I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Michael Cappellini, the North American Brand Ambassador for Toscano Cigars, about Toscano Brenta, an incredible cigar that bridges newcomers to the brand into the rest of the venerated portfolio in our latest episode of "Smoke Rings."

[Shane Ireland]: Welcome to another episode of Smoke Rings. Today we are discussing the newest release, and not just any release, an innovation in cigars that's totally singular. There's nothing like this on the market at all.

[Michael Cappellini]: We're smoking the Toscano Brenta, which is the newest release for Sigro Toscano here in the United States. The tobacco is from Northern Italy, and it's actually Havana-seed tobacco.

Toscano Brenta: The First of its Kind

[SI]: This is a first, not just a first for Toscano, but a first in Italy.

[MC]: Additionally, on top of that, the other innovative aspect is that these cigars are not fire-cured like the rest of the Toscano cigar family. These cigars are air-cured. So it's a completely different process which is why they're a different color and so forth. The third differential in contrast to the rest of the Toscano portfolio is the ring gauge. You have a 52 ring gauge here compared to the normal. No Toscano cigar is the same, with a 29 to 31 ring gauge.

It is an exciting launch for us because ultimately two years ago when we launched the master-aged cigars, that was our step in to grasp a smoker that we weren't reaching and that's the smoker that kind of walks past the Antico, Garibaldi, and Classico, because they're not in the humidor. They don't know the product well enough. Having the master aged and that beautiful tray that we created really helped get the ball rolling, and now with the Brenta release, the cigar sells itself. The feedback we're getting from everywhere across the country is just astronomical.

[SI]: We'll get into it in a little bit, but it is a very unique experience that has qualities that make it comfortable and familiar. I want to ask a couple of questions about the process, the leaf, and also the format. So we don't have a normal Caribbean cigar vitola here. It's a typical Toscano truncated cigar in a big ring gauge. Why the decision to do that and not do a normal vitola?

[MC]: The truncated shape of Toscano is what differentiates the brand probably the most from any other cigar. Our cigars are recognizable so we didn't want to lose that. Ultimately changing Toscano is a big step to begin with so to keep the Toscano understanding and the way the cigar smokes the same way, we kept the composition the same with that conical shape. Additionally, another reason that we made it a wider ring gauge is really because of the master-aged Number Four.

As I said earlier, most Toscano cigars are smaller ring gauge but when we launched the Number Four, which is slightly larger in ring gauge, it was noticeable from the very first cigar that was smoked and that outsold the rest of them.

Then the master blenders in Toscano said, well, hey, let's try doing something with the tobacco that we have in Northern Italy up near Brenta. That's what they started to do. In Campese, which is in Northern Italy near Bassano del Grappa, there's a factory up there where Brenta tobacco is harvested and air cured, and their masters blenders and cigar rollers worked with our master blenders to produce what we now have as the Toscano Brenta.

Convenient and Singular

[SI]: Toscano cigars occupy a special place in my rotation. I tend to begin my day either with an Antico Reserva or an aged Antico or something maybe a little deeper from my cellar that I picked up during my travels. I also think that Toscanos are a very good change of pace out of craving and convenience. I love being able to leave my house with a couple of cigars that are already ammezzati.

I think that's something about the Brenta that's really interesting. For a cigar in this size format, this is something where you could take a couple to the golf course and all you need is a lighter. You don't have to worry about the humidity because I feel like these will probably stand up to being carried in the case for a couple of days.

[MC]: Unlike the other Toscano, they have a shelf life outside the humidor for like two years. That's not the Brenta.

[SI]: You don't need any extra accessories and I like that convenience a lot, personally.

[MC]: Ultimately what Toscano provides for American consumers is the fact that they create smoking experiences that maybe wouldn't exist otherwise. Brenta, although it needs more of the normal care of a cigar, it still gives you comfort and nostalgia for Toscano with the cigar, but it's a new-aged, innovative cigar for the American consumer and we're seeing it.

It's flying off the shelves. If you haven't had it yet, those who are watching, you really have to try this cigar. I see this cigar as a potential bridge cigar to the rest of the Toscano portfolio because it smokes like a Toscano, a little bit lighter, not as peppery, not as earthy as the Toscano tobacco, but it still has just enough of that to introduce you to the world that is Sigaro Toscano.

