Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto is medium brown with some darker areas. There are some decently raised veins and a bit of tooth. The seams are smooth and the caps are applied OK. There are two bands, both in the same aqua blue, silver and cream that the original offerings in the line have. The primary denotes the company logo and name while the secondary denotes the line. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of dark earth and light cocoa powder, while the foot brings earth and leather. The pre-light draw brings oak and floral notes along with a light smokiness.
Seth: The Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto is an average cigar in appearance. It does not have the look that the original Matilde Serena has. The wrapper has a nice soft Maduro coloring, I would say between Natural and Maduro, and is finished with medium sized veins throughout. It is firm in hand and it has a coarse texture. Antique brown coloring with aromas of earth, charred wood, tobacco and spices.
John: The Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto comes in cellophane and has a UPC sticker that tears in half when opened. The cigar is double banded with a ‘Maduro Serena Maduro’ secondary band in the same gold on green as the primary band. Aromas from the cigar included chocolate, tobacco and aged wood. From the foot, there was sweet tobacco and wood. The cigar weighed in at 13.1 grams and measured to 61.9% humidity with a HumidiMeter Pro.
Jiunn: The Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto has a Colorado maduro wrapper shade. The wrapper is of good quality, giving an oily sheen and traces of tooth. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll tight and the head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper tell of slight hay and cedar. Aromas from the foot give spicy cedar and subtle nuttiness. Cold draw provides hay and cedar.

Team Cigar Review: Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted oak, earth and light baking spice. At a quarter inch in, a light bakers chocolate becomes present. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth and very mild baking spice. At an inch in, a light creaminess joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the profile is toasted oak and earth even up front with light amounts of bakers chocolate, baking spice and creaminess in the background. The strength was slightly below medium.
Seth: The first third starts out with this charred wood, mineral spice and earth flavor profile. There are some faint tobacco qualities present as well, and it has this toasty finish. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first few puffs bring sweet tobacco, bread and graham cracker. Light-plus spices, wood and earth develop through the finish. Cinnamon is present on the retrohale, along with some creamy baking spices as it settles in. Sweet tobacco moves into the post draw as the first third continues. By the halfway point, chocolate also joins the retrohale.
Jiunn: The first third delivers a surprising amount of softness in flavors. Tannin filled cedar, creamed cherries and toasted nuts. Retrohaling introduces subtle dried red pepper spice, but also amps up the cedar note. The finish has a mixture of leather and subdued cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Team Cigar Review: Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, a light cardboard note becomes present. At a half inch in, the baking spice and bakers chocolate increase a bit. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth, bakers chocolate and very mild baking spice. At an inch and a quarter, the bakers chocolate is now right behind the toasted oak and earth. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and earth are even up front, with bakers chocolate right behind. The baking spice is a bit further behind and there are light creaminess and carboard notes in the background. The strength bumped up to medium.
Seth: The second third is really in line with the first third. There is not much going on. Fairly flat cigar. Lacking Mexican offering. Earthy, charred wood, mineral spice qualities. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: I’m greeted in the second third with creamy cinnamon, and bread through the retrohale as cinnamon and chocolate combine into the post draw. Medium strength wood moves into the center of the profile as it settles in. There is an interesting tobacco note to the aroma that I can’t identify but it is noticeable.
Jiunn: The second third’s flavor profile reduces to namely creamy cedar, leather tannins and the cherry being an afterthought. The overall profile is still quite subtle. Strength and body remains medium.

Team Cigar Review: Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the earth takes a slight lead in the profile and the toast level increases. At a quarter inch in, some wood bitterness becomes present. The retrohale is now back to toasted oak, earth and very mild baking spice. At three quarters of an inch in, the carboard note has departed. As the cigar wraps up, the earth is slightly ahead of the toasted oak, with bakers chocolate and baking spice each trailing a bit and some light creaminess in the background. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third flavor profile delivers that charred wood and mineral earth flavor profile. Unpleasant and lacking on the finish. Medium in strength and body.
John: Creamy earth joins with chocolate and a mild, tannic wood into the final third. That wood lingers well into the post draw. Baking spices develop at the end of the draw by the halfway point.
Jiunn: The final third shows no changes from the second third. Still a subdued flavor profile centered around creamy cedar and leather tannins. Strength and body finishes the same medium.

Team Cigar Review: Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout and the ash held on through each third.
Seth: Burn was good throughout.
John: The burn was straight through the review, no interventions required.
Jiunn: Burn performance was perfect. Even burn, ample smoke production, tight ashes and cool burning temperature.

Team Cigar Review: Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Draw was fine.
John: I did a straight cut with the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust cutter and the draw was perfect, right in the ideal zone between resistant and open.
Jiunn: Flawless draw, giving the best balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted oak, earth and light baking spice. Some light bakers chocolate joined in fairly quickly and some creaminess a bit later. The second third saw a light cardboard note join in, The final third saw the cardboard note depart. The construction was absolutely perfect. The Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto started with a mellow profile that was a bit average, The fullness of flavors increased in the second third and they were really working well together which bumped up the enjoyment level. The fullness increased some more in the final third, but dropped back down to average as the balance left its sweet spot. Overall, the cigar was a bit above average, and I could see coming back to it from time to time. I am interested in trying the other vitola to see how it performs. I really enjoyed the Connecticut Shade version of the Serena line and it was going to be a tall task to match that here.
Seth: This Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto was a poor release, and really a disappointment for Matilde. I thought Serena was a great line and fantastic Connecticut offering. You didn’t need to do anything with that line. Why expand that line and add a maduro under the same name? You already have a maduro with Oscuro. Also, it features a Mexican San Andres offering as well. What I always loved about Matilde was that a line revolved around one blend. One wrapper. They broke that and did so poorly with Serena Maduro. The release was flat, uneventful at the beginning, and painful at the end.
John: The Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto delivered balanced, restrained and engaging flavor combinations through the entire review. The draw and burn were both flawless. Given the flavor profile of this cigar, and then you factor in the price, this might be my value priced cigar of the year by a wide margin. I would happily smoke these again. Total smoking time was a bit on the quick side at 1 hour and 33 minutes.
Jiunn: One thing is for certain about Matilde cigars. They are focused on flavors first and foremost, and rarely do their cigars punch you in the gut. So knowing how much I loved the Equador Connecticut shade, I expected the Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto to be just as or if not fuller in flavors with perhaps a small incremental step up in nicotine. What I got was too many subtleties that almost put me to sleep. Pass on this and smoke the Connecticut shade for the flavors.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.39

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

4.53

Cost/Point

$1.88

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

7.17

Cost/Point

$1.19

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.39

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Matilde Serena Maduro Robusto