Antico Toscano becomes a quality brand

[El Presidente]

https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/between-past-and-future-ancient-Tuscany-becomes-a-quality-brand/

Between past and future, Antico Toscano becomes a quality brand

 

Rome 

17 March 2026 © Agenzia Nova - Reproduction reserved

What's striking is not only the speed of those movements, but the grace that accompanies them. These are gestures that link the past to the present, but also to the future, because the Tuscan cigar, since that distant 1840, continues and will continue to be a symbol of Italianness. And those thirty cigar makers who work at the Lucca factory are its godmothers and perhaps even its mothers. Past and future, as we said, because the Lucca factory lives firmly rooted in the future, a future made of advanced production technologies, modern machinery, and a focus on energy conservation thanks to the photovoltaic panels that have appeared in the immense warehouses.

 

Considering all this, it's no surprise that Antico Toscano has been awarded the title of Historic Brand of National Interest: over fifty years of history and legend. A legend that began one summer day in 1815, when a sudden summer downpour soaked a batch of tobacco left outside to dry. The unexpected fermentation gave rise to a new, intense, and structured flavor that has become the Toscano cigar's hallmark. That "indomitable strength" lives on today in Antico Toscano, which since 1973 has embodied the most authentic expression of the Italian cigar in the world of smoking.

"The recognition as a Historic Brand of National Interest represents a significant milestone for Antico Toscano and for MST," Manifatture Sigaro Toscano. "It confirms the value of a production tradition that for over two centuries has combined territory, artisanal know-how, and quality, and which continues to make Antico Toscano a symbol of Made in Italy, appreciated worldwide," explains Stefano Mariotti, MST CEO during a tour of the Lucca factory, focusing on the history of the Toscano cigar. There's something biblical about the birth of the Toscano cigar, because that legend and that downpour are replayed every day in the factory's warehouses, where the tobacco leaves are violently doused in large vats. The fermentation is similar to that of 1815, and the smell or aroma of it is the same as that experienced in Florence by those who approached that batch of tobacco that some mistakenly thought had gone bad.

Today, the Toscano cigar is the world's best-selling cigar, with unparalleled market share; it's the best-selling cigar in Turkey, and is increasingly gaining ground in the Asian country, with exports up 20 percent in the last year. The workforce is growing accordingly: 450 direct employees, approximately 4,000 if you include related industries. This related industry includes the two hundred tobacco growers spread across Tuscany, Umbria, and Campania: "We follow them step by step," Mariotti explains. "They're part of this great family." A family that industrially churns out 600,000 cigars a day, 220 days a year, using cutting-edge machinery. And then there's that great past that returns: the cigar makers who, moving their hands with speed and grace, roll five hundred cigars a day—essentially the same number of hand-rolled Toscano cigars. In short, the Tuscan cigar has it all: the earth, the plant growing from the earth, the natural event in the form of a downpour, the ripening of that water-soaked leaf, and the cigar. Which, once lit and smoked, dissolves in little more than half an hour. There's something biblical about all this.

[Hoosh]

The frustration of not being able to enjoy most Italian cigars in the US is very real. The available to the US Toscano cigars are but a fraction of what’s actually out there by MST. And to top it off, there are so many other brands aren’t even shipped out of Italy because of not being able to ship to consumers.

Reading the Toscano sub on Reddit can often be disheartening…

[BrightonCorgi]

The fancier Toscano smoke at a snail's pace. Looks like 30 minute cigar and then two hours later.

[Fugu]

Quality, eh?! 🤔 Let’s face it - while decent for what it’s worth it still remains a cheapo, borne out of an accident… 😂

Something biblical about it - sure. Just ‘cause they tell’ya it’s qualit’Itallian it ain’t necessarily so.

https://youtu.be/bm14ZLGvSWQ

[Ford2112]

I like 'em.

[Chibearsv]

12 hours ago, Fugu said:

Just ‘cause they tell’ya it’s qualit’Itallian it ain’t necessarily so.

It’s not the Ferrari of cigars, that’s for sure. More like the farm tractor. 

These cigars are so unique, they scratch an itch that none other can. Sweet tobacco aroma in spades. Not an everyday cigar for me but they are always in the humidor when needed. 

[helix]

They taste like band aids, in my honest opinion. Sorry.

[Fugu]

6 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

It’s not the Ferrari of cigars, that’s for sure. More like the farm tractor.

Agree completely 👍. And that’s exactly my point. I am not critical of the product, for what it is (meant to be). Neither critical of giving it a status of a brand of national interest and identity. I also am keeping a selection at hand, smoking them on (rare) occasion. I also do love me a hearty junk Currywurst on and off.

But now to advertise Toscani as a quality product - and what’s more, to do so by “declaration” really is a stretch! 😄

[Ford2112]

4 hours ago, helix said:

They taste like band aids, in my honest opinion. Sorry.

I want to know how you know this.

[Chibearsv]

2 hours ago, Ford2112 said:

I want to know how you know this.

@helix  Good call by Ford. Let's get some tasting notes for this as well. Fishing, cooking, or carpentry accident BandAids? Fresh or aged? 😁