Fuente cigars and our Dominican cigars.
Family Heritage at Mardo
Arturo Fuente CigarsArturo Fuente Flor Fina 858 MaduroView
Mardo CigarsPerdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel Aged Maduro RobustoView
Plan Your Visit
If Brunch With the Newmans fits your plans, reserve your brunch, tour or rolling class soon on the J.C. Newman site. Then give yourself time for the museum and the park. At Mardo Cigars, we believe a cigar means more when you know the people and the history behind it.
Now we want to hear from you. Have you ever toured a cigar factory, and which part would you book first: the brunch, the tour or the rolling class? Tell us in the comments.
Mardo Cigars sells premium tobacco products intended for adults 21 and older. Please enjoy responsibly.
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