José Gaspar
José Gaspar is a Nicaraguan cigar brand created by J.C. Newman Cigar Co., the Tampa family company founded in 1895. It draws its identity from the legendary pirate and from Tampa's Gasparilla celebration. The house favours annual limited editions, changing format and wrapper from one year to the next.
Geschichte
The brand was launched in 2022 by J.C. Newman Cigar Co. to bring together two Tampa traditions: its past as "Cigar City" and the Gasparilla celebration, the pirate festival that takes over the city each year. Its name honours José Gaspar, the pirate of Tampa Bay folklore who, according to tradition, sailed the Gulf of Mexico in the late 18th century and celebrated his victories with a good cigar.
The first 2022 cigar was a 7 x 50 with an Ecuador Havana Sun Grown wrapper. In 2024 came a 6.5 x 52 Torpedo, then in 2025 a 6 x 54 Toro with Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. For 2026, the house selected a 6 x 54 Toro made in Nicaragua at its PENSA factory, limited to 10,000 cigars sold in five-count packs through selected Tampa retailers.
