Matilde Unveils New Serena Maduro, New Sizes of Limited Exposure No. 2 at TPE 2023

Matilde Cigar Co. used the 2023 Total Product Expo (TPE) to release both a line extension and some new sizes for one of its limited edition lines.

The new Matilde Serena Maduro got its official unveiling. This blend replaces the original Serena’s Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper with a Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper, while a Dominican criollo 98 binder replaces the original Serena’s Dominican olor leaf. Underneath those leaves, the filler blend will remain a mix of Dominican and Nicaraguan leaves.

Enrique Seijas of Matilde Cigar Co. told halfwheel that even with the changes, the profile and strength levels remain at or just shy of medium, keeping in line with the profile established by the original Serena, which was released in 2016.

The Matilde Serena Maduro is offered in a 5 1/4 x 50 robusto priced at $8.50 and a 6 1/2 x 54 Toro Bravo vitola with an MSRP of $9, both of which are offered in 20-count boxes and being made at Tabacalera Palma.

Seijas previously told halfwheel that there are more vitolas planned for the future, saying that, “Serena is the first of our core lines to get an extension, but it won’t be the last.”

Also new for Matilde at TPE 2023 are new sizes for the Limited Exposure No. 2, the purple-banded second release in the company’s Limited Exposure series. The line adds a 6 x 42 lonsdale priced at $8.75 and a 5 x 50 robusto priced at $9.50, both of which are offered in 20-count boxes. Production is limited to 600 boxes of the robusto and 300 boxes of the toro, while another 600 boxes of the original 6 x 50 toro that debuted in April 2022 are also being released. The line is produced at TABACALERA LA iSLA in the Dominican Republic.

The new cigars are scheduled to begin shipping next week.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.