Pleasure, friendship and sharing...
The Cursed Cigar
When I went to my taste as a Cigar Journal panelist in Florence, we also spent a lot of time with the members of the Florence Cigar Club. There was something interesting they said. They attributed the fact that their membership was around 60, which they did not find that high, that there was no extensive cigar culture in Florence. Wandering around the streets and not finding a decent cigar shop, and the fact that a few of the members mentioned only one or two shops seemed a bit of a heavy accusation for the region that launched a brand like Toscano, although it supports this discourse.
Yes, Toscano cigars are unlike any other cigars we smoke, but they have an important and long history, especially hand-wrapped ones. That's why I wanted to touch on these cigars a little while I was there.
The arrival of Toscano cigars is actually a bit of a coincidence. This cigar was born in the 1800s with the decision to wrap the tobacco, which was accidentally soaked in the rain and fermented in the summer temperature, to be wrapped and sold only in Florence, instead of throwing the tobacco of the Tuscan Duke Ferdinad III. Production continues with the pleasure of the local people.
The construction and form of these cigars are different, as well as their characteristic structure. Winding starts after Kentucky tobaccos produced in Italy and America are fermented by moistening, processed in wood ovens and finally the leaves are rested for a certain period of time. One of the biggest differences here is that the leaves are fired-cured. Of course, there are differences in my winding. While filling, bonding and wrapping leaves are used in our cigars, Toscano cigars are wrapped only as filler and wrapping sheets by Cigarettes, creating its unique deformity. Hand-wound Toscano cigars are limited, only Originale and Anini lines are completely hand-wound. Again, the well-known Antico, Classico and Extravecchio series are hand-wound with the latest winding machine. All the remaining series are completely machine wrapped. Afterwards, it is put on the market after resting for 4-12 months.
Let's come to the storage conditions. Toscano's ideal smoking humidity is given as a range of approximately 12-14%. It is kept at these intervals while it is last resting in the factory. However, different sources comment differently on smoking-pre-storage. Some sources share that cigars can be stored at normal room temperature and humidity, while others recommend keeping them at a temperature of 26 degrees and a humidity range of 65-75%. It seemed to me that the second one made more sense, especially for the handwrapped ones. But it will be more enjoyable to keep it outside for a day or two to smoke.
To be honest, these cigars were not the type that I highly preferred and knew about. However, some trips to Toskano caught my curiosity about the subject. Now I am happy to say that it is, because I got to know more closely, though not always, a cigar with hand wraps, which I can smoke with occasional pleasure. I think you should try it if you haven't tried it.
Enjoyable smoking ...
March'17