PCA Magazine 2022 Show Issue

PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG VOLUME 2 2022 | PCA The Magazine 29 T H E B L E N D have an actually soothing and even healing effect on the taste buds. Fifteen minutes in, the ash is still solid and, to my surprise, it is not flaking. The cigar burns very cooperatively. When my mind wandered and I came back expecting to need a re-light, it was still going. This is certainly the finest rustic kind of cigar I have had in a long time, maybe ever. It exhibits some of the customary signs one looks for in a premium handmade: ample smoke, straight burn line, agreeable flavor, self-regulating combustion, and…I can hardly believe it, but 24 minutes in I can now comfortably retrohale, and I am even tasting some cream! At this point the ash drops off on its own. Thirty minutes in I am working on an inch-and-a-half stub, but the strength and body, if anything, seem milder than before. Maybe it is just a matter of acclimation, but I was not expecting such velvetiness so late in the smoke. I cannot discern any big flavor transitions, just a mellowing, and now a touch of lightheadedness setting in thanks to the nic hit. I was expecting that; but it is not excessive. Even when the burn line gets close enough to my fingers to start biting a little when I puff, the smoke itself remains forgiving and inviting. Interesting, too: The room note is surprisingly warm, sweet and inviting. I smoked this little guy down to less than an inch, but at 40 minutes I finally ended it and savored the lingering aftertaste of hickory and creamed coffee. The Toscano Extravecchio surprised me. I didn’t expect a small-gauge 3” half-cigar to smoke for 40 minutes, and I didn’t expect it to mellow so agreeably through the progression of the smoke. It brings the added charm of being inexpensive. And a big selling point is that there is no need to keep it in a humidor. I can toss a pack of these little gizmos in the glovebox of my car and feel good about always having them on hand. I’ll be stashing away a few bricks of these cigars, and sharing them with friends—especially the Clint Eastwood fans of my acquaintance. The Toscano Extravecchio is a companionable smoke and a solid value.