[SI]: Yeah, absolutely. That's a good transition into the flavors. On the note of it being a bridge cigar, this is a very unique experience. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how this fits into everything else I've smoked previously. Even though it's Havana seed, and that definitely comes through, there is an old-school Cuban-esque vibe here. It's very faint, it's not something I would normally pick out in another cigar and compare them to Cuban cigars, but it does have a little bit of that floral quality, and Italian-grown dark-fired tobacco shares some of those floral notes.

When I think of the U.S.-grown dark-fired Kentucky versus the Italian grown, the U.S. is powerful, spicy, meaty, super smoky, and really bold. The Italian stuff is a little more refined and floral, with nice herbal notes. The Havana seed, with the Italian terroir, really amplifies that quality. I'm curious what you get when you're smoking this.

[MC]: Yeah, there's no question that that's the case. When we talk about Sigaro Toscano tobacco, the American tobacco, as you eloquently stated, is much more full bodied because of the hickory sensation from the hickory wood that we fired here with. The flavors are much more black pepper, mesquite, and molasses in comparison to the more light bodied, creamier, oakier flavors that we get from the Italian fire cure, because it's fire cured with oak wood.

When I smoke the Brenta, there's really nice notes of oak. There's still a nice little bit of fire cure, hints of white pepper on the retrohale, and a little bit of roasted fruit on the end of the cigar, especially while drinking an Aperol spritz with it. You're not getting the superior, earthy tones that you get from the Toscano tobacco, but you still get just enough of it.

[SI]: As far as strength, body, and flavor go, with Havana tobacco and old-school Cuban vibes, this is medium in body and a little bit more than medium in flavor. I'm getting a lot of flavor from it.

[MC]: You do. It's a complex cigar.

[SI]: Strength wise, it's mild to medium. It's an easy, all-day smoke.

[MC]: Absolutely. It's any time of the day. I steer clear of pairing Toscano with wine because wine doesn't always stand up unless it's Montefalco Sagrantino from Umbria. This cigar is lighter but still complex, so it would go nicely with a San Giovese or a Super Tuscan. It would bring out the tannins that aren't as powerful as they are in the Amarone.

[SI]: Back to the tasting notes, you compared the typical dark-fired flavor profile, the black pepper, the mesquite, and the molasses. This to me has the same creaminess, white pepper, and lightly woody characteristics, maybe not quite cedar, but pretty close.

That does remind me of a well-aged Cuban-made Romeo with the mild-to-medium profile. There's lots of white pepper, creaminess, and woody flavors. I think that it's really interesting because normally when I am smoking any of the other Toscano cigars that have dark-fired Italian leaf in them, it's usually paired with at least a little bit of American dark fired about 95% of the time.

Then there's earthy notes. I feel like the base of this one is a little bit more of that woody, creamy flavor.

[MC]: I'm getting something very specific. A toasted buttered croissant.

[SI]: That is very good. I think largely the finish on this is on the drier side for me. There's not a ton of sweetness. It has very lightly sweet hints that remind me of a buttered croissant or Danish butter cookies.

Uniquely Distinctive Cigar

[MC]: You already took off your band because you're smoking a little bit faster than I am. Did you notice anything about the band?

[SI]: Which part?

[MC]: The way it's put on the cigar is facing the smoker. I got people initially when we released the box saying that these are great cigars but the bands are also great. When I smoke Toscano, I like to read what it is that I'm smoking. That's the additional uniqueness that we added to this product. So now that that's over with, I can take my band off.

It really is important to understand that this is a cigar that we did in collaboration with PCA. We had a big launch party in Washington D.C. and it was well received at that point. Ultimately this cigar is going to change the discussion of Toscano. I think that if it continues to be as successful as it is, we're going to have a continued run on a line of Toscano Brenta.

[SI]: I'm loving the way that they smoke. There's something about the truncated shape. It's not terribly different from if you were smoking a Perfecto. The further that you get in the smoke, the flavors do seem a little more concentrated. I'm not quite approaching the halfway point, but some of the notes that we were talking about, the white pepper, the woodiness, and some of the herbal quality are increasing for me.

I still think that this is an all-day smoke. It's one of those rare cigars that I find not to be too strong but has the strength of flavor, for lack of a better term, that I often want. And that's a sweet spot to hit with a cigar.

