The J.C. Newman Cigar Company in Ybor City wants to import Cuban tobacco and has made a formal request of the U.S. government to do so.
After more than a century, the old tradition of crafting premium hand-rolled cigars still rolls on inside the company’s factory.
A century ago, more cigars using Cuban tobacco were rolled here in Cigar City than in Cuba itself. That all changed in the early 1960’s when President Kennedy essentially cut off all trade with Cuba.