toscano cigars - what type of tobacco seed?

[SmokeStack]

Tuscan (Toscano) cigars are commonly smoked in Italy (and the USA). They are readily available here in the USA and they are frequently sold in tobacco shops and drug stores (such brands as De Nobile or Parodi come from Pennsylvania). They are very different from your regular cigar - they use a different type of tobacco that is sold and smoked dried (crispy) - not humidified. I want to grow the tobacco used to make Tuscan cigars and I would like to know which particular strain or type of seed I should used.

 

[Chicken]

thiers some very avid cigar smokers on the board,,,

im sure your answer will soon come<

 

[deluxestogie]

My first-hand knowledge of the ingredients of Toscano cigars is zero. To my jaded taste buds, they taste like an unblended home-made cigar.

Toscano Classico Vintage is made entirely from Italian grown Kentucky tobacco, which is dried and cured for at least six months to give its distinct notes of malt, almond, and oakwood.
https://www.italiansmokes.com/products/Toscano-Classico-Vintage-(10-cigars).html

Toscano Classico is made using age-old techniques that have been passed on throughout generations. The filler is carefully chosen out of stock Italian grown Kentucky tobacco, and the wrapper is also chosen out of this same lot. This gives the Toscano Classico an extremely consistent quality. After rolling, the cigar is flame cured over fires fueled by precious oakwood which serves to give the Toscano Classico its distinct taste and appearance. The Toscano Classico is then aged for a half-year to further mature the flavor.
https://www.italiansmokes.com/products/Toscano-Classico-(5-cigars).html

Burley usually requires more than 6 months of color-curing and aging.

Video of making Toscano cigar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmXwpjSRs5A

Bob

 

[SmokeStack]

When I was in Italy, I bought some Italian pipe tobacco. When I asked the tobacconist what type of tobaccos are in the blend, he said Kentucky. Well that seems to narrow it down to a few hundred tobaccos that could qualify as "Kentucky tobacco." Tuscan cigars have a particular taste and can be somewhat harsh. Well, thank you Bob for taking the time to search for and provide me with the links. As far as the seed is concern, it looks like I'll have to do a little research. If and when I find out, I'll be sure to post the information.

 

[SmokeStack]

Well it has been 7 months since I originally started this thread and it seems like I have come do a dead end. I was hoping that newer members might be able to answer the question that I have trying to answer for some time now: What particular seed/variety is used in the making of toscano cigars. As I have posted earlier, I have found numerous sources saying that toscano cigars are made of "Kentucky tobacco" - this is vague since there are many tobaccos that can be referred to as Kentucky Tobacco. Since toscano cigars come from Italy, maybe Kentucky tobacco has a different meaning in Europe. Since every pharmacy (at least here near Detroit) has a rack of toscano cigars behind the counter, I thought there would be more information out there.

I did see an advertisement say that toscano cigars are made of a "full-bodied blend of 100% dark-fire-cured Kentucky and Tennessee tobaccos." If you had to choose a particular strain(s) of tobacco that fit this description, what would you choose?

 

[FmGrowit]

This reminds me of some cigars I rolled 3 or 4 years ago...

I had some Lattaquie 92 that wasn't curing properly and started to mold...actually, now that I think of it...I think it was infested with earwigs. Regardless, to remedy the problem, I figured smoke would either kill the bugs or at least drive them away. I put six sticks of strung leaves in my smoker (4' plywood cube) and fired it up.

A lot of the leaf molded, but I did get some smoke cured leaves or as I've learned since then, "Fire Cured" leaf. I rolled a few cigars with it and gave them away to friends. A couple of weeks later, one of the guys I gave a cigar to came up to me and said

"What the heck was in that cigar? I was at a Kenny Chesney concert and fired one up. People from all over kept coming up to me asking where I got the cigar because it smell so good."

Coincidentally, Lattaquie is a variety of the Fire Cured type.

A few weeks ago, a newspaper ran a story about Tosconos. I got a few calls for the tobacco they are made from, so I sent out some samples of my Burley I have in stock. I haven't had anyone call back to order any. When I did a search for "Toscono cigars", this thread showed up in the search

 

[SmokeStack]

I have a sample of Lattaquie that you sent to me a while back, but I was waiting until my cigar rolling skills improve before using it. I have read that it is some precious tobacco - I will have to give it a try in a pipe. Is Lattaquie something that you carry regularly?

 

[FmGrowit]

Lattaquie is not a commercially viable variety because it only grows about 30" tall.

I did a quick check and GRIN has it listed as an Oriental, so I have to do some research to find out why I have it listed as a Fire Cured.

The sample I sent you has not been smoked...just air cured. Bob built a smoker and smoked some leaf last year. It might be worth experimenting with the samples I sent you. You have the last of any Lattaquie I know of...on the entire planet

 

[DonH]

Just had some fun reading about Toscanos. I'll have to try one soon. I would think that by "Kentucky" they mean Burley. They say their unique flavor comes from fermenting the leaf after drenching it in water.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

FM, I posted a PDF here that was from the grin stating how they typed plants. If I remember right, anything that branched or had a disposition for forming more than 1 main stalk was classified Oriental

 

[ChuckP]

I did see an advertisement say that toscano cigars are made of a "full-bodied blend of 100% dark-fire-cured Kentucky and Tennessee tobaccos." If you had to choose a particular strain(s) of tobacco that fit this description, what would you choose?

Howdy Smoke,

I like having a european dry cured cigar every now and then. I have also heard that they use fire cured KY & TN tobaccos in them. So when I saw FM had a some fire cured va 309 for sale, I bought a couple of pounds and have made a couple of dozen cigars with a sheet in each one and mixed some to make pipe tobacco. Good Stuff!

