“If heaven has no cigars, I shall not go there.” Mark Twain
Breathtaking art, idyllic landscapes and fascinating history. And then again delicious cuisine, heavenly wines, evocative ancient towns and a pleasantly mild climate year round. Tuscany does, indeed, have it all. Including its own, very special, signature cigar: the famed Sigaro Toscano, known and beloved by cigar smokers and connoisseurs worldwide.
Manufactured in Tuscany ever since its creation at the beginning of the 19th century, the Toscano cigar is a unique original Italian cigar made with high-quality fermented Kentucky tobacco.
It’s gorgeously robust, connoisseurs claim. Just like typical Tuscan countryside fare. And intense, like Chianti’s wines and sunsets. As persistent in flavor and seductive as Tuscany’s manifold attractions, and somewhat spicy like the locals’ wit, the Sigaro Toscano is a winning Tuscan product with a fascinating history and rich traditional heritage.
Yes, an undeniably intriguing history, seeing as this delicious cigar came to life… by mistake! All started at the Florence Tobacco manufacturing plant on a hot August day in 1815. The blue sky suddenly shifted to dark grey, and an unexpected rainstorm drenched a hefty bale of tobacco which had been left outside to dry. As soon as the sun came back, and spread its heat, the tobacco leaves started fermenting. They let out a strong smell, and, as the story goes, the director of the plant wanted to dump it all into the Arno river. Afraid to, lest the Grand Duke Ferdinando III should get angry, he decided to use it, and make low-cost cigars with a simple band around them, for locals to buy. Instead of having a “bad” taste, as the plant employees had feared, the “cheap” cigars turned out to be fabulous. Evidently the fermentation allowed for a different, unique flavor and aroma. The legendary Sigaro Toscano was born, and regular production started three years later, in 1818.
Another singular aspect of the Toscano cigar’s fascinating history is connected to its production, which, at the beginning, was carried out by women only. Steadfast, determined, resourceful Tuscan women, among the very first worldwide to obtain the same workers’ rights as men, and the very first to be granted nurseries within the manufacturing premises.
Ever since its birth in the early 19th century the Toscano cigar has been produced in Tuscany using the best Kentucky tobacco grown in Italy, and maintained its quality, unique traits and traditional features.
Characterized by a singular elliptical shape, with cropped ends which are narrower than the center, Toscano cigars are generally between 13 mm to 16.5 mm in diameter, depending on the specific type. The length of the different kinds of Toscano cigars varies between a minimum of 155mm to a maximum of approximately 163mm, apart from the Toscano “Moro” which is 20 mm wide at its thickest point and 230mm long.
Traditionally smoked whole, cut in the middle, Toscanos are strong full-flavored cigars, with a high nicotine proportion and an intense savoury aroma. Flavor and aromas vary, naturally, from cigar to cigar. The ExtraVecchio, for instance, is known to be particularly resolute in taste, while Toscano Garibaldi, made with tobacco leaves with a high sugar content, have a gentler aroma.
The tobacco used to produce Toscano cigars is choice Kentucky tobacco carefully sowed and harvested by the expert hands of skilled tobacco growers in sweeping fields near Arezzo, Anghiari, Cortona, Monterchi, and Foiano della Chiana. Expertise and technique are key, because Kentucky is one of the most difficult varieties of tobacco to cultivate. Also, the Toscano’s characteristic shape needs perfect leaves to hold its outer band together, so these must be selected and harvested very carefully, to ensure they’re intact and flawless.
However engaging the heritage and history, the Toscano cigar’s popularity stems from its unsurpassed aroma, incredibly rich thanks to an extraordinary production process. The Kentucky tobacco leaves are flame-cured over oak and beech wood fires, and then left to ferment for a period which ranges from 30 to 50 days. This phase, crucial to manufacturing a real Toscano cigar, is what ensures a deep, profound flavor. Once the process is completed each Toscano is crafted and wrapped entirely by hand, and then allowed to rest and mature for at least 6 months.
The marvellous feature of the Toscano is that it is today the only cigar entirely made in Italy, using premium tobacco grown in Italy and processed in two Tuscan factories, one in Lucca and one in Foiano della Chiana. Each single phase, from sowing of the tobacco to wrapping of the cigars, is carefully monitored and supervised by the proficient experts of the MST – Manifatture Sigaro Toscano.
Founded in 2006 by a group of dedicated entrepreneurs eager to reclaim this remarkable historic product, the MST purchased the branch of the Italian British American Tobacco company in charge of manufacturing and marketing the TOSCANO® cigar brand. Safely restoring the Sigaro Toscano production into Italian hands MST provides the world with an exceptional, 100% Italian cigar. A superior traditional product which symbolizes and represents a great part of Italian history and heritage.
