My Weekend Cigar Review: Toscanello Hazelnut Raffinato
How I Discovered a Cigar I Thought I’d Never Smoke
The Toscanello Castano Raffinato line (“refined” in Italian), was born in 2016 as limited edition for the Italian market. Distributed by Avanti, the brand became so popular with consumers that parent company Manifatture Sigaro Toscano decided to add it permanently to their catalog.
The Toscanello selection is offered in a wide variety of sweet-tipped flavors, and Toscano takes great pride in their tip sweetening process. Following the success of their Toscanello Rosso Caffe Macchiato and Bianco Raffinato cheroots, in 2010 a unique and “very secret solution” was created by a talented Toscano blender that “combined the toasted flavour of hazelnuts and Kentucky tobacco with the sweet and fermented notes of the cigar tips.” As they describe the Toscanello Hazelnut Raffinato, during combustion the sugar caramelizes with the Kentucky tobaccos—which include the wrapper—enhancing the flavor of hazelnuts along with toasted and aromatic wood notes.
Cigar Details:
Factory: Cava dei Tirreni – Napoli, Italy
Size: 3 3/8 x 38 Half Cheroot
Body & Strength: Mellow+
Wrapper: Kentucky Fire Cured
Filler: Kentucky Fire Cured
Presented in packs of 5 & sleeves of 50
Toscanello Hazelnut Raffinato Cigar Review
The Toscanello Hazelnut Raffinato had me at the opening of the pack as it emitted a luscious, pastry-like aroma. After removing one of the half-size cheroots, like other Toscano cigars that I’ve reviewed, the Toscanello wrapper also had that classic bumpy, veiny, and a little greasy appearance. As usual, no cutter was needed, and the sweetness at the tip was immediate. Thankfully, it wasn’t an artificial sweetener taste. The cold draw also set the stage with a sweet hazelnut and vanilla flavor.
The cheroot lit up easily offering a smooth and mellow smoke, as a sweet mix of hazelnut, cocoa, and vanilla were quickly revealed. This was the menu for most of the session. The smoke also lingered long on the finish, while that fresh-baked pastry aroma was everywhere. At times the smoke was so flavorful I almost wanted to chew it. I should also add that the hazelnut flavor was more genuine than expected. Retrohales were mild with a cocoa flavor.
The ashes were impressively firm as the cheroot worked its way toward the halfway mark. This is also where it bumped up a little in intensity, but the sweet flavors and aroma never shook loose.
By the end, I had literally smoked the cheroot to under an inch. Also impressive was that it never got very hot. I figured this was due to its small and narrow size allowing the cheroot to cool off faster than a full-sized cigar.
Was the Toscanello Hazelnut Raffinato Weekend Worthy?
I’m not sure the Toscanello Hazelnut Raffinato is a typical “weekend” smoke. It’s more of a short break, 20-minute number; something for the morning or afternoon with coffee, for the ride home, etc., which makes these little cigars remarkably flexible.
The only flavored cigars I smoke are the coffee variety, like the Java Latte—and pretty rarely, too. That’s why I never thought I’d be smoking these little Toscanellos as much as I have lately, or at all for that matter, but here's the deal: they’re not for everybody. You really have to like this particular type of small cigar to appreciate it.
I doubt this review is going to convert a lot of those who prefer more traditional cigars, nor is it my intention. Simply put, I think the Toscanello Hazelnut Raffinato is a worthy occasional treat. Suffice it to say, if you’re an adventurous cigar smoker, you never know what you’ll discover.
Please Note: Gary’s review was based on his experience and that your mileage may vary.