In a move that has been known for quite sometime, Jose Seijas is launching his own line of cigars. Matilde Cigars will be a brand of his own – made at his factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The official announcement was reported in the November 5th Cigar Insider.
Last Jaunary, Seijas announced he was retiring from Altadis. At Atladis, Seijas served as Vice President and General Manager of the Tabacalera de Garcia factory – one of the largest in the world Seijas didn’t stay retired for long. Later in 2012, he teamed up with brothers Charlie and Rubin Gonzalez to form New World Cigars. The company also opened a small factory in La Romana. One of the first projects was a joint venture with Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana to handle production of the Air Bender cigars as well as to help the Dominican tourism industry. Now Seijas is ready to take the next step to launch his first brand – Matilde.
Matilde is the name of an old Dominican brand. The brand had its own factory called Tabaclaera La Matilde. According to the Cigar Insider report, the factory was in operation from 1876 to 1910.
Seijas will be working on this project with his son, Ricardo Seijas. Plans are in 2014 to rename the new factory Tabacalera La Matilde.
The Cigar Insider report says the Matilde will begin shipping in November. At a glance, here is a look at the company’s self-titled first cigar that was reported in the article.
Blend Profile
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Vitolas Available
The Matilde is being launched in four sizes:
Corona: 5 1/2 x 44 (SRP $6.50)
Robusto: 5 1/4 x 50 (SRP $7.50)
Toro Bravo: 6 1/2 x 54 (SRP $8.00)
Grande: 6 x 60 (SRP $8.50)