[MC]: It is. You can smoke this at the end of the night and enjoy the hell out of it because it's a complex cigar, but still use it as a palate cleanser too. It doesn't leave that harsh tobacco sensation on your palate. It cleanses it. The more that you continue to smoke Brenta, and I'm not even talking about the one cigar itself, the more that you smoke it, the more that those earthy tones do come to fruition.

The thing that stands out most about this particular tobacco is the creaminess behind it. This is something that is incredibly pleasing to the palate.

[SI]: There's nice weight on the palate. It's a dense smoke, and in terms of strength, flavor, and the notes that you're getting, almost everything is in the sweet spot.

Hand-Rolled in Italy

[SI]:I'm assuming that you've had a chance to talk to some of your blenders about this product. What was it like for them working with a Havana-seed leaf grown in Italy? I happen to know that a lot of the blenders are so experienced in the tobacco industry that they've had a lot of different jobs working with a lot of different tobaccos. It's not just dark fired that they're specialized in. However, blending for Toscano and not using dark-fired leaf is a first. What was that like for them?

[MC]: For the Toscano master blenders with Massimo, Danillo, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter so much regarding the tobacco. It's more that they foresee something that can become another addition to the 209-year-old tradition that is Sigaro Toscano. They were very excited. Excitement is the best way to describe it. These are rolled up in Campese instead of Lucca so there's specific cigar rollers in Campese.

[SI]: We neglected to mention that these are 100% hand-rolled cigars in the beginning of the video.

[MC]: Yes. It's also exciting that this was launched only for the United States.

[SI]: Oh, really?

[MC]: For right now. You have no idea how many of my family and friends in Italy are asking about Brenta in Italy. For once, the U.S. has something that they don't. We're really on a special track right now. I think that Brenta is really going to bring us to a whole new level.

[SI]: Speaking about the construction as well, I do like that it still has the characteristic rustic appeal that a normal Toscano cigar has. It has a bigger ring gauge and different tobacco than they're normally using. It's a very even roll.

[MC]: Yeah, that's a special art. Rolling this type and form of cigar is not an easy thing to do. Even when you look at how our cigar rollers do it, it looks easy for them, but you have to realize that after tens of thousands of them and an 18 month-long apprenticeship, there's a lot that goes into these cigars.

The majority of our female cigar rollers in Lucca come from the original cigar rollers from 1815. It's generational, not only on the production side, but also on the consumer side. A great grandfather who then passed the smoking tradition down to the father, who passed it down to their son, who passed it down to their grandson. That's me. There's a lot of history behind this. It's an awesome addition to one of the most powerful and arguably artisanal products that exist out there.

That's not to take away from other companies. Everybody has cigar rolling in general and tobacco conservation but I have a special interest in this because I've seen the farmers harvest the tobacco. I've seen the topping process. I've seen the seeding. I've seen the fire cure. These farmers put everything on the line for this. This is their livelihood, and that's why whenever I see a cigar, I know it's their art as well. It's not a craft. It's art to me. Especially when we're talking about the blenders themselves, how they come up with the different ideas to put together.

[SI]: There's a bold level of passion behind it.

[MC]: That's what it takes for success. That's why I'm so excited to work for a company like Toscano because everything that we do has passion, love, innovation, and tradition. It's just an exciting time for us.

For those who haven't tried Toscano cigars, don't be intimidated by our appearance. I really think that even though we're rustic and different, we're not trying to take away from normal cigars. It's in the rotation.

[SI]: It's a different pace. Categorically, those of you out there that have not tried the Brenta yet, it is one of the most singular experiences you can possibly have in the current market. I'm really enjoying it. I think it fits another unique space in my rotation. For anybody out there that's curious, if you're a pipe smoker, if you're normally into your more citrusy, bready, malty kind of Virginias, this is going to be right up your alley. If you're a cigar guy, like I said, it's mild-to-medium bodied. Maybe if you're usually a Connecticut smoker or a sun-grown Habano smoker, maybe that's a little stronger, but still rich in flavor with lots of complexity. It's a fantastic cigar.

[MC]: Absolutely.

[SI]: Thanks, everybody.

[MC]: Salute, guys.