Matilde Special Edition Review — Cigar Review: Matilde Special Edition (2024)

Today, we are reviewing the Matilde Special Edition cigar, which was introduced at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Matilde Cigars is owned and operated by Enrique Seijas, the son of the late José Seijas. The Special Edition marks the launch of a new series called “special blends,” which highlight aged tobaccos. Unlike limited editions, these blends will be produced continuously but released in small batch runs. This inaugural installment of the Matilde Special Edition debuted in 2024, and today we’ll take a closer look at it.

The late José Seijas was associated with a very famous cigar, known as the José Seijas Signature Series. That cigar is considered to be one of José Seijas’ best creations. It was a blend highlighted by the use of Peruvian tobacco. It turns out Seijas was a big fan of this tobacco. As a result, Enrique Seijas set out to release a blend that incorporates this tobacco. The Special Edition is the first Matilde Cigar to leverage this type of tobacco.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Special Edition and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Matilde Special Edition (2024) – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

While Matilde has worked with Sumatra in its blends before, the Special Edition is the first time the tobacco is being used as a wrapper on one of its cigars. Additionally, the Special Edition features a binder from Jalapa and a blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Peruvian fillers. As mentioned earlier, this is the first Matilde blend to feature any Peruvian tobaccos. Production for Special Edition comes from Hostos Quesada’s Tabacalera La Isla in the Dominican Republic. Tabacalera La Isla handles production for Matilde’s Limited Exposure series.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican, Peruvian
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera La Isla

Vitolas Offered

The Special Edition comes in one size – a 6 x 50 Toro. The cigars come in 24-count boxes.

Appearance (*)

The Special Edition had a caramel color wrapper that was on the darker side. There was some oil on the surface of this wrapper. Upon closer examination, a slight amount of toothiness could be seen on the wrapper. This wrapper also had a slightly bumpy, slightly rugged look to it. There were also some visible veins as well as some visible wrapper seams.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before lighting up the Special Edition, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was detached, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered a mix of natural tobacco and citrus. The natural tobacco had a mix of sweetness with a slight bitter edge. While it wasn’t a bad-tasting pre-light draw, it wasn’t the most exciting flavor-wise. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Special Edition and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Special Edition opened with more notes of natural tobacco and citrus that were found in the pre-light draw. Like the pre-light draw, the natural tobacco had both sweet and bitter qualities. The natural tobacco and citrus became primary early. At the same time, notes of earth, mixed pepper, and warm baking spices emerged in the background. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered a load of pepper and baking spices.

The second third of the Special Edition featured the earth and citrus notes remaining as the primary notes. Meanwhile, the earth notes increased and, from time to time, surfaced in the forefront. Meanwhile, the baker’s spice and pepper remained in the back. There was a slight increase in the baker’s spice notes, but they never overpowered the flavor profile.

By the final third, the natural tobacco notes increased slightly in intensity and became the sole primary note. There were still notes of earth, pepper, and baker’s spice present. The pepper and baker’s spice notes remained relatively constant. This is how the Special Edition concluded. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

Of the three samples of the Special Edition smoked, all had a straight burn path and a relatively straight burn line. One required minimal touch-ups to keep the burn on track. The other two samples required more touch-ups than I preferred, particularly in the second third. On each of the samples, the resulting ash wasn’t overly firm. There was a slight amount of flaking on each of the cigars. The ash itself had a salt-and-pepper color complexion. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were maintained at ideal levels.

Draw

The draw of the Special Edition was on the open side. This wasn’t a loose draw. At the same time, I normally prefer my draw to have a little more resistance. In the end, the open draw didn’t have any adverse effects, but it was more of a personal preference.

Strength and Body

The Special Edition started with mild to medium strength and medium-bodied notes. Both the strength and body increased in intensity. The second half saw a more rapid increase in strength, moving into medium territory. The body stayed in the medium range, not quite reaching the medium to full threshold. While it’s not a powerhouse in strength, I found the increase in strength to be noticeable in the second half.

The first half of the smoking experience saw the body have the edge over the strength. Things evened up past the midway point, and by the final third, the strength took the edge.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

The Matilde Special Edition features a small, yet very colorful, multi-colored band. The colors are pretty bold. Usually, this would be a little loud for a cigar, but the fact that it has a thin band minimizes the loudness. Ultimately, I found that this approach worked well. A similar color scheme is found on the cedar box, but more blue is used, and that also minimizes the loud effect.

Matilde Special Edition Packaging (Photo Credit: Matilde Cigars)

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Overall, I found the Matilde Special Edition to be a unique cigar, particularly in how the flavors meshed together. It wasn’t too heavy in terms of Sumatra, and it wasn’t too heavy based on the Peruvians. At times, these tobaccos can be polarizing to me. While the flavors were unique, they were at their best in the early phases. As the cigar went on, I was hoping for a more “wow ” factor, but it simply didn’t deliver that. The last third had a slightly more bitter taste, and while it wasn’t harsh, it didn’t elicit the same enthusiasm. Ultimately, this is a blend that, if you can find a sample, is worth trying before purchasing to see what you think.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Citrus, Earth, Baker’s Spice, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
Body: Medium
Finish: Good