Spanish, Italian, and Russian Pipe Tobacco

[misterlowercase]

...another interesting note that I forgot to add,

the Gorey Smoking Mixture in the Norway ad isn't native to there,

it is made by none other than J.F. Germain!

 

[misterlowercase]

Speaking of Italian cigars,

wasn't that the kind Clint Eastwood was smoking in The Outlaw Josey Wales?
If not,

what kind were they?
I've always wanted to try that style...

 

[prairiedruid]

something from a cigar forum; not quite the answer you wanted but interesting....

A Fistful Of Dollars The cigar story

tafdom Offline

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#1

02-07-2009, 02:27 PM

FYI I thought was cool
[Image: CigarBW.jpg]
By Joe Lyons
More than forty years after Clint Eastwood first looked out from under his hat in "A Fistful Of Dollars," people still ask, what cigar was he smoking?
The answer comes about third or fourth hand. Rich Perelman's Cigarcylopedia.com web site quotes James Leaverly, author of a series called "Sharing An Ashtray." Leaverly conducted an interview with Sir Christopher Frayling, biographer for Italian film director, Sergio Leone. Leone directed Eastwood in "A Fistful Of Dollars" (released in the U.S. in 1967) and is also credited with spawning the "Spaghetti Western."
According to the article, Frayling said, "There's a great debate as to what kind of cigars they were. Italians claim that they were cigars called Toscano, which are rather evil southern Italian cigars of very close-packed tobacco. Very dark."
He continues by explaining the cigars always went out, which is why Eastwood was constantly relighting them. The reason for this – Eastwood doesn't like to smoke.
Granted, in "Heartbreak Ridge" he celebrated the taking of Granada with a cigar and, as "The Outlaw Josie Wales," he did chew. You may remember in that film he spit on his dog and even on the white coat of the snake oil salesman, but swallowed the load when the little old lady wouldn't let him spit on her floor.
Getting back to the Leone westerns, Frayling claims Eastwood was willing to return for the second film, "For A Few Dollars More," wearing the same costume and everything else that was asked of him, "But please, no cigars."
Leone is quoted as saying, "You've got to. The cigar's playing the lead part."
If you watch "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" on DVD, you will notice that, often as not, Eastwood's cigar is not lit. You see him light it for dramatic effect, or because it went out again, but often, the tip is cold.
You should also note Eastwood was not very hygienic with his smoke. Twice in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," Eli Wallach's character smokes Clint's cigar and near the end, Eastwood takes his smoke out of his mouth to give to a dying solder. (My wife claims this proves cigars can kill you.)
The Toscano cigar itself dates back to 1818 so it could have been possible for a character like Eastwood's to smoke them in the period between 1860 and 1880, as seen in the films. The big question is whether they were available here in America at that time. Clearly they were available in Italy, the country that produced the films, and described as being made of premium fired Kentucky and Italian tobacco, it might indicate they were indeed sold in America back then.
For the record, their catalog indicates the cigars undergo four months of seasoning which helps to develop their rich, slightly sweet aroma and taste. It says nothing about Frayling's claim that they are "strong stuff."
The company that manufactures them was part of British American Tobacco until recently, when it was sold to an Italian firm, Seci s.P.a., part of the large Maccaferri family group headquartered in Bologna.

Now, the transfer is complete and a new shape is being produced at the factory in Lucca; the 14th in the Toscano range, Toscano Soldati, is dedicated to the memory of Mario Soldati (1906-99), an influential Italian writer and film director, who was also a fan of the Toscano. £

 

[shutterbugg]

I figure if in today's global economy those countries' pipe tobacco isn't sold elsewhere, there must be a good reason

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I figure if in today's global economy those countries' pipe tobacco isn't sold elsewhere, there must be a good reason

Shutter, this crossed my mind as well, but I would love to have a sample of all of the world's tobaccos. Just to "know", know what I mean?
I thought that Clint Eastwood was smoking Backwoods Smokes, which was the first Kentucky fire cured cigar that I ever heard of. But, probably not. There are quite a few of those narrow and long ring sizes, but I don't see them often in B&M's. There is a MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured by Drew Estates that comes in that ring size and length, and they are some tasty stick, with kick. Clint Eastwood comes to mind everytime I smoke one. But, they didn't exist back then.

 

[newbroom]

Belly LAFF! :rofl:

Getting back to the Leone westerns, Frayling claims Eastwood was willing to return for the second film, "For A Few Dollars More," wearing the same costume and everything else that was asked of him, "But please, no cigars."
Leone is quoted as saying, "You've got to. The cigar's playing the lead part."

 

[misterlowercase]

prairiedruid,

many thanks for that,

it is indeed interesting.

 

[misterlowercase]

Many foreign brands emulated the British stuff,

if you go bouncing around you'll find quite a many,

some more blatant than others,

the example below is one of the more blatant,

and also sorta funny!

:mrgreen:

 

[lestrout]

With respect to the apparent dearth of French pipe tobaccos: the great Bob Runowski, who knew volumes about all things tobacciana and created many notable blends (Old Joe Kranz, Billy Budd, etc) told me at Morley when I posed the question that the French tobacco business is a government enterprise. That, along with the general difficult business environment in France, inhibited entrepreneurs from devising blends for our market.
hp

les
PS - this is not meant to derail this wonderful thread (many thanks again, MLC) into the slippery slope of politics

 

[cosmicfolklore]

No derailment at all. That explains why we don't see the French competing with us on pipr tobacco. That and the name Rat for a blend, ha ha!

 

[misterlowercase]

Thanks Les!

::
I've long been a fan of Bob Runowski.
Not only was he a fountain of knowledge, a talented blender, and a gifted writer,

but he was also fond of using Allen Ginsberg as his avatar,

even all the aces more!
Long Live Morleysson

Egos, egos, egos. What frail and vulnerable things these egos are! I wander like a gypsy from site to site and I see these fragile ego everywhere on some sites. Egos and prima donas, displaying themselves for all the world to see and acclaim them, seeking approval in their latest acquisitions like children being toilet trained and seeking affirmation from their parents for "making No 1 in the potty". Most of all of the participants whom I have had the pleasure of e-meeting have been fine people, more the men and a few women, each with their own agenda but generally cooperative and congenial. But, there are the few, the very few, who seem to need to needle and achieve a toehold above others. Bigger, newer, more exotique pipes and obscure tobaccos; arcane conversations with unusual pipester people, a haughty shake of the head and swagger in their gait, leaving their trail of wispy smoke from aged tobaccos blended by tongueless eunuchs in some obscure third world country. And, really, it means nothing, because the pleasure derived from pipe smoking by some retired farmer or drayman on their porch or in their living room is probably the same as that derived by our egoist. Probably more so by the farmer or the drayman because they need worry far less about the smoking accoutrement's as other might worry. In my opinion, we need more to foster among all smokers the common joys of the act of smoking, and less what and how we smoke. Let's all urge them to sublimate those egos and embrace the commonalities among us. We pipesmokers are a decreasing lot.
- Bob Runowski

 

[edgreen]

misterlowercase, any chance you could post the sculpture and the Chez Maigret on the Pipes in Art thread?