J.C. NEWMAN BRICKHOUSE “EL RELOJ 125th ANNIVERSARY” ROBUSTO

In March of 2021, we accompanied our good friends over to the west coast to tour USF and while in town I booked us a tour of the newly renovated J.C. Newman El Reloj cigar factory in Ybor City. If you are reading my blog, you already know who J.C. Newman is and I don’t need to elaborate here on the company history. If you ever find your plans taking you to Tampa, you must book the tour of El Reloj.

Like most tourist attractions, the guide always deposits visitors in the gift shop but for a cigar lover, the factory tour gift shop is full of goodies. My buddy and I loaded up on American’s and I picked up a special 125^th Anniversary Brickhouse Robusto. When we got back home I deposited my new cigars in my humidor and forgot all about the Brickhouse until November of 2023.

I am going to share my thoughts on the 125^th Anniversary Brickhouse Robusto below. I am not sure if the cigar is still available, and I cannot really vouge for what its characteristics are why still fresh but the added two years provided an enjoyable experience which I assume was subdued by age and I would love to pick up some more of these cigars next time I’m in Tampa.

The Robusto comes dressed in the typical Brickhouse band with a special 125^th foot band celebrating the milestone age of the cigar factory. I do not believe these were rolled on premise since the American was the only premium cigar being produced onsite at the time. The muted yellow used in the bands pops off the oily milk chocolate wrapper. The cigar boasts a nice pigtail cap and the wrapper appeared rough with oil pockets, some veining and visible seams.

PRELIGHT

The aroma boasted a slight musty scent at the foot and the wrapper gave off sweet cocoa. I had to stop myself from taking a bite out of the cigar the cocoa was so strong. The cigar felt firm, a quick inspection turned up no spongy spots. Using a straight cut, I liberated the cigar from its pigtail cap and took my first draw which was open and allowed plenty of air through the cigar. The wrapper was salty on the lips, something I often get with good corojo, and there was still enough life left to leave a little prickly pepper behind.

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SMOKING

The cigar was slightly thicker than my preferred ring gauge but the cigar was a joy to smoke. The easy draw provided ample smoke with each puff which felt full and chewy. The first third was very full flavored, the retrohale provided a spicy zing to the sinus which left a tingling medium finish. My notes point out a nice rich and balanced flavor in the first third dominated by mineral and vegetal notes and an ash that held on to the cigar for dear life. As the midpoint approached cooking spice and a creaminess took over and continued through until I finished the cigar.

I felt that the cigar was not very complex, flavor stayed linear going from vegetal to cooking spice. Surprisingly, the cocoa that I smelled on the wrapper in prelight never came forward for me during the time I spent with the Brickhouse 125th. The cigar was a medium body, medium finish and not overly strong, a great cigar to pair with a libation and enjoy a relaxing evening. Construction was excellent and I never needed to relight the Brickhouse.

I would have loved to get some of the cocoa to come through and that would have really elevated this cigar for me. As it was, the Brickhouse 125^th is special because this is only available at the El Reloj factory and was a reminder of the amazing time we had in Ybor. The cigar was a pleasure, seasoned Brickhouse smokers already know how good these cigars are. I would highly recommend picking up a few if you have the opportunity.