Happy Holidays!

 

[marksctm]

Howdy Smoke,

I like having a european dry cured cigar every now and then. I have also heard that they use fire cured KY & TN tobaccos in them. So when I saw FM had a some fire cured va 309 for sale, I bought a couple of pounds and have made a couple of dozen cigars with a sheet in each one and mixed some to make pipe tobacco. Good Stuff!

Happy Holidays!

I got a sample of don's fire cured from a member a while back (3 or 4 leafs) and tried it with different combo's and my bag of scrap was getting full, so I thought I'd use some of it for filler, It's mostly scraps of Havana 142 and Maryland 609. and I have a small bag of scrap with some dark air cured, one sucker, and CT Broad leaf that is good also.
I used a Maryland binder and fire cured wrapper and tasted pretty good and burner good also.
So I got a pound of fire cured off don and I really like it a lot in cigars, I have know idea of what a good store bought cigar should taste like, and was apprehensive to say I was using fire cured in a cigar, but I'm sold.
Last night I rolled a all fire cured filler, a maryland binder and fire cured wrapper and going to smoke it tonight and see what It's like.
I also have been putting some fire cured in my cigarette blend and like that also.
So if Toscano cigars are fire cured, that's going to be one on my list along with the Havana 142 and Maryland 609 cigar Johnlee turned me on to. Thanks John, and Thanks Don (fire cured)
Next I'm going to order the cigar sampler from WLT after new years next week.

 

[istanbulin]

...I did a quick check and GRIN has it listed as an Oriental, so I have to do some research to find out why I have it listed as a Fire Cured....

As I read from some sources, it's said that Latakia and Yayladağ are cultivated from same seeds. Yayladağ is generally sun-cured but Latakia is fire-cured, this may be the difference. The distance between Yayladağı and Latakia (city to city) is only 42 miles and climate is very similar to each other. But I did't have a chance for comparing them (as plants).

 

[ChuckP]

So I got a pound of fire cured off don and I really like it a lot in cigars, I have know idea of what a good store bought cigar should taste like, and was apprehensive to say I was using fire cured in a cigar, but I'm sold.
Last night I rolled a all fire cured filler, a maryland binder and fire cured wrapper and going to smoke it tonight and see what It's like.
I also have been putting some fire cured in my cigarette blend and like that also.
So if Toscano cigars are fire cured, that's going to be one on my list along with the Havana 142 and Maryland 609 cigar Johnlee turned me on to. Thanks John, and Thanks Don (fire cured)
Next I'm going to order the cigar sampler from WLT after new years next week.

Howdy Mark,

A good smoke is made whatever you enjoy smoking! Allot of my cigars are dog butt ugly, but smoke and taste just fine and that works for me. Plus I saved a couple hundred dollars per box or bundle. I was actually kinda surprised about the CT Broadleaf and the fire cured, but they match real well together. I think the varieties you mention will make good cigars. Here's a pic of one I smoke yesterday, I wished I would have snapped the picture before I had it all gummed up. It's a CTBL wrapper, Havana 608 Binder and Hav608/Penn Red and the Fire Cured as filler. Mighty Tasty!!



Keep on Rolling!

 

[DonH]

So I went to my local tobacco shop thinking of buying a few Toscanos to try. The problem was that they only sold cases of boxes of five (either seven or ten boxes to a case). No single boxes.

 

[ChuckP]

So I went to my local tobacco shop thinking of buying a few Toscanos to try. The problem was that they only sold cases of boxes of five (either seven or ten boxes to a case). No single boxes.

Howdy Don,

Bummer Dude! If we go into Richmond, there's a local cigar shop with several outlets called 'Havana Connections' where you can get single european cigars. That makes trying a new brand or offering much easier to take a chance on. Maybe try looking at a Cigars Int'l, JR Cigar or Thompson online stores.

Good Luck!

 

[DonH]

Howdy Don,

Bummer Dude! If we go into Richmond, there's a local cigar shop with several outlets called 'Havana Connections' where you can get single european cigars. That makes trying a new brand or offering much easier to take a chance on. Maybe try looking at a Cigars Int'l, JR Cigar or Thompson online stores.

Good Luck!

It was my mistake not to ask the guy if he could break up a case. I may go back there and ask before going the online route.

 

[DonH]

It was my mistake not to ask the guy if he could break up a case. I may go back there and ask before going the online route.

I went back and yes, they do sell single boxes. They just didn't unwrap the case. They were DiNobili Longs. They are definitely hand-rolled. They made me feel a lot better about how my hand rolls look! Looks like something I would have made. I smoked one and it definitely has Fire Cured in it. Pretty strong flavored, too, compared to Caribbean style cigars. If I were to try to make one (and I will try soon) with what I have on hand, I would use TN 90 Burley and Dark Air Cured for filler, Dark Fire Cured for the binder (the Fire Cured I got from Don are nice big, flawless, flexible leaves) and Bezuki for the wrapper.

I'll report back on how it compares.

 

[SmokeStack]

I have read that some Toscano cigars use specially fermented tobacco. I was thinking of fermenting some Dark Air similar to making Perique: I want to put some Dark Air in a press for a couple of months and see how that works out. The fire cured along with a fermented dark air sounds like it would make a good Italian stogie. I have some Italian Bright Leaf from this years crop to use as the wrapper. I'll let you know how this turns out. I thank all of you for your replies to this topic - and a Happy New Year!

 

[Knucklehead]

D&R carries this tobacco that has Dark-fired tobacco cured by the perique method. Along with Gold Leaf and a little Latakia. It might tell you a little about perique cured dark fired. http://pipesandcigars.com/riaprpito40g.html