Review of Matilde Renacer Grande Cigar

Jose Seijas managed the largest factory for handmade cigars in the world for nearly 30 years. After retiring from Altadis in 2012 as the head of Tabacalera de Garcia in the Dominican Republic, Jose created his own Matilde brand of cigars, which debuted in 2014. The Matilde Renacer cigar is available in four vitolas, including the Grande (6 x 60) which sells for $180 per box of 20, working out to an average box price of $9 per stick. These cigars are made in the Dominican Republic with Ecuadorian Habano wrappers and a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. During construction, the wrapper is cut only one time, leaving some noticeable veins and blemishes which may detract from the cigar's appearance, but certainly not its flavor. In October 2015, a second line of Matilde Oscura cigars hit the market. Those cigars were blended to be a bit fuller and bolder than the Renacer line.

The sample Matilde Renacer Grande cigar began with a modest peppery flavor that became noticeably sweeter and less peppery after about five minutes. After an additional 10 minutes into the smoke, a chocolate flavor began to emerge. At the 30-minute mark, the hint of a coffee taste joined the mix. About 10 minutes later, a leather flavor emerged along with some earthy notes. After about an hour, the cigar had a creamier taste and texture. I found the Matilde Renacer to be medium-to-full bodied, complex, well balanced, and very enjoyable – a true connoisseur's cigar.

The Matilde Renacer cigar was very well made, having a very good draw, holding a long ash, and having a mostly even burn. No relights were necessary, but a couple of touch-ups were applied during the course of the smoke to keep the burn even. It took me 85 minutes to smoke the cigar down to two inches remaining. Overall, I found the Matilde Renacer Grande to be an excellent cigar worthy of an excellent rating of 4.5 points on a 5-point scale. Although the cigar is not overpowering, it may be a bit too much for newer cigar smokers, especially in the large Grande size. Again, the Matilde Renacer is an excellent cigar that is tailor made for connoisseurs and aficionados.