J.C. Newman Cigar Company-Tampa
There are many fascinating places to see in Ybor City, but one of the most interesting is the J.C. Newman Cigar Company. This free attraction details the history of cigar manufacturing in the Tampa area and is housed in a building that dates back to 1910. The structure has been tastefully renovated.
El Reloj is the sole cigar factory in Tampa, which once had more than 150 other manufacturers functioning, that is still in business today. It was once the largest cigar factory in the world, but times have changed. Sign up for the 75-minute tour to gain a deeper comprehension of the steps involved in the production of cigars and access to areas of the facility that are generally off-limits to the public (additional fee). This behind-the-scenes tour will take you down into the basement of the factory and even show you a hidden stairway that was only recently discovered concealed behind the walls. Workers may be seen creating cigars in the same way they have been doing it for decades, using the same procedures.
El Reloj was widely regarded as both the largest and most prestigious cigar factory in the world at the time of its construction in 1910. El Reloj is the only one of Tampa’s approximately 150 cigar manufacturing that is still in business. Ybor City has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District, and El Reloj is included in that district’s listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
A trip to El Reloj in the present day is like taking a stroll through time. Inside the shop’s recognizable red brick facade, the Newman family continues to roll cigars in El Reloj utilizing the same time-honored, artisanal methods and hand-cranked, ancient machinery as they have for more than a century.
On weekdays, El Reloj is available to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., however visitors are highly advised to arrive before 3:00 p.m., which is when cigar rolling comes to a halt. The cigar museum, theater, rolling room, and factory store of J.C. Newman are all open to the public free of charge. Following the link below will take you to a page where you may purchase tickets for guided factory tours at a cost of $15 per adult and $12 per person for seniors, students, and veterans.