It was born by chance—or rather, like many exceptional things, it was born by mistake.

The Toscano Cigar has its origins in the heart of Florence, inside the Manifattura Tabacchi located in the former convent of Santa Caterina on Via delle Ruote. Its creation followed an event that initially seemed like a true catastrophe.

In August 1815, several barrels filled with prized Kentucky tobacco—which is still grown today in the province of Arezzo, between Anghiari, Cortona, Monterchi, and Foiano della Chiana—were stored in a courtyard of the factory. Unfortunately, an unexpected summer storm soaked all the tobacco that had been laid out in the sun to dry.

It was left in the sun again in an attempt to dry it, but things only got worse: the tobacco began to ferment.

The choice became clear, though painful: discarding the tobacco would have meant a significant financial loss. To avoid consequences with Grand Duke Ferdinand III, the director of the Tobacco Factory made a bold decision.

He decided to produce small cigars with a somewhat odd shape, even without the wrapper leaf that usually surrounds the cigar, and sell them in hopes of recovering part of the lost value.

The cigars were sold in the working-class neighborhoods of Florence and were a great success, thanks both to their affordable price and to the “bold” flavor that came from the fermentation.

Due to high demand, the Grand Ducal Factory decided to begin large-scale production of the “Toscano cigar,” affectionately nicknamed stortignaccolo (with a strange shape, a little bit crooked) by the Florentines, due to its unique shape.

A cigar with a strong character, destined to become a true icon for smokers all over Italy. And being more affordable, it quickly became the cigar of the people, who would often cut it in half to save even more.

A tradition that continues to this day—so much so that, in the 1950s, the “Mezzo Toscano” (Half Toscano) was officially launched on the market.

More than 200 years have passed, but little has changed in the production process of the Toscano. Even with today’s available technology, all the manufacturing, drying, and fermentation steps are carried out exactly as they were two centuries ago.

A fascinating and unexpected story—out of an unforeseen and unfortunate event was born one of the most iconic products for cigar lovers: the Toscano Cigar.