Matilde Renacer Robusto

Matilde Cigars is the company launched by the legendary Jose Seijas. Seijas is best known for his tenure as Vice President and General Manager of Tabacalera de Garcia – maker of Altadis products . In that role Seijas oversaw the production of a factory capable of making 60 million cigars annually.  He would retire in 2012, but late in 2013 he would return with is own company – Matilde Cigars. With Matilde, while Seijas has his own factory, Tabacalera La Matilde.  This factory is the true definition of a “boutique” factory focusing on small production and strict quality standards.  Today, we take a look at the first blend to come from Matilde – the Matilde Renacer. This is a cigar I recently had an opportunity to smoke in the Robusto format. With the Renacer, Seijas proves he still has the midas touch as he delivers one outstanding cigar.

The name Matilde brings back an old Dominican brand. The Renacer means “rebirth” which fits the theme of this first line. Seijas said: “It represents the rebirth of Matilde, an old Domincan brand, and my new stage in blending and manufacturing.”

Without further ado let’s take a closer look at the Matilde Renacer and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Renacer is a three country multinational blend featuring an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Matilde)

Vitolas Available

Last year, the Renacer was launched in four sizes.  Recently, a lancero line extension has been added.

Lancero: 7 x 40
Corona: 5 1/2 x 44
Robusto: 5 1/4 x 50
Toro Bravo: 6 1/2 x 54
Grande: 6 x 60

Appearance

The Matilde Renacer Robusto’s Ecuadorian Habano wrapper has a rich dark caramel color to it. There is a coating of oil on the surface of the wrapper. While there are some thin visible wrapper seams and thin visible veins, I considered his cigar to have a smooth wrapper.

The band of the Matilide Renacer has a brown background with off-white colored trim.  On the center of the band is the gold and white Matilde logo which is an image that appears to be a statue-like image with an “S” shaped leaf design draped over it. To the left and right is the text “Matilde” in gold font.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Before lighting up the Matilde Renacer Robusto, I went with a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was successfully clipped, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw delivered notes of coffee, natural tobacco, cedar, and some pepper notes that had a slight lingering effect on the tongue. Overall I considered the pre-light draw experience of this cigar to be excellent. At this point I was ready to light up the Matilde Renacer Robusto and await what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Matilde Renacer Robusto delivered notes of coffee, cedar, mixed pepper notes, and a tangy sweetness. On many cigars tangy notes can be harsh, but on this cigar it was quite smooth and the sweetness layered the flavors perfectly. The coffee notes and tangy sweetness quickly became primary notes. The pepper and cedar notes became secondary. There also was a distant cream note. Meanwhile a mix of pepper and cedar spices was present on the retro-hale.

Throughout the first half, the coffee and tangy sweet notes alternated in intensity, but both notes were clearly the primary flavors. As the Matilde Renacer moved into the second half, some earth notes surfaced in the background. There also was an increase in pepper. The cream notes dissipated.

During the last third, the earth notes moved into the forefront along with the pepper notes. Both the coffee and the tangy sweet notes significantly diminished. This is the way the cigar experience came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

Overall the burn path of the Matilde Renacer Robusto took a straight track. The burn line itself was a little jagged than I prefer, but this was more cosmetic issue. The resulting ash was a charcoal gray color. The ash itself was slightly loose and had some flaking along the way. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Burn of the Matilde Renacer Robusto

The draw performed quite well. It wasn’t too tight, nor was it too loose. I found the Matilde Renacer Robusto delivered quite a bit of smoke. Overall, it was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavors from.

Strength and Body

From a strength perspective, I did find the Matilde Renacer Robusto to have a little bit of kick, but by no means was this an overpowering smoking experience. I assessed this cigar as having enough strength to be a medium to full strength cigar. In terms of body, the Renacer Robusto is going to have deep flavors. When these flavors are combined with the retro-hale, they put some weight on the palate. I assessed the Renacer Robusto as being a full-bodied smoke.

Final Thoughts

In an era where there are a lot of limited edition cigars hitting the market, we often forget about cigars that can be regular rotation and / or everyday smokes. The Matilde Renacer Robusto hits the mark and hits it well. Seijas and Tabacalera La Matilde deliver a fantastic smoke. In his long career, Seijas has delivered a lot of classic smokes. With Matilde Renacer he delivers a more contemporary type of smoke, but one that I think is destined to be a classic. The only drawback was the jaggedness of the burn line and some of the flaky ash. However, the pluses far outweigh the minuses. Finally, I think this blend comes together beautifully in the robusto format.

This is a cigar I would recommend to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast. At the same time, this is also a smoke that is perfect for the novice to graduate to something a little fuller and a little stronger. As for myself – easily a box worthy, regular rotation smoke – and one that I would buy again.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 4.0 – Box Worthy
Score: 92

References

News: Jose Seijas’ Matilde Renacer Launches (Cigar Preview)
Price: $9.00
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 101 (Jose Seijas Conversation)
Stogie Feed: Matlide Renacer Corona, Matilde Renacer Robusto