Blind Cigar Review: Matilde | Quadrata Robusto

Cigar Info

In May, Matilde Cigars announced that they were adding Matilde Quadrata as the third line to their brand. It comes in three sizes: Robusto (5 x 5 ¼), Torpedo (52 x 6) and Toro Bravo (54 x 6 ½) packed in 20 count cabinet boxes.

The Matilde Quadrata is blended with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Dominican binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. This will be Matilde and Jose Seijas’ first box-pressed line of cigars to hit the market. The blend is crafted to be full-flavored and medium-full strength – somewhere between than Matilde Renacer and Matilde Oscura.

Quesada Cigars distributes Matilde Cigars and they shared a booth this year at IPCPR.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5.25″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Palma
Blender: Jose Seijas
Number of reviewers: 5 – Jeff R. (JR) Stefan (Stefan) Kyle (kaleehb) Derek (StogieNinja) Dave W. (mdwest)
Price: $8.50
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: July 2016
Contributed by: Quesada Cigars

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 89

“A nice box pressed maduro, with a nice oily sheen to the wrapper. Appears well constructed, though the cap is a little sloppy.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Aroma: 89

“Pre-light smell was sweet with hints of earth and barnyard. Cold draw lead to notes of spice and wood on my palate.” –Kyle (kaleehb)

First Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Kicks off with milk chocolate in spades, with some black pepper on the tongue. Some baking spices and a nice sweet cedar in the background. A few puffs in and the pepper is very prominent, and there’s a rich soil coming from the smoke.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“A bit more of a pepper blast was delivered than expected on the first few puffs, with just a faint taste of coffee detected in the blend.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Second Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Outstanding earthy flavors with slight hints of caramel & orange peel” –Jeff R. (JR)

“Into the second third, the pepper has subsided, though it remains a player. Rich chocolate, baking spices, some leather, hints of oak, and a smokey/peaty flavor that’s quite unique. There’s a burnt caramel note that comes and goes. Really enjoying this one!” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Final Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“The last third continues with coffee and cocoa bean notes, and a little ammonia tingle when there’s 2 inches left.” –Stefan (Stefan)

“The final third doesn’t reveal any major shifts, but that’s a good thing. Rich chocolate, baking spices, leather, oak, cedar, and a smokey flavor that reminds me a bit of something barrel aged. This is a very enjoyable cigar.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 88

“The draw seemed a tad constricted during the first third, but it opened up afterward.” –Stefan (Stefan)

Burn: 91

“Good consistent combustion from start to finish and a burn line that required zero touch ups.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Construction: 89

“Clean lines and zero performance problems. This was a well made cigar.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Overall Experience: 89

“This cigar won’t win you any ‘long ash’ contests but it’s sure to please the palate” –Jeff R. (JR)

“A very good full-bodied cigar of medium-full strength that could be smoked any time of the day.” –Stefan (Stefan)

“This was an overall decent smoking experience. There are some folks who love the ease of effort on the draw and look for a cigar they can count on to deliver a good smoking experience without detailed taste complexity. If that fits your profile, this cigar is for you. I, on the other hand, look for more resistance in the draw, slower/cooler burn, and complexity that intermingles well with aroma. For me I will probably pass on this cigar in the future as those components were not present in my experience.” –Kyle (kaleehb)

“I want to give this cigar a higher rating. The flavors were very enjoyable, and I’d very much like to smoke another. The burn issues were problematic though, to the point of being distracting. I would like to age one and see how it performs with a few months of downtime, because the cigar tasted great.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“Nothing really “wow’d” me about this stick, but overall there really wasn’t anything to complain about either. The flavors were nice, the performance was good, and the cigars appearance was solid. I’d be happy to give it another try sometime down the road and see if it catches my attention better the next time.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 67

Reviewer	Appearance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall Experience
Jeff R.	90	88	88	95	88	100	90	90	90
Stefan	88	90	90	90	90	88	95	83	90
Kyle	88	90	88	88	88	88	90	88	88
Derek	90	92	90	95	95	92	83	90	90
Dave W.	90	88	88	88	88	85	90	90	88

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.