How to understand if a Tuscan cigar is good

How to understand if a Tuscan cigar is good

After writing a brief introduction on Tuscan cigars for non-Italian smokers, in this short article we will list five points that will help us to understand if what we are smoking is a good traditional Tuscan, an inferior cigar, or even a successful experimentation. Of course, every smoker will appreciate one cigar or another. But as with wine that tastes of cork is not a good wine, so a defective Tuscan is not a good Tuscan. We hope this article will be useful to those approaching this type of cigar for the first time because the characteristics of the Tuscan are very different from those of the cigars from the Caribbean and, therefore, the criteria of judgment are very different. To give an example, we can say that if we compare the Caribbean cigars to Champagne wines (of more or less good quality), the Tuscan cigars are like red wines (of more or less good quality)

1. Taste

A good Tuscan cigar must be relatively bitter, a little savory, slightly sweet, with the acidic component at the bottom of the scale. Every flavour has its importance and there can be excellent Tuscan cigars that are a little sweeter or more savoury than others. But generally the proportion between the flavours must be maintained.
A Tuscan that is not bitter at all, is like a diluted wine.
A Tuscan that is too sour is like an acetate wine.
A Tuscan too sweet is like a sweet wine.
A Tuscan too salty is like a wine that tastes like cork.
It is very rare for a Tuscan to be too bitter, but when it happens it often depends on conservation.
The Tuscan cigars perform better if stored in a humidity range between 50% and 60%.

2. Flavours.

A good Tuscan cigar must have a smokey, woody and a little earthy aroma. Good spicy notes are often perceived, such as black or white pepper. Other secondary aromatic notes that may be present are cocoa and toasted coffee, and sometimes hints of straw in younger cigars. Aromas that are too sweet like syrup, or similar to cardboard or with a strong herbaceous note are defects, as well as any chemical or ammonia scents. If you feel ammonia, it could be due to a too high humidity.

3. Force.

A good Tuscan cigar must have a medium or full body. Tuscan cigars have always been relatively strong cigars, both in body and nicotine. Tuscan cigars that are too light are like diluted wines and can be composed of poor tobaccos. Let’s remember that these cigars are made with Kentucky Fire-Cured tobacco.

4. Balance.

Although Tuscans are relatively strong and rounded cigars, they should not be unbalanced to the point of burning the mouth, drying the mouth or producing an excess of salivation. They must always be round on the palate and the smoke must be creamy. Aromas and flavours must be well balanced and non-cloying.

5. Tuscans are not flavoured and are produced in Italy.

Although aromatic cigars have been produced in Italy for over twenty years, traditional Tuscan cigars have no added flavour. In addition, Tuscan cigars are Italian products and the best are produced in Italy.

The above are five points of reference to find your bearings in the vast world of Tuscan cigars. It is clear that, over time, every smoker will refine his taste and learn to distinguish a good Tuscan from a mediocre or very bad Tuscan.