Manifatture Sigaro Toscano Forte

A popular and cheap tobacco with full body & strenght. Natural taste. Flavor: old woods, campfire, dry hearth. Easy to burn.

Having passed through Italia and Comune, I couldn't do without trying Forte.

I cut this short since I underwrite most of the esteemed Beer's review. There is nothing subtle in a plain/robust Kentucky like this. Just a strong, earthy, Toscano-ish, masculine smoke. Something of the likes of the French Scaferlati (I still have two small cubes of that), old time (or grandfather's) stuff.

I would add that the quality of the tobacco has improved so much from the times ago when Comune and Forte (and Nazionale...) were packed in those small 20grms paper packs, and I may fully understand those pipsters devoting themselves to an "organic" tobacco like this.

Regarding me, after 10grms smoked straight in pipes of various sizes, always with pleasure, I have immediately started experimenting mixing with some Virginias. Very good results are coming from mixing three parts of Forte with one of HOTW.

Recommended... to myself obviously.

Forte is a very good tobacco. Kentucky is very pleasant. Try it!

In my family no one smoke the pipe, not even my ancestors apparently, but one of them, my father's grandpa, used to smoke Trinciato Forte. How? In cigarettes. Yeah you heard that, he used to roll his own ciggies without filter in a thick white rolling paper, and they were so big that they had a belly at the center. This tobacco was for cigarettes and pipe, and it was cut very thin, like the typical rolling tobaccos, until the 2010s. I used to smoke it and did not enjoy the change to the shag cut, because it was quite fun to smoke a fluffy leaf, and it was a different experience.
As I said with the Comune, you better pay attention with this old grumpy italian tobaccos, but if you know how to approach them, easy and friendly, without rush, they'll become good friends to you.

Quite frankly I am writing this mostly out of memory, with the aid of some old notes I have found in my cellar journal - I am in the habit of inventorying my cellar with pen and paper, and take notes on occasion. This was years before I, personally, stepped in an Italian tobacco shop. By the time I got to be haunting brick and mortars in Italy I lost all interest for this blend, as it was not quite my suit. Originally I was looking for the pipe version of the Toscano cigars, but I have found hardly the sort. It does have a distant resemblance to the Toscanellos - the classic fresh ones I mean, as on this subject matter there is quite a bit of variety, with your Garibaldis and you Mazzinis, your aged and Antica Rezerva, etc. In all plainness though, this is less of a blend but more of a straight tobacco varietal, a straight Kentucky, smashingly strong and peppery, that doesn't smoke like a toscanello - obviously since this is looser smoked (regardless how tight you may be tempted to pack) than the dry fermented cigars. It is quality tobacco, although I ended up giving it away or using it as a mixture component in other experiments. If you will, the Forte is the single level cured bulrey more like Rober McConnel's single varietal tobacco tins (Straight Latakia, Straight Perique, etc. - ever try to smoke straight latakia and felt like having a heart attack? yeah something of the sort). I love my Toscanos and I will stick to them, leaving this to the more astute pipe smokers, lovers of burley.

This tobacco is italy. When smoking, it reminds you of a farmer and his land, of the history of the country, of the partisans who fought in the hills in a not so distant past. It's all in there: The smokiness, the earthy and woody taste, it just feels like the taste of Italia. Ideal when taking a walk in the campagna while gazing at the distant hills or mountains after enjoying a good italian meal. If you haven't tried it, try it. But beware, it has a strong nicotine punch and will hit you pretty fast (not friendly to begginers). Also, it smokes hot, so patience and slow smoking is crucial if you don't want to burn your mouth.

Questo tabacco è Italia. Mentre lo fumi ti ricorda un contandino e la sua terra, la storia di questo paese, ai partigiani che hanno combatutto sulle colline in un passato non così lontano. E' tutto qui: Il sapore affumicato, terroso e legnoso si sente come il sapore d'Italia. Ideale quando si fa un giro in campagna osservando le colline o montagne dopo aver goduto del buon cibo italiano. Se non l'hai provato, fallo. Ma attenzione, ha un colpo di nicotina forte e ti colpirà velocemente (non adatto ai neofiti). Inoltre riscalda molto quindi pazienza e fumare lentamente è cruciale se non vuoi bruciarti la bocca.