Toscano Anno Domini 1492 is a cigar that comes from Italian-cigar maker Manifatture Sigaro Toscano. 2018 was a year when many companies and brands celebrated anniversaries, but for Toscano it was very special as the brand was celebrating its 200th anniversary. This is a cigar company that makes some very unique cigars. Long before it became trendy, Toscano was well known for working with Kentucky Tobacco, including incorporating the use of fire-cured leaf in its blends. The company incorporates a unique fermentation process. As a result of this process, Toscano Cigars do not require humidification and can be stored at room temperature conditions for years. Today, we take a look at one of the offerings in the company’s portfolio.

In terms of the name, it’s pretty obvious that 1492 makes reference to the famed Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Given that Toscano is a company that is based in Italy, it’s a logical connection to have a brand pay homage to him. The Toscano Anno Domini was introduced in 2007 on a limited basis. When Toscano was able to source more tobacco, it became a regular production offering in 2013.

Early in 2016, it was announced that Miami Cigar and Company would be taking over the U.S. distribution for Toscano Cigars

Without further ado, let’s break down the Toscano Anno Domini 1492 and see what this cigar brings to the table:

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

One thing that is different is that Toscano Cigars are not rolled with a binder. The tobaccos used in the Toscano Anno Domini 1492 are Kentucky seed grown in Tennessee (which makes this cigar a “Tennessee puro” or a “Kentucky puro” depending on how you look at it.)

Wrapper: Dark Fire Cured Tennessee Grown Kentucky Tobacco
Binder: No Binder
Filler: Dark Fire Cured Tennessee Grown Kentucky Tobacco
Country of Origin: Italy
Factory: Manifatture Sigaro Toscano

Vitolas Offered

The Toscano Anno Domini 1492 is available in one size – a 6 x 40 cheroot. The cigar is referred to as. “wide belly” having almost an elliptical shape and bulged in the middle. They are sold in two-packs.

There have been cases where the 6 x 40 cigar has been cut in half – creating two cigar units. (In fact, Toscano’s Toscanello Cigar brand already does this). For this assessment, the entire Toscano Anno Domini 1492 was smoked.

Appearance

The Kentucky wrapper of the Toscano Anno Domini 1492 had a roasted coffee bean look to it. There was a light coating of oil on the surface. This was a wrapper that had a bumpy surface and thick toothy veins. The darker wrapper did a good job at hiding any visible seams. While the cigar had a rugged look, the cigar also had a charm. There was a definite campfire-like aroma off the cigar that I tend to get from many blends featuring fire-cured tobacco. The cigar keeps to the elliptical-like shape with the bulge in the middle described above. Finally, the cigar is pre-cut on both ends.

The cigar features a pale yellow-colored band with brown font. At the center of the band is the text “1492”. On the far left side of the band is the Italian flag.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

This time, there was no cutting stage of the pre-light ritual required as this Toscano Anno Domini 1492 had a pre-cut, so I moved immediately to the cold draw. The Toscano Anno Domini 1492 delivered a mix of wood, sweet barbecue sauce, and a slight amount of mesquite. Overall, I was pleased with this pre-light. At this point, it was time to light up the Toscano Anno Domini 1492 and see what the cigar has to offer

Tasting Notes

The Toscano Anno Domini 1492 started out with notes of earth, wood, and a combination of barbecue sauce and mesquite note flavors. The earth and wood notes became primary early on while the barbecue sauce/mesquite combination settled in the background. Meanwhile the retro-hale produced a combination of black pepper and mesquite notes.

The earth and wood notes remained in the forefront during the second third. During this stage, some black pepper emerged on the tongue. At the same time, there were times the sweet barbecue notes developed a burnt campfire note that at times not only imparted bitterness, but some harshness.

By the last third, the Toscano Anno Domini 1492 had mostly earth and wood notes. In the background, there still were some subtle notes of barbecue, mesquite, and the campfire harshness. This is the way the Toscano Anno Domini 1492 came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Toscano Anno Domini 1492 maintained a straight burn path and straight burn line from start to finish. For such a rugged cigar, I was really surprised how well it burned. The resulting ash was a very light gray. This ash was skewed toward the firmer side. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.

Draw

The Toscano Anno Domini 1492 had a snug draw. While I didn’t have to re-light the cigar, this was a cigar that had a more snug draw than I prefer. At the same time, this was a cigar that still produced an ample amount of smoke.

Strength and Body

The Toscano Anno Domini 1492 is a cigar that delivers medium to full strength. There was a slight increase in strength along the way, but in the end, the cigar remained medium to full. As for the flavors, they started out mild to medium-bodied. There was a slow, gradual increase and by the second half, the 1492 had advanced to medium-bodied. The increase in body continued in the second half, but it still remained in the medium range.

In terms of strength versus body with the Toscano Anno Domini 1492, this is a cigar where the strength had the edge.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

While the Toscano Anno Domini 1492 might be different than most of the cigars you read about on this website, it’s still very much a cigar that uses excellent quality tobacco. However my experiences with dark-fire cured tobacco always seem to be mixed. Many times, the dark-fire cured products the nice barbecue sauce sweetness – other times it produces some of the harsher campfire-like notes. In the case of the Toscano Anno Domini 1492, this was exactly the case. It’s not a cigar that would replace your normal traditional cigar experience, but it’s certainly worth of a change of pace. Still this is a cigar priced quite well, and it’s one that I would encourage an see if this is a fit for you.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Wood, barbecue, Mesquite, Campfire
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Good
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
Finish: Good