Matilde

The cigar brand "Matilde" originated in the 19th century when it was founded by Simeón Menéndez in 1876 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. After his passing, his children took over the family business, which ceased operations in 1910. Today, the brand is managed by José Seijas, whose passion for cigars began in 1974 when he was hired by Tabacalera Garcia as the head of quality control, tobacco preparation, and manufacturing. A few years later, he became the general manager. In 1984, through his efforts, he became a master blender. He held this position until his retirement in 2011. He signed some of the most popular cigars, such as Montecristo, Romeo & Julieta, Vega Fina, H. Upmann Onyx, Trinidad, and many other cigars. Inevitably, a year after his retirement, he decided to return to the industry, but this time on a smaller scale with his children Enrique and Ricardo. This allowed him to further push his ideas regarding the regularity of production, refine blends, and ultimately use the best tobacco available on the market. To pay tribute to the Dominican Republic, José decided to revive the Matilde brand in 2014.