TheToscano Brenta is one of the most intriguing departures in Toscano's two-century history because it deliberately abandons the very thing most smokers associate with the name: fire-cured Kentucky tobacco. Brenta is Toscano'sfirst dark air-cured cigar, made entirely fromNostrano del Brenta, a local Havana-seed tobacco cultivated in Italy's Veneto region since the 16th century. The tobacco is grown around the Brenta River and the foothills of the Dolomites, an area with its own centuries-old cigar tradition. Even production is distinct from the classic Toscano lines—Brenta ishand-rolled in Campese, near Bassano del Grappa in northern Italy, rather than at Toscano's better-known Lucca factory. It's an entirely Italian cigar with a character all its own.
The tobacco pedigree is what makes Brenta particularly compelling.Wrapper, binder and filler are all Nostrano del Brenta, with the leaf aged betweenthree and five years before rolling. The finished cigars are then re-fermented and given anothersix months of aging, softening the tobacco while preserving its aromatic character. Measuring approximately4.14" with a 56 ring gauge, its stout, tapered Toscano shape produces a surprisingly round, composed smoke. Without the aggressive smokiness of traditional fire curing, Brenta reveals a gentler side of Italian tobacco—wood, leather and delicate spice give way to walnut and hazelnut, with dried fruit, almond and a clean woody finish appearing as the cigar develops. Toscano rates the strength in the light-to-medium range.
For the aficionado who thinks he already understands Toscano, theToscano Brenta can be something of a revelation. This isn't simply a milder Toscano; it's a fundamentally different interpretation of the Italian cigar, built around a historic northern Italian tobacco and an entirely different curing tradition. The familiar rustic shape remains, but the palate is more nuanced, rounded and quietly sophisticated. Brenta proves that Toscano's identity extends beyond fire-cured Kentucky—and that more than 200 years into its history, this distinctly Italian cigar house can still produce something genuinely unexpected.
