The first new cigar line from industry stalwart José Seijas since he retired from Altadis U.S.A. Inc. in 2012 is now on retail shop shelves, and it has an official name.
The Matilde Renacer, meaning “rebirth” in Spanish, began shipping to cigar stores last week. The Renacer, a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos, Dominican binder and an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper, is being shipped in four sizes: a Corona measuring 5 1/2 inches long by 44 ring gauge; a 5 1/4 by 54 Robusto, a 6 1/2 by 54 Toro Bravo; and a 6 by 60 Grande. They were produced at Tabacalera La Matilde, Seijas’s new factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic, and were aged for 90 days after they were rolled.
Renacer, which Seijas describes as medium- to full-bodied, comes packed in cedar boxes of 20 and carries a suggested retail price between $7.00 and $9.00. The smokes are being distributed in the United States and the Dominican Republic by Seijas’s new La Matilde Cigar Co.
Seijas, who has been in the cigar industry for more than 60 years, is best known for his time as vice president and general manager of Altadis’s Tabacalera de Garcia Ltd., a huge factory located in La Romana. There he oversaw production of 60 million cigars a year, including such big brands as Montecristo, H. Upmann and Romeo y Julieta, as well as many smaller lines.
Source: Cigar Aficionado