Toscano vs Toscanello: Italian Cheroot Cigars Explained (UK Guide)

Italian cigars are unlike Cuban or Central American ones in almost every respect: the leaf is fire-cured rather than air-cured, there is normally no binder, the shape is a cheroot that tapers at both ends, and the cigars are traditionally kept dry rather than humidified. This guide explains the Toscano family – Toscano, Toscanello, the Master Aged series and the limited editions – and which one suits a given occasion, with UK prices and buying notes.

Where Toscano cigars come from

The brand traces its origins to Florence in the early 1800s; the story the manufacturer tells is that a batch of Kentucky tobacco was soaked by a rainstorm, fermented in the sun and was sold anyway – and proved popular. Today Manifatture Sigaro Toscano rolls the cigars in Lucca (Tuscany) and Cava de’ Tirreni (Campania). The leaf is Kentucky-seed dark tobacco grown in Tuscany, Lazio and Campania, blended in many lines with North American Kentucky, and cured for around two weeks over smouldering hardwood, which gives the smoky, earthy signature.

Toscano vs Toscanello: side by side

The main Toscano blends

If you want one unflavoured Italian cigar to start with, the Classico is the reference point; the Garibaldi and Modigliani are the gentler options; the Antico is the one to pick if you already like strong, peppery cigars.

The Toscanello range

Toscanello is the everyday, short format. All six current flavours use the same 3 1/8 in x 36 half-cheroot shape and are listed at about £17 each: Caffè (espresso), Cioccolato (chocolate), Vaniglia (vanilla), Limoncello (lemon), Hazelnut Raffinato and Macchiato (espresso with a sweetened tip, sold as Rosso Raffinato in some markets). The flavourings are added as extracts to fire-cured leaf, so the smoke is still recognisably Toscano – smoky first, sweet second.

Master Aged, Brenta, Terre and Originale

• Master Aged Serie 1-5: the aged premium line. Serie 2, for example, is a 50/50 Italian and North American Kentucky filler under a Tennessee wrapper fire-cured for 30 days, then aged 12 months. Sold in boxes of 30 (around £270) or as the Master Aged 2025 gift set with five of each series.
• Toscano Brenta: the exception in the range – air-cured Nostrano del Brenta tobacco from Veneto, a 56 ring gauge half-cheroot and, unusually for Toscano, a binder. Lighter in flavour.
• Toscano Terre: full-bodied, all-Italian leaf from Tuscany, Lazio and Campania, box of 30.
• Toscano Originale: the original blend – hand-rolled, full-bodied, 6 3/4 in x 40, box of 30 (listed at about £228).

How to smoke and store an Italian cheroot

• Cut a Toscano in half with a sharp cutter if you want a 20-minute smoke; the tapered ends mean no cap needs cutting otherwise.
• Draw gently. Fire-cured leaf burns slowly and hot puffs turn it bitter.
• Storage: unlike Habanos, these cigars are traditionally kept without a humidor. A cool, dry drawer is fine for months; if you do use a humidor keep them at the low end (around 60-65% RH) and away from Cuban cigars, which pick up the smoky aroma.

Buying Toscano cigars online in the UK

Check the pack size on each product page (singles, packs and boxes are all listed), and note that gift sets such as the Smoke in Style set (17 cigars, leather case, lighter) may ship separately from other items. Cigars are sold to adults 18+ only; from 1 January 2027 UK law prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. Delivery is tracked – see the shipping policy for UK and Europe timings.

Quick answers

Are Toscanello cigars strong?

No – the brand lists them as mellow-bodied. The short format and flavour extracts make them the gentlest way into Kentucky fire-cured tobacco.

Do Toscano cigars need a humidor?

Not in the way Cuban cigars do. Fire-cured leaf keeps well in a cool, dry place; over-humidifying makes them hard to keep lit.

Which Toscano is the strongest?

Toscano Originale and Toscano Antico are listed as full-bodied; Classico and Antica Riserva are medium-full; Garibaldi and Modigliani are the mildest.

Why is Toscano Brenta different?

It uses air-cured Nostrano del Brenta leaf instead of fire-cured Kentucky, has a binder, and is a thick 56 ring gauge half-cheroot – so it is lighter and rounder than the rest of the range.

What does ammezzato mean?

Literally ‘halved’. It is the factory-cut half length that Toscanello is built around; intero is the full-length cigar.

Ready to browse? See Toscano cigars, Toscanello cigars, the Toscano limited editions or the full cigar collection.

This article is for informational purposes only, for adults (18+). Tobacco products are age-restricted: UK law already requires buyers to be 18 or over, and from 1 January 2027 they cannot be sold to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. Smoking harms your health – the NHS Better Health service offers free support if you want to stop.