What Cigars Did Tony Soprano Smoke?
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This American crime drama series was on our screen for more than seven years and has indeed left a mark. The series is about Tony Soprano’s (the head of the soprano family) life as he manages his criminal affairs alongside his family.
Throughout the entire series, one will notice the unavoidable presence of cigars. Of course, this has made people wonder what cigars the sopranos smoke. Hardly any episode would pass without featuring a scene with a smoking soprano.
Members of the cast have said that the smoking was not done just during the movie but also behind the scene and during breaks. Almost all the cast of this fantastic series are great cigar lovers and would gladly accept one when offered.
You cannot talk about this series without mentioning, more than once, the presence of cigars in it. Keep reading to learn more about the sopranos and their love for cigars.
What Cigars Did The Sopranos Smoke?
A large number of the cast on the sopranos were cigar lovers. The show creator, David Chase, has said that adding cigars to the prop was intentional. Smoking cigars will fake the look of power and authority, and that is how he wanted the actors on the sopranos to look.
Some of the cast would smoke up to 2 cigars a day and often call their favorite cigar makers to supply enough cigars to avoid a shortage during filming.
You would find brands like Davidoff, Fuente, and Cuban cigars on set. CAO created a unique cigar brand just for the series. They are placed in a bright red box made in the shape of a car trunk. The cigars are made in three sizes to depict leadership hierarchy in a mob: Associate, soldier, and boss.
So, if you were there, which of the three sizes would you smoke?
What Were Tony Sopranos’ Favorite Cigars?
Tony Gandolfini played the role of Tony Soprano in this iconic series. He was the lead character in the movie and used to smoke on and offset. He enjoyed taking puffs on a cigarette, and his colleagues have said that Tony will usually go for the roughest kind amongst the many available options on set.
He loved to take his “Lucky Strikes” before filming some specific scenes. Nobody knew why.
Maybe it was because the name could have given him a boost of confidence or made him feel lucky enough to perform optimally during filming. Lucky strike is an ancient brand and has been in existence for over 70 years.
It is one of the most popular cigar brands and is one of Tony Soprano’s favorites. James Gandolfini has been named the patron saint of cigar smokers because of his love for cigars. He would smoke between 3 to 4 cigars within a week and just loved to relax and would light up whenever he got the chance.
It is so much that when he starts smoking, he can sit in one position for up to 45 minutes without moving an inch. This will allow him to enjoy the taste and experience for a more extended period. Gandolfini has admitted that he loves to smoke Cuban cigars.
From time to time, he has been seen smoking Macanudo, and some other times he smoked CAO L’Anniversaire Maduro cigars.
Did They Smoke Real Cigarettes In The Sopranos?
It can be easily seen that there is a shared love of cigars amongst the cast of the sopranos, but unfortunately, not all of them were real smokers. Michael Imperioli quit smoking mid-show and had to switch to fake cigarettes when shooting.
If you looked closely, you might have noticed sometimes when fake cigarettes were used on the show. By fake cigarettes, we mean that there is a lack of tobacco in the stick.
They can otherwise be called herbal cigarettes. Some characters like Tony Soprano and Pantoliano smoked real cigars. Pantoliano especially loved the larger cigars, like Bolivar Gigante. He would sometimes describe it as a cigar fit for a king.
Bottom Line
Even though the last episode of the sopranos aired over ten years ago, many people still love and remember them because of the fantastic memories they gave and, of course, their love for cigarettes.
Many people have watched and re-watched the show to see some famous characters smoke and learn a thing or two about how they smoked their favorite brands. Members of the cast have said that they would usually smoke whatever kind of cigars were brought on set.
Sometimes they get the good stuff, and some other times they are stuck with not-so-good options. They never joked with their cigar breaks even when some part of the show required that they smoked.
Of course, we can barely talk about smoking and films today without mentioning the sopranos and famous casts like Tony Soprano. This article has discussed some of the Sopranos’ favorite cigars now it’s time to try some of these stogies!
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Dan Stevenson
I have been smoking cigars for 30 years and counting, I started at 18 years old with mild Cubans and worked my way up to medium and now bold. I own 4 humidors, that I try to keep stocked at all times.
