Though not the first place that comes to mind when thinking about tobacco, the state of Pennsylvania has a long and rich history of tobacco farming dating back to the colonial era. Back in 1882, W.W. Stewart & Sons began manufacturing cigars. Today, the company known as John Hay Cigars carries on this rich tradition. Located in Lancaster County under the leadership of the Patrick family who are in-laws to the Stewarts, John Hay Cigars relies on locally sourced tobacco to produce the Pennsylvania Broadleaf. This tobacco leaf results in a wrapper that is robust, sturdy and easily burnable. The humid climate and rich soil of the area, in the heart of Amish country, impart an unmistakable taste to the wrapper that is at once spicy and sweet with leathery notes.
The company’s cigars are named for 19th century diplomat John Hay, who had a long and illustrious career in public office serving no less than three America presidents – Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. John Hay was also the diplomat whose agile negotiations led the way toward the building of the Panama Canal under President Roosevelt. Legend has it that original founder W.W. Stewart sent Hay a box of the company’s cigars in the late 1880s when cigarettes were actually more popular. Hay liked the cigars so much that he agreed to have them named after himself. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, John Hay Cigars are gaining in popularity among cigar lovers and newcomers to cigar smoking alike. The cigars’ unique core flavors make them complimentary to blending with other tobaccos to produce new and exciting flavors. These cigars are available to all our customers on our website. The locally grown and hand-crafted John Hay Cigars are available in enough sizes and flavors to satisfy every aficionado.
When you shop on our site, you can choose from the John Hay Statesman Cadet in natural and maduro, The Statesman Diplomat in cognac, cocoa, maduro, natural, rum and vanilla, the Statesman Cadet in natural and maduro.