Avanti Cigars

Avanti Cigars traces its roots back to the early 1900s, when brothers Dominic, Anthony, and Frank Suraci immigrated from Calabria, Italy, to New York. Bringing with them the cigar-making traditions of Southern Italy, the Suraci brothers began hand-rolling cigars in 1912, building a loyal customer base in Italian-American communities. In 1925, the brothers expanded by acquiring the Parodi Cigar Company, a competitor known for strong, fire-cured cigars made in the old-world Italian style. Over the following decades, the company continued to grow, adding well-known regional brands such as De Nobili and Petri. These acquisitions helped solidify the Suraci family as a dominant American producer of rustic, robust, fire-cured cigars. By the 1970s, the company introduced the Avanti brand—most famously known for its anisette-flavored cigar. The Avanti name quickly became a best-seller, ultimately becoming the company’s flagship brand and leading to the corporate rebranding as Avanti Cigar Company. Avanti’s cigars are uniquely American yet rooted in Italian tradition. They are made using fire-cured tobacco grown in Kentucky and Tennessee, a method that imparts a smoky, bold, and unmistakable flavor profile. Throughout the decades, Avanti expanded into additional flavor infusions, including bourbon, mocha, vanilla, and other specialty blends that enhanced the brand’s reputation for distinctive taste. In 2015, Avanti Cigars entered a new chapter when it was acquired by Manifatture Sigaro Toscano, the iconic Italian company behind Toscano cigars—the very style that originally inspired the Suraci brothers. This acquisition reinforced Avanti’s Italian-American heritage while ensuring the continuation of traditional fire-curing methods and American tobacco sourcing. Today, Avanti Cigars remains known for its bold flavor, rustic craftsmanship, and heritage that bridges two cultures. Its cigars continue to be enjoyed by those who appreciate a robust, old-world smoking experience.