"Italian Cigars"

History 

In the 1818 Ferdinand III grand duke of Tuscany, founded a Florence a tobacco factory where fermented cigars were produced, whose tobacco, after being accidentally wet by a downpour in 1815, was left to dry and, so as not to get lost, was used to produce low-cost cigars, which they soon encountered the favor of smokers, crossing the borders of the Grand Duchy, so much so that, around the mid-nineteenth century Naples a similar one was produced which was called "Fermented Forte" or "Napoletano".

Morphology 

The Toscano has a characteristic biconical shape with truncated ends (bitroncoconica), which have a smaller diameter than the central part, called belly. Head and foot of the cigar are therefore the same, unlike the Caribbean.

The diameter of the cigar varies slightly, depending on the type of Toscano, from a minimum of 13 mm up to 20 mm. The lengths of the various types are relatively similar, in fact they range from a minimum of 155 mm to a maximum of 163 mm. However, there are now numerous exceptions from the "Moro" by MST to the "SuperTuscan" by CTS, to the "Intrigo" by Amazon Cigar up to the "Torpedo" by Mosi and many others that have literally distorted the classic shape of the traditional Italian cigar .

Typically, the Toscano has irregular surfaces, sometimes lumpy, and the veins of the leaves of the band are clearly recognizable. These irregularities are more evident in handmade cigars and constitute one of the characteristic features of the Tuscan. They are essentially due to two factors: the absence of a sub-band and the processing that does not involve putting it into shape in wooden presses, as is the case for Havana-type cigars. Hence the nickname of stortignaccolo.

The processing

The Toscano is made up of an external band and the internal beat, also called "stuffed".

The origin of the tobacco used varies from company to company.

The variety of tobacco used for the filling is almost always the Kentucky of national production, coming from crops from various regions of Italy (in order of quantity produced: Tuscany, Campania, Lazio, Umbria, Veneto). Only in the case of the band leaf some brands often use Kentucky leaves of North American production, as they are larger and wider.

For specific organoleptic characteristics, Kentucky leaves from southern Italy (Beneventano) are used, to obtain cigars with a sweeter and less aggressive flavour.

After harvesting, the leaves undergo a period of seasoning and are treated with fire (fire-cured) which also gives its name to the commercial variety to which Kentucky tobacco belongs.

During this stage the leaves are placed neatly for the strings in special rooms equipped with "hanging" systems and air intakes for humidity regulation. The regulation of the temperature and of the smoking of the tobacco takes place through the increase or decrease of the fire of non-resinous woods (usually oak, durmast or Turkey oak) placed without a fireplace in the treatment room.

This complex procedure makes possible the complete maturation of the Kentucky tobacco which passes, throughout the entire process and thanks to skilful and continuous variations of temperature and humidity in the curing room, through four phases:

• Yellowing phase (due to leaf chlorophyll degradation).
• Browning phase (by oxidation of the plant components of the leaf).
• Drying phase of the leaf blade.
• Rib drying stage.

Subsequently the leaves are collected in bundles and generally staged in ballots. In the subsequent phase of first transformation or pre-manufacturing, the wrapping leaves and the leaves for the mixture that will form the filling of the cigar are selected.

The raw material then passes into the skilled hands of the cigar makers who will complete the production of this all-Italian pride.