The Toscano little cigars are a very special object from the Italian world of pleasure. The cigar is on a par with grappa, pizza and espresso. Together with the cigarillo Toscanello, the Toscano little cigars have a very special reputation in the Italian tobacco trade. The Kentucky tobacco cigar originated in Florence in the early 19th century and is characterized by strong, spicy aromas and a high proportion of nicotine.
Origin in the eponymous Tuscany
As the name suggests, the Toscano little cigars come from the Italian region of Tuscany around Florence. Here was a tobacco factory founded in 1818 by Grand Duke Ferdinand III. which produced the Toscano little cigars for the first time. According to legend, the Toscano little cigars are said to have originated from a waste product. It is said that Kentucky tobacco was forgotten in the rain during a thunderstorm that fermented the following summer. Cheap cigars were made from this apparently cheap waste product, but the people around Florence loved to smoke them.
This resulted in a permanent production of Toscano, which is now operated by the Sigaro Toscano S.p.A. in the towns of Cava de ‘Tirreni and Lucca. Over time, the Toscano little cigars were designed, which are about half the length of the cigar. In addition to its home country, the brand is primarily known in Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
The Toscano little cigars are made from Kentucky pipe tobacco, which does not actually make it a cigar. The Kentucky, which mainly comes directly from Italy, is watered before production and then dried over a charcoal fire, which is why the Toscano and Toscanellio contain a lot of nicotine. The wrapper of the cigar is subjected to natural fermentation separately from the filler. Toscano deliberately does not use a binder, as the cover sheet, which mostly comes from the USA, is firm enough to hold the insert. A tasteless mixture of corn starch serves as the glue for the Toscano little cigars. The production is done mechanically, with hand-made variants such as the “originals” or the “Il Moro” being produced. The elliptical shape of the Toscano resembles the Caribbean version of the “Perfecto”. The length of the cigar is 150 to 160 mm with the exception of the “Il Moro”, which is 23 cm long.